Stupid Elf Tricks...

[Essex]

Yes, it's almost as ridiculous as putting on a magic ring that would make you invisible...........

[The Saucepan Man]

... or an Elf running on snow without making an imprint ...

[Gurthang]

Fine, Essex, you're right; in the context of a fantasy world anything is possible. My point was that people seem to nit-pick Legolas for his later stunts, but they ignore the one that I saw in the Fellowship. That's what doesn't make sense to me.

[The Saucepan Man]

I would cite two main reasons.

First, as you hinted in your opening post, it is the first time that we see a Legolas "stunt", so it doesn't stand out particularly in the scheme of things.

Secondly, it is more in keeping with Legolas' nature as an agile Elven warrior. The shield surfing (which I don't like) and the Oliphaunt climbing (to a lesser extent, in my opinion) are more likely to "break the spell" and take us out of the story because they are less in keeping with the Legolas we know from the book and also, possibly, because we are catching on that Legolas "stunts" are becoming "set-piece" features of the films.

I would note that another Legolas moment that seems to attract little criticism is his twisting leap onto the back of his moving horse, although I still maintain that it was an anatomically impossible feat.

[Roa_Aoife]

Perhaps not anatomically impossible, but certainly in violation of the laws of Physics. Saucy makes good points, but I think another reason these stunt stand out so much is their incredible similarity to extreme sports. Legolas looks less like an Elf doing typical Elf stuff, and more like a skateboarder or surfer. It certainly breaks some of the believability when we are confronted with something so modern and familiar when we are supposed to be drawn into a strange and ancient world.

[Glirdan]

But see, the thing with that is that tight-rope walking, no matter how uncommon it is, is still, technically, a modern day thing. I think this one is over looked because of the fact that after the snow walking thing (which I really don't like), everyone thinks that Legolas can do anything. That was the impression I got. I think the other thing is that PJ wanted to develop the Elves a little more than they were described in the books. In the books, Elves are described as being light footed and agile. All of the stunts in the movies show this characteristic of the Elves. The ones in the Fellowship more so than the ones later on.

Saucy, I agree with you about Legolas's little twirl onto the horse. I thought it was cool at first, but now it just bugs me to the point of death. I hate it when he goes and defies the laws of gravity!!

[Carorëiel]

I agree that some of Legolas' stunts are a bit over-the-top, but I think the walking-on-snow thing is held up by the text. In "The Ring Goes South," we get the following:

"Legolas watched them for a while with a smile upon his lips, and then he turned to the others. 'The strongest must seek a way, say you? But I say: let a ploughman plough, but choose an otter for swimming, and for running light over grass and leaf, or over snow--an Elf.'

With that he sprang forth nimbley, and then Frodo noticed as if for the first time, though he had long known it, that the Elf had no boots, but wore only light shoes, as he always did, and his feet made little imprint in the snow."

Granted, the text doesn't actually say that Legolas walks on top of the snow, but I don't think it's too big a leap. I always saw his walking on the snow in the film as a nod to this scene in the book.

[mormegil]

I agree with Carorëiel and was actually looking up this quote and noticed that it was just posted. Glirdan, I believe what the point Saucey was making is that Legolas was walking on the snow with little imprint and that's not technically possibly yet in a fantasy world it is.

Though more on topic I don't see any major problem with this particular stunt. There needs to be some amazing things happening here. It wouldn't be, cinematically speaking, as interesting if Leggy merely shot him from a distance and the battle was over. While this is a bit over the top that is all it is. The other stunts are more exorbitant in their realism and more of a gratuitous insert to make the women swoon (coughbethberrycough) , especially the shield surfing.

[Morsul the Dark]

Originally Posted by Roa_Aoife

Perhaps not anatomically impossible, but certainly in violation of the laws of Physics. Saucy makes good points, but I think another reason these stunt stand out so much is their incredible similarity to extreme sports. Legolas looks less like an Elf doing typical Elf stuff, and more like a skateboarder or surfer. It certainly breaks some of the believability when we are confronted with something so modern and familiar when we are supposed to be drawn into a strange and ancient world.

maybe PJ madfe legolas Captain obvious to match this skateboarder image

[Essex]

I just don't understand why every male here is so jealous of the Hugely succesful, Multi millionaire and good looking movie star Orlando Bloom who has a string of beauties attached to his arm..................it really is beyond me.

I'd also like to congratulate everyone on not using the words 'Captain' and 'Obvious' together for 27 posts. Well done!

PS - yes the surfing did look 'out of place' - but whose to say that someone hasn't thought of something like this to get down some stairs quickly before? Why do we always think that just because we only invented surfing a while back that no one's thought of using a piece of wood or metal to make it down some stairs fast (and somewhat pecariously!) years before this?

[mormegil]

Essex, I think you misunderstand what we are saying here. This is not Orlando Bloom bashing, in fact I think he is a decent actor in his own right and I think he fit the general image of Legolas, to me anyway. I am not jealous in the least of him and I see why PJ would put in a pretty-boy in as the elf lead role. That's fine with me that he wanted to have an attractive 'hottie' for the girls to like. What does bother me is how he is shown at times. In particular the shield surfing. It just doesn't seem true to the story or environment. It's too similar to what I would expect Vin Diesel to be doing or even a Steven Segal. It simply took me out of the battle that was occuring and didn't seem to fit into what should have been happening at this time.

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by Essex

PS - yes the surfing did look 'out of place' - but whose to say that someone hasn't thought of something like this to get down some stairs quickly before? Why do we always think that just because we only invented surfing a while back that no one's thought of using a piece of wood or metal to make it down some stairs fast (and somewhat pecariously!) years before this?

Polynesian people have been surfing for three or four millenia and more recently surfing was observed by Captain Cook in Taihiti in 1777.