[HCIsland]

The gap jumping thing was PJ's idea.<P>Personally, I liked it. It was ridiculus sure, but in a funny way, it sets up the Balrog. For someone not familiar with LoTR but familiar with action movies, stuff like what happened on the stairs is par for the course (though I thought the execution in this case was particularly good). When the Balrog shows up, someone who has watched a lot of action movies would just think, here comes the next incredible escape and then Boom! Gandalf falls. It works very well from a movie making standpoint.<P>PJ often preceeds and emotional climax with an action climax. Somehow it makes the emotional climax more powerful. The perfect example is the breaking of the fellowship, where we just had an incredible amount of action but that is not what sticks with you after leaving the theatre. They set up the very powerful death of Boromir and Frodo leaving scenes. It's like all that kenetic energy on the screen makes the calmer moments really stand out and draws in the audience, which is what movies are all about.<P>H.C.