Do you think LotR holds up?

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by suarezguy, Mar 12, 2014.

  1. Kemaiku

    Kemaiku Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 23, 2004
    Location:
    Northern Ireland
    News of a new trilogy is probably not going to make your day then. Then again, the Brothers (can we still call them that?) have passed that rumour around a few times.
     
  2. RAMA

    RAMA Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 13, 1999
    Location:
    USA
    Oh theres certainly some pseudoscientific gobbledygook in it but generally, it is still top notch production, copied greatly to this day, and not remotely dated at all. In fact, Taken as a whole,its still the single most realistic all-encompassing vision of the future yet seen. Most other futuristic movies take bits and pieces of future speculation to fashion a story, Matrix doesnt skimp.
     
  3. Silvercrest

    Silvercrest Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 4, 2003
    Well, Gandalf was wearing Narya....:devil:

    I did think it was funny. What I objected to was limiting almost the entire portrayal of the dwarves to either height jokes or their arguments with the elves -- which they always lost. Elrond was cynical about whether humans had any potential left, yet he's okay with the Fellowship including (as portrayed) a buffoon from a race of buffoons?

    There's room for height jokes as long as you also develop the dwarves as serious characters.
     
  4. BigJake

    BigJake Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2013
    Location:
    No matter where you go, there you are.
    Huh. Now that you mention it... perhaps Tom Bombadil has his uses after all... ;)
     
  5. Kemaiku

    Kemaiku Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 23, 2004
    Location:
    Northern Ireland
    Perhaps ;)
     
  6. Neroon

    Neroon Mod of Balance Moderator

    Joined:
    Oct 31, 2000
    Location:
    On my ship the Rocinante
    I'm not sure how "realistic" it is, BUT... it was ground-breaking in its special effects which were eventually emulated and parodied. And I thought the story was rather original if not invigorating with what it put your brain through.

    When it comes to LOTR, I saw a similar level of effort in the special effects and the quality of everything about the film (taking all three as a whole). This is in part due to having seen the travelling exhibit and so many costumes, props, etc up close. Jackson accomplished what so very few people thought was even possible: bring the whole Lord of the Rings story to the big screen in a big and entertaining way that won't soon be matched by any film let alone a remake, considering the challenges presented and the quality of the resulting product.
     
  7. BigJake

    BigJake Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2013
    Location:
    No matter where you go, there you are.
    Matrix was always surprisingly intelligent for a wire-work chop-socky movie about Neuromancer inspired hacker badasses. That was never the same thing as its being actually intelligent; even with the original, you really had to squint to buy the "machines farming humans as an energy source" premise. And even then, the sequels dropped off pretty sharply in quality from the original.
     
  8. Skywalker

    Skywalker Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2005
    Some of the CGI is starting to look pretty aged, particularly in the first movie, but I think that has more to do with the evolution of CG effects than any fault of the films'. Otherwise I think the trilogy still holds up incredibly well, and will continue to do so for decades. I don't see anyone else trying another film adaptation of the trilogy for at least another twenty years.
     
  9. Kemaiku

    Kemaiku Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 23, 2004
    Location:
    Northern Ireland
    Well the first film implies we're only used to provide the electrical energy to run their actual plasma fusion reactors they need to live. That the Power Plant was a cruel, ironic punishment for humanity.

    The sequels dropped this immediately.
     
  10. RoJoHen

    RoJoHen Awesome Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2000
    Location:
    QC, IL, USA
    The only real CG thing that I think looks kinda crappy now is when Legolas is taking down the giant Elephant in "Return of the King." The way he slides off its trunk just looks ridiculous now.
     
  11. JarodRussell

    JarodRussell Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 2, 2009
    The premise is alright, but the emo leather fetish execution is cringe inducing. The stylized fight choreography and wire work is extremely dated as well. Matrix is my personal prime example of a hot air bubble. I gushed over it back then, but today it's laughable to me.
     
  12. BigJake

    BigJake Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2013
    Location:
    No matter where you go, there you are.
    I still love the original Matrix because I love kung fu movies. (The shades-and-trenches Goth fashion pretension brings back memories too; I was never one of those kids but knew plenty of them, I still go to a monthly industrial night to get my dance fix. ;)) It's nonsense, but it's fun, and as a "Chosen One's story of self-discovery" thing it pretty much does what it needs to. I just don't think of it as anything more than well-executed junk culture on the level of The Legend of Drunken Master.

    The sequels are much more painful. I defended The Matrix Reloaded at the time, but it's all but unwatchable for me today, and Revolutions even more so.
     
  13. Flying Spaghetti Monster

    Flying Spaghetti Monster Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 18, 2006
    Location:
    Flying Spaghetti Western
    Although the Watcher of Moria shot has, measurably aged badly, I love it. It is so awesome to see a unique creature inhabit a fantasy world, and just get added to the texture. Plus I love how it opens it's mouth.
    [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWNZdOY94ko[/yt]
     
  14. Mr Light

    Mr Light Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 7, 1999
    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    I absolutely love Matrix Reloaded. Aside from the rave scene. Revolutions, I am less praising of.
     
  15. Set Harth

    Set Harth Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 10, 2010
    Location:
    Annwn
    You keep Tom Bombadil, you've got yourself a musical. On the other hand, if you lose Tom Bombadil, you lose the Barrow-wights, and if you lose the Barrow-wights, you lose the sword of Westernesse that Merry used to stab the Witch-king. But you replace it with the magic dagger given to Merry by Galadriel and it's all good, I guess.
     
  16. Neroon

    Neroon Mod of Balance Moderator

    Joined:
    Oct 31, 2000
    Location:
    On my ship the Rocinante
    The tale holds up better in the film than with such a singular line of connected dots, don't you think though? Details can certainly be important, but I doubt they are critical in this case.
     
  17. Silvercrest

    Silvercrest Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 4, 2003
    I'd almost forgotten that, but it used to bug me too. I always wondered why Jackson didn't omit Bombadil but still insert a Barrow-downs sequence right before Bree. It seems like something he'd go for. Bombadil doesn't necessarily have to defeat the Barrow-wight; perhaps the creature is frightened off by a mysterious "strider" who then disappears. (At least until they get to Bree.) In the meantime they pick up the weapons from the barrow.

    I suppose even if they had done that, it would be a little hard to explain onscreen what the connection was between the Witch-King and the sword of Westernesse. I guess if they just revert to "elf weapon = magic", then, as you say, it's all good.

    Anyone know why Aragorn happened to be carrying around four hobbit-sized swords? It's not like Gandalf told him who to expect.
     
  18. JarodRussell

    JarodRussell Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 2, 2009
    I wasn't happy with the way they handled all the swords.
     
  19. BigJake

    BigJake Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2013
    Location:
    No matter where you go, there you are.
    Meh, the detail of the swords is reasonably cool if you can include it but far from necessary. The Witch-King is effectively killed by a Macbeth-style prophetic loophole that appears from nowhere anyway ("magic" in Tolkien's universe basically operated by dramatic convenience).
     
  20. JarodRussell

    JarodRussell Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 2, 2009
    Anduril is the worst offender, because by omitting it until the second half of the third film, they changed Aragorn's whole character. In the books, he takes Anduril when they leave Rivendell, and he already accepted being King. And in many scenes the sword spread fear among the orcs and hope among humans.