I watched all three of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films when they were in the cinema, and hated them. But people seem to love them. So I’ve just rewatched them for the first time in 20 years. And they’re even worse than I remembered.
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I guess a lot of people think they didn't age that well, and the Hobbit series may have dented enthusiasm. FWIW, I didn't love them, didn't hate them either. Mainly way too much lengthy battling in the 2nd and 3rd films.
Thank you for your service. I watched the first one in the cinema with friends who 'loved it'. Best I can say, I stayed thru the film out of politeness. Having read The Hobbit at 12, I attempted LOTR at 13 & dipped in again at 15. Just couldn't do it.
I really enjoyed the movies. I know the special effects didn’t hold up overtime. But Peter Jackson really did a nice job sticking to the story line. As long as you didn’t like passenger 57 you can’t be that bad.
Agree 💯 Everybody talked about how good they were so I forced myself to sit through and watch them. I made it all the way through the first two, somehow. I think I made it about an hour into the third one before I had to fast-forward to the end just to get it over with. 👎
You did better than I.
I tried to read them....love to read. Just couldn't get into it. Tried to watch them, bought and own, and nope. Love the actors in but just nope.
Anyone want hardly used DVDs?
Have a scan through the replies and my replies, I’ve mentioned a few things. Mostly I think it’s some cheesy acting, some questionable scripting decisions, and the horrible interpretation of The Shire that instantly riled me from the start
My sister and I thought the first Lord of the rings was the beginning of a love story between Frodo and Sam. Think the scene in the river when F & S are escaping and splitting the crew.
I found the movies much better when I started viewing them through this light.
Back in the 70s,everyone was into Tolkien.I had a friend who was so into him that they kept a PB copy of The Hobbit in their back pocket.I love to read & wanting to see what the bruhaha was about,I read it & The Lord of the Rings. Watching the movies only made me remember why I hated those 2 books.
You’ve convinced me, I was going to try and watch them all having not seen any of them. But I think I’ll remain someone who missed out… I even like prog rock!!
If you hated the first, why would you put yourself through the misery of watching the next two? If the first one sucks, the subsequent films will, too.
I think they're very well-made movies with impeccable production values and boring as shit and every character but Gandalf and Pippin is corny as fuck.
Have you ever read the books? They are pretty damn accurate to Tolkien. The Hobbit trilogy however, was stupid and had a bunch of crap in it that was never in the book. IDK why they thought they had to stretch it out to 3 movies except for $$.
It I bet you love severance which after 5 episodes I have no fucking reason
Why any of this shit matters - where’s the plot? 5 episodes and gets I’m bored with it.
What’s not to like about a group of men savagely beating a deformed person half their size who also has a severe personality disorder, suffering from a severe form of depression for murdering his cousin in order to steal a gold ring which was financially worthless at the time.
Theatrical. I'm sure it wouldn't suffice to convert you, but the Extended versions are generally considered to be more narratively energetic. To the point that some have argued they "feel" shorter than the theatrical cuts.
I haven't seen the original versions since the release. I really like the extended versions but there are a few things I'd change. Gimli less comical, and keep Scouring of the Shire.
What specifically didn't you like about them? I agree that a lot of Tolkien stuff can be very tedious, but as a piece of story telling I think they're excellent, especially the extended versions. The last 40 minutes of the final film could be cut however.
I’ve tackled this a few times in the replies. I’m a big Tolkien fan and I didn’t like Jackson’s choices, to start with. I felt they were disrespectful to the source material. But on top of that I thought the acting and direction very poor.
That's fair enough, and I understand why Tolkien purists wouldn't like huge chunks being cut and various other thematic changes. I'm the opposite; I've never got beyond the first 100 pages of LOTR and find it extremely boring, but the films I really like.
I don’t know how I’d feel about the films if I weren’t already so invested in the books; I’d probably be a lot more tolerant of the bits I don’t like. Certainly I wouldn’t feel so strongly about them. Anyway it has sparked an interesting discussion!
I feel exactly the same way about "How To Tame Your Dragon". I listened to all the audio books with my daughter years ago, before the film came out. Then the film comes out and it's absolutely nothing like the books, a complete abomination in fact. Makes me irritated just thinking about it!
They’re def mediocre at best. I recently watched it with my partner because he’s a fan, and I passed out like 5 times during each movie. I’m sorry, it just didn’t captivate me like it did others.
I actually like them. Or I did at one time. Haven't watched in a long time. In any case, like them or not, I absolutely LOVE Randall's synopsis of them. It's perfect.
I fell asleep in the theater during the one that's pretty much just walking. So much fucking walking!
My husband 'strongly encouraged' me to read the whole trilogy before the first movie. It was the same experience as reading the Iliad in school. Too many names and lots of war. 2/10 stars
The books are beautifully written nonsense.
Every time there’s an impossible situation, Tolkien produces the Fourth Dragil of Bagdrom to save the day. And why did the Eagles not fly them all the way to Mordor?
A stupid story and an even sillier series of films.
Thank you for validating my opinion.
It is a pretty dumb question.
The whole point was secrecy and eagle would’ve been easily spotted .
Sauron also had flying creatures, includinf flying creatures.
And lastly because arrows
There was not a big sense of adventure to me, the growth of the hobbits wasn’t really developed. They just jumped from scene to scene. Wasn’t the sense of grand adventure. The books made it feel more of an adventure travel log. Movies was like a series of events
But to give it a real response, I don't think if you're trying to run a covert spy mission in a land that has spies of your enemy everywhere that you would eliminate all chance of cover and place your spies on large attention grabbing eagles. Especially when they'll not only be more visible from
I am a big fan, especially of the books, but I don't begrudgingly you your opinion. I just think this supposed plot hole is not actually a plot hole at all. And I tire of how often it's brought up and the snootiness of the question that you could answer yourself if you gave it any good faith effort.
I am sorry you feel so strongly about this. No book is ever ported to the visual media as well as the reader would like. Perspective: yours or the director’s will always be different. Not to mention the visual media can have much different impacts on the feel.
At least everyone can probably appreciate that we're never going to get another film with so much work put into every detail, into costumes, makeup, sets, weaponry, and the sheer amount of extras
Same the only reason I watched them is a lot of it was filmed just a few hours from where I live and I got a kick out of seeing well known spots portrayed with Hobbits and such running around. I don't wish to watch them again.
They're not my cup of tea but then they did what they could with very mediocre original material. LotR is to fantasy what the model T Ford is to cars, a trailblazer but nothing much to look at now.
They are awful. I got in a huge argument at a party one time cause I said they were so bad I didn't see the third one. At the time there were only 3. Bad Taste rules though.
I missed them all, they were on my list for a long time, I gave the first one a go a couple months ago. It was well made but I just wasn't hooked. I legit got worried knowing that was just 3 hours of a 9ish hour story. I got distracted with other stuff and I never went back for the next two films...
20 years ago your brain thought one way, and now 20 years later it is thinking a different way. To quote a famous line from one of the movies "You shall not pass!" 😁👺
And I’m still of the belief that is wasn’t for those movies we would have never gotten game of thrones or Witcher or other good television fantasy. So there’s that to think about.
If you Don’t like em, That’s fine. Your opinion is your own. I’ll always love them. Recently watched all three extended editions as well and they hold up.
I honestly found the books dull and overly explicit regarding meals.
But I'm a big fantasy nerd so loved the movies and still do.
But not hating on you, have a friend who hates lotr and refuses to watch GoT, I wonder if it's because he can't mentally picture things, so struggles with fantasy
I got to the movie theater later than anticipated for the first Lord of the Rings film and was stuck in the first row. One of the worst movie experiences of my life.
The books are so full of rich content. Making them into a movie was a huge challenge. The best film makers in the world would collectively not have done better. By comparison, making a Marvel movie is child’s play.
I was aghast in the theaters but… they’ve grown on me. Will never forgive them for what they did to faramir and eowyn, though. Or whatever the fuck THIS was:
Mostly agree, even though I'm a sucker for CGI tosh. 1st one was ok, but plodded along somewhat tediously. 2nd one was one of the most boring cinema experiences of my entire life. 3rd one was tolerable for a while, but they could have cut the last hour and most people wouldn't even have noticed.
I wouldn't be a Harry Potter fan by any stretch of the imagination. At best, they have been neither here nor there for me. But The Prisoner of Azkaban is a very good movie.
Thank you. I've been saying for years that so much of the poetry of the books was replaced by interminable battles with CGI orcs, that Faramir was now an asshole, Legolas was John Wick with pointed ears, Gimli was the subject of idiotic dwarf jokes and why the hell did Aragorn fall off a cliff?
Pardon the shorthand for “Legolas was some kind of unstoppable super warrior whose invulnerability was only matched by his ability to kill with a touch”. Would Rambo be a better comparison?
Individual orcs, sure, thousands of fakey looking orcs on a battlefield, no.
Contrast Waterloo (1970) where they filmed thousands of soldiers in Napoleonic gear marching and forming squares and see how organic it looks.
You’re absolutely right about The Hobbit though.
Sure, but they did pioneer CGI software for the battle scenes and they looked really good IMO. I'd be insanely impressed if they actually put orc makeup and costumes on thousands of extras. Even so I thought what they did was technically impressive
Hi I agree. The books are eso good I couldn't bear to risk watching the films. Every time I walk through woodland I think of them.
I did see the Hobbit films and while there are good points, the overdone battles and ridiculously large CGI villages were over the top
LOL!!! When watching the films, I always comment that Aragorn is very sturdy! He can leap into a giant mob of orcs, and come out with a tiny little scratch. 😆
Comments
*so far
Better than my imagination.
The rest…meh
And I think I’d have shot either borimir or Aragorn myself
I could not last past the first hour of The Hobbit and couldn't fathom there being 2 more
Also, possibly more controversial, found the Harry Potter books & films left me a bit 🤷♀️ too.
https://youtu.be/mt2qCjL6-n4?si=dwSOf64q1Fo7rIQR
I tried to read them....love to read. Just couldn't get into it. Tried to watch them, bought and own, and nope. Love the actors in but just nope.
Anyone want hardly used DVDs?
I found the movies much better when I started viewing them through this light.
"Farts: I'm tired of people objecting to the release of smelly gases among friends!"
😜
Tripe if you ask me!
Why any of this shit matters - where’s the plot? 5 episodes and gets I’m bored with it.
Except imo Morgoth was also simply trying to impress his father/creator. And the way they doled out favoritism, can u blame him?
I love clips of the movies.
I like the old cartoon versions.
("Even the TREES walked in those movies!")
My husband 'strongly encouraged' me to read the whole trilogy before the first movie. It was the same experience as reading the Iliad in school. Too many names and lots of war. 2/10 stars
Every time there’s an impossible situation, Tolkien produces the Fourth Dragil of Bagdrom to save the day. And why did the Eagles not fly them all the way to Mordor?
A stupid story and an even sillier series of films.
Thank you for validating my opinion.
https://youtu.be/1-Uz0LMbWpI?si=8CxQ8EX_tAN8yuoA
The whole point was secrecy and eagle would’ve been easily spotted .
Sauron also had flying creatures, includinf flying creatures.
And lastly because arrows
Cate Blanchett and Ian McLennan should have received Oscars for their ability to keep a straight face.
Eagle easily shot down by arrows, ring captured on the groundz
Sauron had flying creatures
It remains a silly book(s) and a dreadful series of movies.
But others seem to enjoy them and mine is but one opinion.
Myself included...
And that's OK...
B: I love them and The Hobbit Trilogy
Only joking, in case any takes it seriously...or gives a flying about anything I say
But I'm a big fantasy nerd so loved the movies and still do.
But not hating on you, have a friend who hates lotr and refuses to watch GoT, I wonder if it's because he can't mentally picture things, so struggles with fantasy
To each their own.
#useALT
... sorry about alt. I have been trying to make sure to use it, but sometimes it will slip past me. Will do better. ✌️
?
It tends to colour perception.
But, there's always a but. If the films prompt a viewer to read LotR Silli-marillion.
Play MERP
THEN JOB DUN!
stealing this
Contrast Waterloo (1970) where they filmed thousands of soldiers in Napoleonic gear marching and forming squares and see how organic it looks.
You’re absolutely right about The Hobbit though.
I did see the Hobbit films and while there are good points, the overdone battles and ridiculously large CGI villages were over the top
😍😍😍
The cgi is a little dated now sure but he captured the essence of the classic good v evil well imo.
It's been a long time but he was closer, in spirit, to the Books.
In my recollection.