I got around to seeing LOTR on Thursday. I had quite high expectations, and it exceeded them. It is about 30 years since I last read the books [1] so I can't nitpick about teensy plot points. My main worry was about whether the FX could be could be good enough to suspend disbelief...almost totally as it turned out. Right at the start when the (small) Frodo leaps onto the (large) Gandalf's wagon and it was pretty much flawless, I felt I didn't need to worry...
SPOILERS Since the film is extraordinarily good, I'm just going to mention a couple of bits I thought were the best and worst. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + The mines of Moria were possibly the best bit of FX, *except* that the cave troll was the single worst effect. The cave troll just wasn't very good. And when Merry and Pippin (?) jumped on its back they got that classic Harryhausen plasticine man look. Motion all wrong. But one dodgy FX out of hundreds is pretty good. My other biggest pain was the death of Boromir - very close to Monty Python that was. He gets up and fights on after taking a fatal arrow. And then after a second fatal arrow. And *then* a third! Like that knight in MP and the Holy Grail after being cut to bits! Just die! But it still utterly demolishes all of Star Wars etc. [1] They were three hardbound books when I first read them ~35 years ago, and those were the same ones I reread. -- William T Goodall [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.wtgab.demon.co.uk
