The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum - View Single Post - **RotK

doug*platypus · 12-18-2003, 05:46 PM

Not only was Ian McKellen's acting absolutely perfect in all three movies, but I believe he set the standard for all the others to achieve. We really owe a lot to him, and to whoever did the exceptional job of casting him. It's easy to take Gandalf for granted in these films, but a lesser actor could easily have made a huge impact. I thought that the White Rider going to rescue the out-companies retreating from Osgiliath was phenomenal. Truly great scene, but I think that showing Pippin riding with him kind of lessened the sense of danger. Poor Ian did have a couple of very questionable lines to utter, like: <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> So passes Denethor, blah blah blah. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>No kidding! You think we didn't notice the guy wearing the flaming suit jump off the cliff?! Also: <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> Guard of the Citadel, indeed! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Sure, it was nice to have Pippin saving the life of a demi-god but I don't appreciate PJs Lucas-like way of interrupting the flow of battle to insert cheesy dialogue. Yes, in FOTR Mister Baggins was full of surprises, but that didn't change the fact that every Orc in the place was about to deck the halls with blood of Gimli! How about keeping the emotion consistent for five minutes!It was very satisfying to see Gandalf taking command of the defence of the city, and for once I actually loved movieShadowfax, when he sprang up the stairs to the battlement. However, his usefulness as the single most powerful being on the side of Gondor was really poorly shown. It was not made clear enough why Gandalf had to be drawn away from the battle to save Faramir, and I thought that a brief confrontation with the Witch King was a necessity (especially after Witchy's words about dealing with the wizard). I also thought that the character of Gandalf lost out through the deletion of a couple of lines. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> The time, Faramir! The time! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>was noticeably missing, as well as the look of horror and tiredness on hearing about Frodo's destination, and his near loss of composure at the Black Gate. The scene with Aragorn at Edoras didn't even come close to making up for these, and I'm a bit dubious about Gandalf's ability to sense that Frodo is still alive and bearing the Ring.

12-18-2003, 05:46 PM	#9
doug*platypus Delver in the Deep Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Aotearoa Posts: 960	Not only was Ian McKellen's acting absolutely perfect in all three movies, but I believe he set the standard for all the others to achieve. We really owe a lot to him, and to whoever did the exceptional job of casting him. It's easy to take Gandalf for granted in these films, but a lesser actor could easily have made a huge impact. <P>I thought that the White Rider going to rescue the out-companies retreating from Osgiliath was phenomenal. Truly great scene, but I think that showing Pippin riding with him kind of lessened the sense of danger. <P>Poor Ian did have a couple of very questionable lines to utter, like:<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> So passes Denethor, blah blah blah. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>No kidding! You think we didn't notice the guy wearing the flaming suit jump off the cliff?! Also: <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> Guard of the Citadel, indeed! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Sure, it was nice to have Pippin saving the life of a demi-god but I don't appreciate PJs Lucas-like way of interrupting the flow of battle to insert cheesy dialogue. Yes, in FOTR Mister Baggins was full of surprises, but that didn't change the fact that every Orc in the place was about to deck the halls with blood of Gimli! How about keeping the emotion consistent for five minutes!<P>It was <B>very</B> satisfying to see Gandalf taking command of the defence of the city, and for once I actually loved movieShadowfax, when he sprang up the stairs to the battlement. However, his usefulness as the single most powerful being on the side of Gondor was really poorly shown. It was not made clear enough why Gandalf had to be drawn away from the battle to save Faramir, and I thought that a brief confrontation with the Witch King was a necessity (especially after Witchy's words about dealing with the wizard). <P>I also thought that the character of Gandalf lost out through the deletion of a couple of lines. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> The time, Faramir! The time! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>was noticeably missing, as well as the look of horror and tiredness on hearing about Frodo's destination, and his near loss of composure at the Black Gate. The scene with Aragorn at Edoras didn't even come close to making up for these, and I'm a bit dubious about Gandalf's ability to sense that Frodo is still alive and bearing the Ring. __________________ But Gwindor answered: 'The doom lies in yourself, not in your name'.