The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum - View Single Post - An Unexpected Journey, or the morning after

William Cloud Hicklin · 12-20-2012, 12:49 AM

A two-hour movie, three hours long.

As with the previous three, PJ is OK when he's rendering actual, genuine Tolkien, and hopeless when indulging in yet another endless, repetitive CGI battle scene or trying to film the third-rate fan-fic Phillippa makes up out of fluff and horsefeathers.

Seriously, could PJ even film a remake of My Dinner With Andre without sticking in 40 minutes of CGI critters hacking at each other and falling off high places?

The good:
Riddles in the Dark. I wonder why.......
Also Martin Freeman generally.

The bad:
too many pointless fights, all too long.
The dumb Azog subplot.
Azanulbizar turned into yet another too-long, pointless fight without any of the significance or tragedy which weights Tolkien's telling (some of his finest writing; "If this is victory, then our hands are too small to hold it.")
Erebor rendered with absurd over the top trans-Egyptian gigantism of the sort CGI unfortunately makes too easy for directors with no self restraint; looked like a set from Thor. (And will somebody please tell Alan Lee that stone has little tensile strength and his statues are physically impossible?)
Radagast and the ghost-witch-king whatever and the "Nazgul tombs" rubbish.
Bilbo engaging in not one, not two, but three swordfights, all before Mirkwood.
The illogical stupidity of Thranduil at the fall of Erebor, as someone discussed above (I did like the elk, though).
The Dwarves' 'reception' (and almost yet *another* fight!) at Rivendell: JRRT's descriptions of the Last Homely House and its Master completely forgotten.
The generally estimable Howard Shore phoning it in and just recycling his old musical cues.
The Stoneformer Giants
PJ not realizing that if one sweeping helicopter shot of the Southern Alps is good, ten of them are not ten times as good.
Gandalf deprived of nearly all his dignity and testy asperity

Didn't hate as much as I thought I would:
Radagast. Though the bunny-sled chase was basically a Road Runner cartoon without any of Chuck Jones' wit or creativity.

12-20-2012, 12:49 AM	#83
William Cloud Hicklin Loremaster of Annúminas Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 2,302	A two-hour movie, three hours long. As with the previous three, PJ is OK when he's rendering actual, genuine Tolkien, and hopeless when indulging in yet another endless, repetitive CGI battle scene or trying to film the third-rate fan-fic Phillippa makes up out of fluff and horsefeathers. Seriously, could PJ even film a remake of My Dinner With Andre without sticking in 40 minutes of CGI critters hacking at each other and falling off high places? The good: Riddles in the Dark. I wonder why....... Also Martin Freeman generally. The bad: too many pointless fights, all too long. The dumb Azog subplot. Azanulbizar turned into yet another too-long, pointless fight without any of the significance or tragedy which weights Tolkien's telling (some of his finest writing; "If this is victory, then our hands are too small to hold it.") Erebor rendered with absurd over the top trans-Egyptian gigantism of the sort CGI unfortunately makes too easy for directors with no self restraint; looked like a set from Thor. (And will somebody please tell Alan Lee that stone has little tensile strength and his statues are physically impossible?) Radagast and the ghost-witch-king whatever and the "Nazgul tombs" rubbish. Bilbo engaging in not one, not two, but three swordfights, all before Mirkwood. The illogical stupidity of Thranduil at the fall of Erebor, as someone discussed above (I did like the elk, though). The Dwarves' 'reception' (and almost yet another fight!) at Rivendell: JRRT's descriptions of the Last Homely House and its Master completely forgotten. The generally estimable Howard Shore phoning it in and just recycling his old musical cues. The Stoneformer Giants PJ not realizing that if one sweeping helicopter shot of the Southern Alps is good, ten of them are not ten times as good. Gandalf deprived of nearly all his dignity and testy asperity Didn't hate as much as I thought I would: Radagast. Though the bunny-sled chase was basically a Road Runner cartoon without any of Chuck Jones' wit or creativity. __________________ The entire plot of The Lord of the Rings could be said to turn on what Sauron didn’t know, and when he didn’t know it.