Old_Tom_Bombadil wrote:
Then there is the size of the Witch King's mace. Hello? Why is it so stinking HUGE? That's just impractical as a weapon, not to mention absolutely ridiculous.
While, of course, the idea of the weapon being swung by an immaterial dead dude is totally practical and sensible.
I wanna love somebody but I don't know how
I wanna throw my body in the river and drown
-The Decemberists
yovargas wrote:While, of course, the idea of the weapon being swung by an immaterial dead dude is totally practical and sensible.
Well, we could ride the slippery slope with that one, couldn't we? Since he's an immaterial dead dude, why doesn't he just drop a freaking house on someone?
They made a point of making the Witch Kings duds and weapons looks old, as if he'd worn them when he was still a man. When he was still a man he would not have been wielding a mace that would've taken two 14-foot tall trolls to wield. :|
According to one of the behind-the-scenes documentaries on the RotK-EE, there was a lot of eyerolling even on the set about that stupid morning star. But PJ is shown giggling wiith glee and asking for more, more! Apparently he thought it was tremendously funny. Never great moments, PJ's jokes, and this one was particularly badly timed.
At least several times when I saw it in theaters, there was a laugh when the Witch King's weapon was revealed, draining off the tension and undercutting the drama for everyone.
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
At least several times when I saw it in theaters, there was a laugh when the Witch King's weapon was revealed, draining off the tension and undercutting the drama for everyone.
That sucks Prim I honestly never even noticed the weapon because that scene was so breath taking
Most of it was, yes, and it's not really ruined for me by the morning star—but as in a number of other places, I find myself wondering how much more effective the scene would have been if someone had been able to dissuade PJ from a joke.
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
I'm not a big fan of PJ's tendency for excess (particularly in King Kong, where it wellnigh destroyed what would otherwise have been an extraordinary remake), but I don't mind the WitchKing's huge mace. I think it heightens the sense of otherworldly menace that he projects. Being a transcendentalist, it doesn't bother me much that it doesn't make sense. Sense, after all, is what you make of it.
Now, don't get me started on Jackson's decision to cut away from the Éowyn/Witchking confrontation to show the arrival of the black ships (with a typically stupid joke thrown in). THAT is what drained off the tension and undercut the drama for everyone.
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
Sheesh, I had just about repressed that memory, Voronwë!
You're right that that was the worse offense. But I still don't like the mace/morning star/whatever it is. It distracts everyone from the Witch King himself, which is what we should be afraid of.
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
Voronwë_the_Faithful wrote:Now, don't get me started on Jackson's decision to cut away from the Éowyn/Witchking confrontation to show the arrival of the black ships (with a typically stupid joke thrown in). THAT is what drained off the tension and undercut the drama for everyone.
x 1000
That very thing came to mind while I was reading Prim's earlier post. I was looking forward to the Witchking scene more than any other in LOTR, and to sap away the drama by cutting away from it in the middle of it was...well...not good. It was saved, however, by the beautiful moment between between Théoden and Éowyn, wonderfully portrayed by Bernard Hill and Miranda Otto.
As Voronwë so astutely points out, we got to see even more of the big overdone scenes in King Kong. Someone needs to reel that boy in a bit. Fran! Philippa!
Say, did anyone else notice how oddly Kong was built? I mean, I know gorillas aren't built like men, but he seemed abnormally short in the legs even for a gorilla. He scooted around in the silliest way.
That has to be one of the most movies I've ever seen.
I didn't mind the "scrubbing bubbles" effect. It was like they were (symbolically) washing the city clean again and giving it a fresh start.
There are only two scenes I detest in the entire Triology and neither of them have to do with CGI. One is the stooooooooooopid Corsairs scene, which is no problem, because I just skip over it when I put in the disc.
The other one is Frodo sending Sam away. I hate it. But I can't skip it.
(And I didn't see anything wrong with the cornation scene. It looked fine to me.)
"Live! Live! Live! Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!" - Auntie Mame
The only CGI in the whole trilogy that annoyed me was Radioactive Galadriel. The drama of that scene should (and could) have been carried by acting, not special effects.
I did notice some glitches in the troll-fighting scene, especially when the hobbits jumped on the troll. The scene could have been much shorter and more effective. But it doesn't make me growl like RG.
Tom wrote:Well, we could ride the slippery slope with that one, couldn't we?
On the incredible four-wheel-drive horses of Rohan?
Me, I don't think there was a thing wrong with effects in LOTR. Sure, barrels disappeared and some Riders hacked at the air (it took me 2 viewings to notice AFTER both mistakes were pointed out to me). What was wrong was the director's lack of restraint, as the rest of you have pointed out so eloquently.
Apart from LOTR, I hate CGI for the way they ruined action movies. It used to be a fight scene or a chase scene was mostly watching stuntmen (and women) show off their stuff. With some help from effects, sure, but still. Now? Watching cartoon characters fight it out is not nearly as impressive.
If there was anything that depressed him more than his own cynicism, it was that quite often it still wasn't as cynical as real life.
x 1000
I honestly never even noticed the weapon because that scene was so breath taking
