The Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King

[dufresne]

damn, i'm getting all giddy for this one...

[jokerspath]

damn, i'm getting all giddy for this one...

Same here.  

Did anyone else watch Fellowship right before they saw Two Towers in the theatre?  At this point, its a geeky dream of mine to watch the extended cuts of both Fellowship and Two Towers before seeing Return Of The King.  And then, obviously, when ROTK comes out (in a format that will most likely contain some extended footage), I will attempt to watch all three in a row...

aw

[bonanzataz]

that's some dream you got there...

[jokerspath]

that's some dream you got there...

But shucks, it'll never happen.  Who am I kidding?

aw

[modage]

Elijah Wood Calls Final 'Rings' Flick 'A Full-On War Movie'
Source: MTV News 07.28.2003 7:55 AM EDT

While they may not have guns or tanks, there are a couple of hobbits who promise the next and final "Lord of the Rings" film could give "Saving Private Ryan" a run for its money.

"It's a full-on war movie," Elijah Wood proclaimed recently, when asked about this year's "The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King."

"As Elijah said, lots of war," his hobbit partner Dominic Monaghan added for emphasis.

The two pals — who played Frodo Baggins and Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck, respectively, in "The Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Two Towers" — will soon return to New Zealand for pickup shots and re-shoots under director Peter Jackson for the final installment of the fantasy tale, which hits theaters December 17.

"Hasn't Pete said he reckons it's gonna be the most massive war movie ever shown on film?" a wide-eyed and visibly excited Wood asked his colleague.

"Ever onscreen, yeah," answered Monaghan.

"That's what Peter is saying," Wood continued. "I mean, it's a massive boast, but I'd say it's pretty close to that."

Last year's "The Two Towers" ended with a cliffhanger as the duplicitous Gollum resolved to lead Frodo and Sam (Sean Astin) into a trap. As fans of the classic "Rings" books by J.R.R. Tolkien already know, what's awaiting the heroes is the giant spider Shelob, but nobody will know what the big-screen version will look like until "Return of the King" gets closer.

"You get things like Shelob, which a lot of the fans have been waiting for, because Shelob actually is in the second book, but it's gonna be in the third film," Wood explained.

"Return of the King" will also resolve most of the various plot threads from the first two films, specifically the fates of the Ring of Power and the brave and noble Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), on an epic and somewhat tragic scale.

"['Return of the King'] is truly sad," Monaghan said. "It's the kind of bringing together of a lot of stories. And what the fellowship has to sacrifice to essentially save Middle Earth is huge. So you see these people facing the consequences of their actions. It's just a beautiful, beautiful film."

"There is something really emotional about it," Wood agreed.

Fans who can't wait until December 17 to get their "Rings" fix can look forward the August 26 DVD release of "The Two Towers," followed by an expanded edition in November. Both will be loaded with extras.

"You're gonna get the theatrical release, which will be frozen in time," Wood promised. "You'll always have what you saw at the cinema on a DVD. And then, Sean Astin's short film, which is called 'The Long and Short of It,' is gonna be on the DVD. A little bit of a teaser for 'Return of the King,' maybe. [And] the cool thing about the special edition of the DVD that comes out in November is that it's an extended cut, so it's gonna have about 35 minutes of extra footage cut back into the film."

"Plus a new score, new documentaries and new commentaries," Monaghan said, adding with a wry smile, "What a beautiful Christmas gift that will make."

[dufresne]

/*waits for trailer.







*like a schoolboy

[Redlum]

http://www.aintitcoolnews.com/display.cgi?id=15741

There's some details at the above link about the added bits in the extended edition of TTT. I think the extensions will make a greater improvement to this one than they did for the fellowship.

[aaron2601]

I have thus far been entirely unimpressed with the LOTR trilogy. I have watched the first six hours and still don't feel as if I have seen a film. I have massive issues with the argument that I have to reserve criticism until I have seen the final instalment, when they have been released as 3 films and so should be judged as such.
I am not being controversial for controversy's sake as I genuinely don't care what other people think- just the reasons behind their thought- but  do never the less think that these films are beautifully disguised, shallow, uninvolving, undemanding and hollow reels of celluloid.
I have never seen a three hour film that relies entirely on landscape and special effects to engage the audience, although I have seen worse films (Matrix Reloaded / Batman and Robin). I think the narrative and characters supposedly driving it are dated and very uninteresting. Frodo is the only character who goes through any personal metamorphosis and yet this is hugely dull and does not warrant so much screen time.
I am sure that the third will be very similar to the other two and will please many who are easily pleased.

[jokerspath]

I have massive issues with the argument that I have to reserve criticism until I have seen the final instalment, when they have been released as 3 films and so should be judged as such.

The books came out in volumes as well.  I've never heard of anyone just reading one of them.  It seems silly.  Judge the chapters, judge the volumes, judge the movies on their own, but don't make the mistake of thinking you've know the whole story.

I have never seen a three hour film that relies entirely on landscape and special effects to engage the audience...

Christ, I coulda sworn there were living actors in this film.  Are you telling me all of those guys were made by computers?? That's fucked up shit, dude...

I think the narrative and characters supposedly driving it are dated and very uninteresting.

Really, you found the characters dated? You don't have a friendship or work with any wizards or hobbits or anything of that sort?  Come on, everyone had a Balrog in their highschool...

Frodo is the only character who goes through any personal metamorphosis and yet this is hugely dull and does not warrant so much screen time.

Watch the third film, then comment on character development, arcs, metamorphoses, etc.  For all we know, PJ could totally drop the ball on the third one and you will have been right.  But you might as well finish the story to find out...

aw

[Redlum]

Thats a shame. But I think you'll get a better perspective of other charcter arcs in the Return of the King. Most notably, Sam, Aragorn and Pippin(in addition to Frodo). I dont really think its fair to say that the only audience engagement comes as a result of the effects, I just think that the theatrical editions are perhaps weighted more on the set pieces. This isn't neccessarily a bad thing but maybe you should seek out the extended edition if you haven't already. The majority of the extensions or additional scenes are purely for the sake of the characters and really help the general flow.

[modage]

I have thus far been entirely unimpressed with the LOTR trilogy. I have watched the first six hours and still don't feel as if I have seen a film. I have massive issues with the argument that I have to reserve criticism until I have seen the final instalment, when they have been released as 3 films and so should be judged as such.
I am not being controversial for controversy's sake as I genuinely don't care what other people think- just the reasons behind their thought- but  do never the less think that these films are beautifully disguised, shallow, uninvolving, undemanding and hollow reels of celluloid.
I have never seen a three hour film that relies entirely on landscape and special effects to engage the audience, although I have seen worse films (Matrix Reloaded / Batman and Robin). I think the narrative and characters supposedly driving it are dated and very uninteresting. Frodo is the only character who goes through any personal metamorphosis and yet this is hugely dull and does not warrant so much screen time.
I am sure that the third will be very similar to the other two and will please many who are easily pleased.

worst first post ever?

[ono]

...stuff about LOTR.

worst first post ever?

I don't think so.  I agree with a lot of what he said, myself.  People who love the series will be pleased, and people who don't care for it won't have much to really appreciate.  That's what I've got from seeing the first two films, where only a few parts in each impressed upon me anything worth note.

[modage]

...stuff about LOTR.

worst first post ever?

I don't think so.  I agree with a lot of what he said, myself.  People who love the series will be pleased, and people who don't care for it won't have much to really appreciate.  That's what I've got from seeing the first two films, where only a few parts in each impressed upon me anything worth note.

worst 413th post ever?

[oakmanc234]

God knows I'm looking forward to this 'masterpiece in the waiting' but I hope its not ALL war, you know?

[Fernando]

Found here

This is what the site says: TheOneRing.net brings you this exclusive first look at THE RETURN OF THE KING! This file was sent to us by person or persons unknown, it shows 1:35 minutes in GLORIOUS Quicktime a TON of shots from ROTK. Sam and Frodo in Mordor, Pippin and Merry, Gandalf at Minas Tirith, fell beats, Pelennor Fields, Orcs and Men fighting, Aragorn and MORE! !!!MAJOR SPOILERS!!!