Aragorn's Take On the Movies

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Zigûr

Amusingly I originally saw this article the other day when I was browsing TORN. Judging by the reactions to Mr. Mortensen's few rather mild remarks people there (and elsewhere) are still taking criticism of the films as personal attacks. Fans, eh?

Yeah. the TORN reference was certainly pointed. It seems that from the start of PJ's LOTR endeavors there has been that vocal element that howls with outrage when one dares question his motives or judgement.

Originally Posted by Zigûr

I think he has a fair point. I would probably agree that "Fellowship" is the strongest item on the menu, but for my own part I still consider even that to be a very deeply flawed film with insurmountable obstacles in terms of characterisation and the handling of the backstory. Peter Jackson's predilection for CGI is more obvious than ever by this point, of course. I honestly don't see the difference these days between him and someone like Michael Bay: making boring long-winded CGI-candy action films with no substance.

That's pretty much the way I view the films. To those who say "well, Jackson did the best he could", my response is ever "not enough". No one can impart the feel of the books in any other medium, at least to my mind, and that is why I see no need for anyone to try. It'll just result in watered-down, pale imitations that can't help looking like the standard Hollywood blockbuster with a thin sheen of good story, courtesy of Tolkien.

Originally Posted by Zigûr

I haven't watched them in ages out of fear for my sanity but I don't recall the CGI in the adaptations of The Lord of the Rings being as obvious as in the films of The Hobbit. Perhaps the earlier films used it more where necessary and to fill in the gaps between practical effects where in these new ones it's more front-centre as it were (I'm looking at you, "Azog").

I've only seen the LOTR films once all the way through. I thought CGI Gollum was actually about as close as one could possibly be to the "real" one, but the Balrog, and the Eye of Barad-dûr were garbage. I've seen enough of the Hobbit trailers to know that I want no part of it.