[doug*platypus]

As if being born in Aotearoa/New Zealand wasn't good enough already, I was fortunate to be an extra on ROTK for three days. If you think book-to-movie relations are at an all-time low <I>now</I>, you ain't seen NOTHIN' yet.<P>The second time I saw TTT was more enjoyable than the first, mainly because all the initial disappointments were behind me. I was already prepared for 'the Faramir incident'. So no doubt I'll go into ROTK expecting to be disappointed. Gollum's words show that at least they're going to show Shelob (something that I was looking forward to in TTT, something that would've given it a much better ending than it has). But if they are going to show the confrontation with Saruman (one of the greatest moments in the book), it looks set to be a 6-hour movie! <P>I think we should all rightly be worried about which of our favourite scenes will be next to get the chop. Probably the Paths of the Dead. And as someone pointed out on another thread, there is no Minas Morgul on Faramir's map, so we may not see the Black Army setting out. Frodo saw the Shire overrun in the Mirror, but maybe that was only a possible future, and that important part of the story will be butchered as well?<P>No matter how it turns out, I think I've already seen my favourite two movies of the trilogy. I'm not really looking forward to all the cheesiness of the Field of Cormallen. I can't wait for Shelob, though, I'm sure she'll be great!