LotR1-FotR-Seq08

[Tuor of Gondolin]

Anyway, think that Elrond has been holding a grudge? Can you see, as an elf, sitting at his table day after day and night after night and all he talks about is that one time men failed, for three thousand years! Now we know why the elves are leaving. Okay, we get it already, move on.

Some quick points: The above scenes have some of the best, and
worst, bits in the movies, an aggravating mix. I really like the
Arwen surprising Strider scene, it's the sexiest bit in the movies.
And including the trolls was great, especially since no reference
to them was made by the travelers, a nod toward book
readers.

As for worst movie line, to me it was Arwen at the ford's line:
"If you want him, come and claim him!"
replacing Frodo saying: "By Elbereth and Luthien the Fair,
you shall have neither the Ring nor me!" I would have had
movie Frodo (for once) suck it up, stir in the saddle, and
say that. And PJ's various angles of the nazgul at the ford were
bizarre, at times they seemed only a few feet away. Did they ride back to the middle of the ford and wait for the flood to reach them?

Agent Elrond does come off rather petulently, especially since
he and Arwen are both half-elven (at least in the book).
To borrow a Republican 1970s quote, Elrond seems to be a
"nattering nabob of negativism."

Sean Bean is a great Boromir (more sympathetic and interesting
to me then the book Boromir). I thought the incident with Narsil
was well-done and in context, indicating his conflicted views
of Isildur's Heir.

[mormegil]

I don't have much time currently and haven't yet reviewed this sequence for myself but I will say this:

For me, Glorfindel is one of my favorite characters and everything that he did in the books is great so the Arwen replacement was a rather large disappointment to me.

[Boromir88]

I'm not really bothered by Arwen replacing Glorfindel. In fact, I'm not really bothered by many of the inserted Arwen scenes through the movies. I think it was important for Jackson to establish a "love background/story" between Arwen and Aragorn, and sort of intersplice in the movies.

It would just seem odd to me (if I was only a movie viewer), Ok, Aragorn with this Arwen chick for a small part of FOTR, then he's with this Eowyn chick through TTT and most of ROTK...but wait, now he's marrying this Arwen chick? It would just seem wierd if we only see Arwen for a little bit, he's with Eowyn for a good portion of the movies, then suddenly he marries Arwen. So, I didn't mind giving Arwen a bigger role, and mixing in some scenes between her and Aragorn, because they need to establish the love connection between the two, and to just have Arwen show up in the end marrying Aragorn I think would cause a lot of questions.

Also, as much as I like Glorfindel, he makes basically this one time appearance and we never see him again. (Well at the Council, but I don't count that ) So, I don't mind Arwen bumping Glorfindel off the horse and bumping up her role a bit. Though, I do agree with Alatar and Tuor, the lines used and the script was rather weak and bad during these parts.

I also have a lot of mixed feelings for these sequences, (and the ones to follow), theres some really good stuff, then theres times I just shake my head. As already mentioned the scene with Aragorn, Boromir, and Narsil, is great and I want to expand that to the talk between Aragorn and Arwen.


This is a great piece of filming when you have Arwen say the line "Why do you fear the past?" Great filming, because right behind them is the answer. It's a picture of Isildur's confrontation with Sauron.

As far as some of the more disappointing parts of the movies, I think most have been already mentioned so all I'll add is Rivendell (or I should actually direct this to Elrond) doesn't come off as the "Last Homely House west of the Misty Mountains" as I imagined it.

[Lush]

Mmmm.

I adored the Nazgul chase scene. I thought it was very well done, very urgent, very beautiful and scary. Frodo's thunder is stolen, but we see him so much in the later parts of the film, as well as the other two films, that I don't really mind it as much.

Arwen is luscious and ethereal. A friend of mine, a movie critic named Larry Toppman, once pointed out that Peter Jackson has elicited surprisingly good performances from both Liv Tyler and Sean Bean, actors who have largely relied on their looks to get by in other films.

I have quibbles with the cranky Elrond, but I suppose they did that so that he could offset Gandalf.

I like the way Legolas and the rest of the Fellowship are introduced, but I'm obviously biased. I will say this, though, watch Legolas later in the movie; I think they do a fine job with showing, through him, the Elvish attitude toward mortality.

Also, I think that the music on the bridge scene deserves an honourable mention. Enya does a great job getting her mouth around all this lyrical Elvish.

[alatar]

I'm surprised that Arwen's usurpation of Glorfindel's role wasn't as unappreciated as I would have thought. It would have worked better for me if the dialogue were better and Frodo were given a more active role.

As the movie proceeds I like Frodo less and less. The slide starts at Weathertop and continues its downward progress from there. Surely we need to know that the Witch-King's bite is no ordinary sting, but Frodo just seems so whiny. He gets a reprieve in Rivendell, as I too would want to return to the Shire some days, but later we get back on the slope.

To get back to the purpose of the SbS: I understand why PJ had to inject Arwen here, as Boromir88 states, you can't have her appear nine hours later and expect people to care. Not sure the reason for diminishing Frodo; Gandalf - he wanted to make man, as in Aragorn, more important and so the wizard's role suffered. But Frodo?

[Lathriel]

I like most of this sequence the only character I really don't like is Mr Eyebrow or Mr Sectret Agent or Elrond. I always pictured Elrond as a somewhat happier fellow. This doesn't mean somebody with a grin pasted on his face but just not that frown. Life is a grim bussiness, no wonder Elrond wants to leave ME.
I didn't object to the scene with Boromir and Aragorn but I did think it was weird that they just left Narsil so exposed.
I don't mind Arwen either, it would just have been too weird if she had not been mentioned before she appears in ROTK.
I'll probably drop by again later.

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by Lathriel

I didn't object to the scene with Boromir and Aragorn but I did think it was weird that they just left Narsil so exposed.
.

Why? It was in a sort or museum/shrine type area. Noone is going to steal it (look what happens to people who even tread on Elrond's grass without permission - he turns the sprinklers big time). If Aragorn isn't going to be carrying the thing around they have to get the sword in somehow.