On Fri, 25 Jan 2002, Alberto Monteiro wrote:

> Marvin Long, Jr. wrote:
> > Which reminds me:  since you don't appear to be in jail,
> > Alberto,
> >
> Just because I�m posting? You know *nothing* about br jail
> system...

Well, that's true.  Being a USA'un, I just naturally assumed that the
prison inmates of a Fine Western Democracy like Brazil must spend all
their time bound, gagged, manacled, and catheterized.  ;-)

> > does that mean you found the movie version of LotR
> > at least tolerable?  :-)
> >
> Yes, I did. There were three horrible moments [Monthy Python
> and the Wizard�s Duel, the pseudo-Kraken, and the battle
> against the Troll], there were some acceptable changes,
> there were some beautiful scenarios, there were even some
> changes that *improved* parts of the book, and - what made
> me hopeful for the sequels - there were things that Tolkien
> wrote outside LotR that entered the movie.

I didn't have a problem with the lake-beastie.  I thought the troll-fight
was ok, except for the animation of the troll itself, which seemed a
little off.  On the other hand, it struck me as sort of a high-end
"Harryhausen moment" so I let it pass.  The wizards duel was a little
silly (all that magic, and we're going to use it to *pummel* one another!)
but it does help establish Saruman as a major baddie.  (I also think about
Ian McKellan and Christopher Lee acting this scene and can't help imagine
what fun they must have had camping it up like that. )

The one part of the movie that I didn't much like was Galadriel's line,
"Even the smallest person can change the future."  WTF?  That's not a line
that belongs in LotR...it belongs in a made-for-children's-TV time travel
movie.  Totally off.  But I can forgive it for the sake of her "Queen of
the Dawn" speech, which rocked.

Marvin Long
Austin, Texas

Reply via email to