Jump to content

The Lord Of The Rings General Discussion Thread


Faleel

Recommended Posts

  • 2 weeks later...
1 minute ago, Quintus said:

How come Gandalf did powerful wizard blasts in The Hobbit but never in The Lord of the Rings trilogy? 

Simple: Radagast's staff "gets a bit dicky sometimes".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Twice I've been asked by different viewing companions why Gandalf never just used that particular power during the perils of LOTR. Just saying. 

 

I think it's a fair enough question, from their point of view. It's logical. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Not Mr. Big said:

Is Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor canon?

Nope. It seems like an extrapolation of the Tolkien material. It was a great game though.

 

http://tolkienblog.com/games/shadow-mordor-canon-short-version/#:~:text=of Mordor Canon%3F-,No.,the Middle-earth Tolkien conceived. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Quintus said:

How come Gandalf did powerful wizard blasts in The Hobbit but never in The Lord of the Rings trilogy? 

What do they mean by "Wizard Blasts"?

 

He breaks the bridge of Khazad-Dume with a greyish blast, and summons lightning with Glamdring....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In The Hobbit movies, Gandalf appears in the nick of time and blasts away all those goblins with magic.

 

Understand, I'm speaking on behalf of others here; I know that in the Lord of the Rings books Gandalf does in fact use his spells in various sticky situations, but for his LotR adaptation, Peter Jackson purposefully chose not to depict magic in a flashy or "showy" way. But then in The Hobbit we see that approach completely dropped, which is tonally at odds with LOTR - even though plenty of other aspects remain consistent with it. So yeah, I suppose what I'm getting at is Jackson's disregard for consistency, or his picking and choosing when making the Hobbit match up with the original trilogy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We see "that approach completely dropped" a whole of one time, in a film with a palpably different sensibility, and over two films removed from the transition to The Lord of the Rings. In the interim, the Necromancer "is draining his life" from him, he loses his staff and ages sixty rather laborious years.

 

At any rate, it was worth the supposed inconsistency just to have Gandalf let rip with magic for once. I thought it was cool, and sometimes that's what counts. And while its more magic than we're used to, at least its consistent in that Gandalf's magic is always to do with light and fire.

 

By the way, the use of magic strikes me as a Guillermo Del Toro touch. Jackson doesn't like magic spells in movies.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

None of that won't stop kids from wondering why he doesn't just blast the orcs in Lord of the Rings though. I know I'm not the only one who has to take the time to explain to others the "reasons" why he doesn't just use his wizard magic, because I've seen it brought up many a time on Internet forums over the years, and memes exist about it. 

 

I think the "wizard blast" (this term harks back to the Battle for Middle-Earth video game) is one of the coolest little moments in AUJ, but it does set an expectation for any younger viewers who might watch this series in chronological order. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've watched the films with young cousins of mine, and that issue never came up.

 

I think most will understand that An Unexpected Journey is done in a different, more heightened style, and that the greater reliance on magic is in keeping with that, and make peace with it.

 

And like I said, there is some semblence of an in-universe explanation. Certainly, its a much better explanation than what we get for why Jedi are cremated in the prequel trilogy but vanish in the classics, and that seems to work for most, so...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, Quintus said:

In The Hobbit movies, Gandalf appears in the nick of time and blasts away all those goblins with magic.

 

Understand, I'm speaking on behalf of others here; I know that in the Lord of the Rings books Gandalf does in fact use his spells in various sticky situations, but for his LotR adaptation, Peter Jackson purposefully chose not to depict magic in a flashy or "showy" way. But then in The Hobbit we see that approach completely dropped, which is tonally at odds with LOTR - even though plenty of other aspects remain consistent with it. So yeah, I suppose what I'm getting at is Jackson's disregard for consistency, or his picking and choosing when making the Hobbit match up with the original trilogy.

I think we're meant to go with the lighter tone of the Hobbit films, there's a playfulness to the whole Goblin Town sequence that flies in the face of the darker events later on in the canon and the Rings films. I agree with Chen though, that An Unexpected Journey has a different tonal quality that the later two seem to drop when things become heavier, which isn't an issue, but it does lead to one wondering why certain characters do things. I like the idea that Gandalf is more 'Wizard-y' in the Hobbit which gels with Bilbo's perception of the character (and the Dwarves' respect for him). 

 

Though, Lord of the Rings had it's fair share of frivolous questions, concerning the Eagles and what exactly Sauron is (Is he a literal eye, or is he a physical spirit within the tower?)

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Arpy said:

Though, Lord of the Rings had it's fair share of frivolous questions, concerning the Eagles and what exactly Sauron is (Is he a literal eye, or is he a physical spirit within the tower?)

 

More important, is he far-sighted since his gaze can be felt so strongly?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm surprised Rhys-Davies hasn't been cancelled yet!

 

You could tell the other dude was getting uncomfortable watching him. He seemed much more down to swing it with Viggo though...especially when the foot-rubbing started... ;)

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/25/2020 at 5:57 AM, Arpy said:

what exactly Sauron is (Is he a literal eye, or is he a physical spirit within the tower?)

 

I always wanted to know that, ever since I was a child. What exactly is Sauron? A flaming giant eye at the top of a tower?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've never given it any thought, but I wouldn't expect the vest to cover the entirety of his lower abdomen area. Moreover, if anything can pierce mithril, it's Shelob's stinger.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I always thought Mithril was tough, but not enough for blunt force trauma such as a stinger. It could also be the case Shelob being the offspring of Ungoliant gave her powers, enough so to pierce through Mithril.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Chen G. said:


The Mithril shirt has a V-neck for some reason...

Not too exposed, unless Shelob stung him in the neck?

 

atalante_star8581.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quote

She's got more than one poison. When she's hunting, she just gives 'em a stab in the neck and they go as limp as a boned fish, and then she has her way with them.

From later in the same thread.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Quintus said:

The way it's shot always made it look like she sticks him right in the belly. 

 

And yet the mark is right under his collar bone:

 

lotr3-movie-screencaps.com-21279.jpg?str

 

which appears to be well above the neckline of the vest. Which makes sense, it was made for Dwarves, after all...

 

lotr1-movie-screencaps.com-16537.jpg?str

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Eh, I just assumed those were incidental wounds or whatever tbh. I've never thought about it. 

 

Urrrrrghhh this conversation... I forgot what LotR fans can be like. I'm out! 😳

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Quintus said:

Urrrrrghhh this conversation... I forgot what LotR fans can be like. I'm out!

 

I never put much thought to it either. You brought it up so I looked.

 

Its the sort of thing that follows Vince Giligan's advice: "contrivance in storytelling is absolutely fine, if it screws the characters over."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've re-watched FotR yesterday after quite some time...and the Prologue sequence still gets me. From setting up this world, providing the necessary context, and an actual feeling of the time and place the story unfolds in. Strong visuals, the weary way Galadriel speaks about Middle-earth, and of course immeasurably aided by Howard Shore's music. Bliss.

 

vlcsnap-2020-08-30-09h46m35s848.pngvlcsnap-2020-08-30-09h46m01s599.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jackson watched The Thin Red Line during preproduction, and was greatly taken with it. This sequence of shots definitely has a touch of Terrence Malick about it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/30/2020 at 8:42 AM, Holko said:

When's the next time anyone's planning a marathon?

I felt quite partial to the comment suggesting: "LOTR but whenever someone uses the word "and" in a sentence Gimli says "and my Axe" after the sentence is over."

Just think of the possibilities...

 

"Who now has the strength to stand against the armies of Isengard... AND MY AXE!"

 

"You fell."

"Through fire... AND MY AXE!"

 

"Fell deeds awake. Now for wrath, now for ruin, AND MY AXE!"

 

"What Gandalf? See what?

"White shores.... AND MY AXE!"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

56 minutes ago, who cares said:

None of what you described makes sense because none of those sentences contained the word "and" in the first place. 

Hmmm...

 

#1 Isengard..... AND Mordor

 

#2 Through fire... AND water.

 

#3 Now for ruin, AND a red dawn

 

#4 ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.