The Lord of the Rings movies, the good parts editions

[melaniesuzanne]

Nerdiness ahead.

Last night, in between watching Sunday's episode of "The Talking Dead" and part two of "Top Gear"'s new and improved adventures in Africa episode, we had the theatrical release version of "The Two Towers" on as background noise.

"I can't watch the non-extended edition of the movies," I complained to Hubbyfink as I swept the kitchen while he unloaded the dishwasher.

He gave me the side-eye and asked, with some trepidation, why not.

"Not enough Merry and Pippin," I replied. "They're the best part of all three movies."

He was aghast. "But what about Aragorn? And the Rohirrim?? And Helm's Deep???"

"Those are your favorite parts of the movies, and they're okay I guess. But in the theatrical release of 'Two Towers' it's just Rohirrim and then slogging through with Frodo and Sam," I lamented. "Right now in the book, the battle of Helm's Deep is over and Gandalf and the gang have arrived at Isengard where Merry and Pippin are filling them in on what they've been up to. I'm almost finished with that half of The Two Towers and then the Frodo and Sam part starts. Maybe it'll be more exciting in the book?" (N.B. I'm currently reading the trilogy for the first time.)

"Mmm, not so much," Hubbyfink replied. He then dropped his voice conspiratorially. "When I watch the movies by myself, I fast forward through the Frodo and Sam parts."

Me too, my darling. Me too.

Comments

[hannnahkl.livejournal.com]

I have two observations.

Cats hate the Nazgul.

And, "Crikey! It's the Ugandan rozzers!" :)

[melaniesuzanne.livejournal.com]

Now that you mention it, neither cat naps in front of the TV when we've got the movies going...

And, yes. :) I was pretty proud of the guys for not one of them falling in the drink while pulling their cars across that river.

[dreamflower]

I always feel like something's missing when I see the TR instead of the EE, I am so used to it. But the EE isn't all that accurate to the book either!

I don't fast forward through the Frodo and Sam parts, but I DO fast forward through the cringe inducing parts with Frodo, Sam and Gollum.

I do NOT skip the Frodo and Sam parts in the books. The books are not meant to be skipped or skimmed. Every single time I have re-read the story over the last 45 years I ALWAYS find something new I never noticed before.

BTW: I do love the extra Merry and Pippin parts in the EE. I think one of my favorites is Pippin in Minas Tirith bringing Gandalf a cup of water when he coughs. Pippin's so thoughtful and sweet.

[melaniesuzanne.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'm noticing all the things that Jackson & company changed. It's probably because I saw the movies first that I'm not grumbly about most of those changes. (I now chuckle when Bilbo's voice-over fades when he states the Shire reckoning year during the "concerning hobbits" part of the "Fellowship" intro since the movie handwaves those, what... seventeen years or so.)

I'll not be skipping any part of the books, I promise. :) It's not so much Frodo's and Sam's story that irritates me in the movies so much as the actors. Well, actor: Elijah Wood gives me the willies, bless his bug-eyed heart.

Pippin's the best! =)

[dreamflower]

Aww...poor Frolijah! The ones who don't like him don't give him any respect and the ones who claim to love him torment him even worse than Tolkien OR PJ, LOL!

I'm fine with the actors; I'm fine with the visuals and special effects; I'm more than fine with the music.

But the script? Only when PJ uses JRRT's own exact words does the dialogue rise above mediocre. The whole Gollum/Sam/Lembas thing makes me want to throw something. And then there are the gaping plot-holes in the movie itself. (Why did Gandalf tell Frodo and Sam he'd meet them in Bree when he was on his way to Isengard? Why was Aragorn carrying around four hobbit sized swords? How come Merry and Pippin just tag along with no explanation? And what does Elrond do when the Rohirrim leave?)

But even with all these flaws the movies have moments of brilliant greatness.

Part of it, of course, was all the stuff PJ had to cut out; kind of the opposite to the problem he has with TH, LOL!

ETA: Oh, and those seventeen missing years? One of my MOST FAVORITE PARTS of LotR now! Look at it: what a gold mine for fanfic!

[melaniesuzanne.livejournal.com]

You raise valid questions which I never considered. I'll blame ignorance of the source material and stunned wonder at the visuals

Ahh, "The Hobbit". The changes PJ & co. made there did awake the nerdrage within because that is a beloved book. I'm ecstatic to learn more about the Necromancer and I can see how that addition would stretch the story into two movies; a trilogy has me shaking my head. But I happily forked over money for the blu-ray (and will again for the extended edition) whilst railing against the Azog storyline.

[dreamflower]

TBH, I do not mind nearly so much the additions PJ made to TH as I do to those in LotR, because while he made a few changes to some things in addition to his extra material, he did NOT cut out any key scenes from the story, whereas in LotR, he had to cut precious source material in order to fit in his little additions. (BTW, the questions I raised are actually just movie-verse questions. They are plotholes in the movie-script that make no sense even if you've never read the books. If I added in my questions about why he cut certain essential stuff from the books, the list would be ten times as long. But...Howard Shore! I forgive PJ anything for that!)

The Azog storyline is lame, but he needed something to give a little bit more interest to the first part of the movie, because in the book nearly all the exciting bits take place (as they should in a book) in the last half; really the last third.

I'll be watching TH:AUJ today--my son has given me the DVD and he's bringing his girlfriend and her kids over to watch it with me today.

[thatpotteryguy.livejournal.com]

Frodo and Samwise as depicted by Jackson: Frodo is a whiny, emo little bitch and Sam is an irritating hipster. Both think they are post-ironic, but aren't. Both should die in a fire.

[melaniesuzanne.livejournal.com]

Bwahahaha!