lord of the rings trilogy -- best films of the decade?

[Slacker]

I've always wondered why so many movie buffs don't recognize the LOTR trilogy (taken as a whole) as a good film. I think the fact that it is so popular among teenagers and geeks tends to diminish, by association, their enthusiasm for this type of material. Deep inside, they like it, but they will deny it just to stand out from the crowd as the intellectual cinephiles they think they are.

Star Wars is loved by teens and geeks on an even higher level, and "film buffs" tend to love those films too. I thought Lord of the Rings just lacked the universal and epic feel that Star Wars had. I mean, I loved Fellowship, but Two Towers and Return of the King just drew everything out and totally took the appeal away. I may need to rewatch them or something though.

 

[CptStern]

You're so totally right man. People who say they don't like The Trilogy because it's nothing more than an overly long slightly pretentious popcorn adventure that thinks it's much more important than it really is are just in denial. In reality everyone thinks the same way you do, and when they say otherwise it's out of a desperate attempt to be different.

look at me! I'm different!!!1

compare lotr to any of the best films ever made and it pales in comparison ..it has none of the nuances of All quiet on the western front, Peter jackson has none of the artistry of a Jean Renoir or an ingmar bergman ..to compare lotr to these greats is like comparing justin timberlake to the beatles: style over substance

 

[zleppelin]

Star Wars is loved by teens and geeks on an even higher level, and "film buffs" tend to love those films too. I thought Lord of the Rings just lacked the universal and epic feel that Star Wars had. I mean, I loved Fellowship, but Two Towers and Return of the King just drew everything out and totally took the appeal away. I may need to rewatch them or something though.

I also like the 1st part of the trilogy better than the other two. All those epic battles were getting on my nerves.

You're so totally right man. People who say they don't like The Trilogy because it's nothing more than an overly long slightly pretentious popcorn adventure that thinks it's much more important than it really is are just in denial. In reality everyone thinks the same way you do, and when they say otherwise it's out of a desperate attempt to be different.

Who wouldn't like a story about a guy throwing a ring into a volcano, especially after it was divided up into three 3+ hour long movies? Personally, the third one was my favorite ... it just kept getting better with every ending.

smwScott, let's back off a second. Reading your response to my previous post I could almost swear that you implied that I liked the LOTR trilogy. That's not the case; I liked the first movie --even though it did not have an ending, but not the last two, so I did not like the trilogy "taken as a whole." If I were to compile a list of my favorite 100 movies of all time I seriously doubt the LOTR trilogy would be in it, but it might be in my top 200 movie list.

I still get the feeling, however, that a lot of the people out there claiming that the LOTR trilogy sucks fall into the category I described. Then there are the ones who claim they like Truffaut and Godard without understanding why they think they like their movies, except because they know Truffaut and Godard were some of the pioneers of modern cinema and because some of their movies are listed on IMDB's top 250 movie list.

 

[Anthraxxx]

I though the LOTR trilogy was pretty damn good. I remember the ending of the third movie had a ton of people in the theater crying.

in other unrelated news: My friend's girlfriend found Lord of the G-Strings, and I am getting it from her the next time she has her external HDD with her. Hooray for a 30 minute nipple licking scene!

 

[CptStern]

good yes ..but citizen kane good ..no

 

[smwScott]

smwScott, let's back off a second. Reading your response to my previous post I could almost swear that you implied that I liked the LOTR trilogy. That's not the case; I liked the first movie --even though it did not have an ending, but not the last two, so I did not like the trilogy "taken as a whole." If I were to compile a list of my favorite 100 movies of all time I seriously doubt the LOTR trilogy would be in it, but it might be in my top 200 movie list.

I still get the feeling, however, that a lot of the people out there claiming that the LOTR trilogy sucks fall into the category I described. Then there are the ones who claim they like Truffaut and Godard without understanding why they think they like their movies, except because they know Truffaut and Godard were some of the pioneers of modern cinema and because some of their movies are listed on IMDB's top 250 movie list.

My post was meant entirely in jest, was just taking the piss. You're right that a lot of film snobs (who really don't know a goddamn thing about film) love to insult pop entertainment like LOTR for no other reason than to make themselves stand out. The flipside is that a lot of LOTR fans seem to think their favorite movies are just about the best thing to happen to film ever when in reality they fall in a bit closer to Star Wars or the Bond films.

And Stern ... sorry but I got the impression you took that post seriously. For the record I can't stand the LOTR films. There's nothing wrong with them, they seem like decent pop entertainment ... I just can't stand them.

 

[Warbie]

Being a big fan of the books, I don't think the movies could have been much better, or that Peter Jackson can be given enough credit for bringing middle earth to life (something I thought wouldn't be possible).

The triliogy does everything most fans wanted and introduced millions to the story, which is as appealing as it ever was. Only the other day I watched the Fellowship with my friend and his little brother. You just had to see the look on the little guys face to see the movie works brilliantly - wide-eyed awe and gasps from start to finish. Go twenty years back in time and you'll see exactly the same look from many 1000's of people in the cinema watching Star Wars.

It annoys me when popcorn movies are written off as less worthy than more serious flicks. I rate Indiana Jones amoungst the greatest films ever made, yet it's little more than a familly action movie. As for Citizen Kane - i'd rather have my balls twisted off than watch that again. Give me The Goonies any day

 

[CptStern]

I agree with indiana jones ..not lotr

 

[DeusExMachina]

LOTR trilogy probably would make my 100 greatest films of all time, but I hardly see them as popcorn entertainment. Popcorn entertainment is just that..***n of the mill hollywood bullshit. To even say the LOTR trilogy is "popcorn entertainment" is utter ignorance. They may not be thought provoking, but the films convey a great sense of emotion. It makes you feel like you're there. You almost believe Middle Earth had existed once. THAT is something few can convey. I may not be a big fan of the films, but I'm not going to deny what they are.

 

[Sparta]

look at me! I'm different!!!1

compare lotr to any of the best films ever made and it pales in comparison ..it has none of the nuances of All quiet on the western front, Peter jackson has none of the artistry of a Jean Renoir or an ingmar bergman ..to compare lotr to these greats is like comparing justin timberlake to the beatles: style over substance

Don't forget Kurosawa.

Seven Samurai is one the best films of all time, and for a three and half hour film, its pace is perfect. There is never a dull moment where you waiting for the film to progress. And for a film on such a smaller scale than LOTR, that's an even bigger accomplishment.

Learn how to pace your films properly Peter Jackson!!!

and King Kong sucked!

*shakes fist and sits back down in rocking chair on porch*

LOTR trilogy probably would make my 100 greatest films of all time, but I hardly see them as popcorn entertainment. Popcorn entertainment is just that..***n of the mill hollywood bullshit. To even say the LOTR trilogy is "popcorn entertainment" is utter ignorance. They may not be thought provoking, but the films convey a great sense of emotion. It makes you feel like you're there. You almost believe Middle Earth had existed once. THAT is something few can convey.

Not particularly. I mean Peter Jackson did have the LOTR trilogy to work with here, and he had the wonderful gift of CGI. Without the strength of the CG visuals, the LOTR films may as well have been stage plays. But, popcorn entertainment, i wouldn't call them that. Blockbuster entertainment, yes. Popcorn, no.

 

[CptStern]

LOTR trilogy probably would make my 100 greatest films of all time, but I hardly see them as popcorn entertainment. Popcorn entertainment is just that..***n of the mill hollywood bullshit. To even say the LOTR trilogy is "popcorn entertainment" is utter ignorance. They may not be thought provoking, but the films convey a great sense of emotion. It makes you feel like you're there. You almost believe Middle Earth had existed once. THAT is something few can convey. I may not be a big fan of the films, but I'm not going to deny what they are.

you have a knack for jumping to the most extreme conclusions; almost always the wrong one I might add ...I consider Indiana Jones as "popcorn entertainment" and it's in my top 25 best movies of all time... it's not necessarily a negative thing ..I love pulp fiction and serials ..raymond chandler, bogart, peter lorre ..I mean these are all examples of pop entertainment that has achieved artistic merit ..because they're that good ..but it's still popcorn entertainment

and besides the visuals/attention to detail I dont see how anyone can argue that it was grounded in reality ..I mean the characters are almost uniformly one dimensional that never stray far from their narrow character base ..take aragon for example: moody brooding etc ..but you know exactly what to expect ..characterization in lotr takes a backseat to the central plot ..as it should in any epic film/book etc


sprafa: kurosawa rules

 

[Warbie]

Don't forget Kurosawa.

He's made some proper shit too. Have you seen his dreams movie?

I agree with the way you liken the movies, minus the special effects, to a stage play. I really see no problem with the pacing, taking each segment as a whole and enjoying the surroundings and beauty of it all. Often i'll watch 30 mins before falling asleep, picking up from there the next day as I would a book or series.

Visually there are so many breathtaking moments in LOTR - locations and character ripped out of the books and my head and stuck on film. The reason I enjoy them so much is because it is how I imagined it to be as a kid.

The casting, on the whole, is spot on and squeezing the books, which are all over the place, into 3 movies is also no mean feat.

 

[Rizzo]

LOTR was good. Im home sick and just watch 1 and 2.
Nothing beats a good adventure movie.
Good point Warbie.

 

[CptStern]

He's made some proper shit too. Have you seen his dreams movie?

loved dreams ..a friend of mine who watched it with me was bored after the first 5 minutes and found it painful to watch ..but come to think of it he hated fargo too ...bah, he's just a philistine

 

[Warbie]

Not liking Fargo?! We'll have to disagree on Dreams, but that's just crazy talk.

 

[CptStern]

ya he's a philistine ...and dreams was quite good ...but you cant walk into that without being familiar with kurosawa or film (not movies) in general ...i mean half the art films made over the last 50 years would bore the average veiwer to tears if they didnt have some sort of background knowledge in the particular genre etc

ok I admit the peach blossoms bit in the beginning was overly long

 

[Warbie]

It just seemed so self-indulgent.

I can imagine Kurosawa at school, sitting alone writing in his journal while the other kids play and talk about boobs.

'I had this great dream guys. I was walking in the woods, the sunlight shining through the leaves, it was so beautiful. Then everyone turned into a fox and started singing ...'

As the punches came raining down young Kurosawa vowed to become the greatest movie director in the world and make a film about these dreams. Then they'd see, then they'd be sorry!! ahahaha

 

[CptStern]

oh warbie you're so cruel to the cute little japanese man (well not so cute anymore cuz he's dead) ..actually dreams was one of his last films ..so kurosawa was probably dreaming about samurai/feudal japan as it seems to be a central setting in many of his early films

 

[Warbie]

I didn't know he died, or mean to bash the guy. Can't be dissing the guy who made 7 Samurai.

 

[CptStern]

meh everybody is fair game ..regardless of whether they're dead or not ..if that were not the case I couldnt make as many Jesus jokes as I do now :naughty:

 

[Warbie]

 

[Dalamari]

LOTR, great set of films, hardly the best of the decade though

 

[DeusExMachina]

you have a knack for jumping to the most extreme conclusions; almost always the wrong one I might add ...I consider Indiana Jones as "popcorn entertainment" and it's in my top 25 best movies of all time... it's not necessarily a negative thing ..I love pulp fiction and serials ..raymond chandler, bogart, peter lorre ..I mean these are all examples of pop entertainment that has achieved artistic merit ..because they're that good ..but it's still popcorn entertainment

and besides the visuals/attention to detail I dont see how anyone can argue that it was grounded in reality ..I mean the characters are almost uniformly one dimensional that never stray far from their narrow character base ..take aragon for example: moody brooding etc ..but you know exactly what to expect ..characterization in lotr takes a backseat to the central plot ..as it should in any epic film/book etc


sprafa: kurosawa rules

I hate the way you describe things stern, I always take them negatively D:

 

[CptStern]

heheh so in other words it's my fault cuz I'm a shitty "describer"?

:E

 

[Sparta]

He's made some proper shit too. Have you seen his dreams movie?

I've only seen the last 10 minutes of it, and that seemed more like a vanity project than anything else. But yeah, i see your point.

Kurosawa totally would've had the shit beaten out of him for talking about singing foxes as a kid.

 

[Sulkdodds]

I talked about singing foxes as a kid and I was the leader of bullies in my school.

To be fair, they were badass talking foxes.

I honestly love the LOTR films (and that's high praise coming from me - I disliked the books) - whether they're as good as the greats is irrelevant to me, because of the sense of adventure and of vast purpose they manage to conjure. Plus, I myself think they do a good job of pacing themselves - I didn't get bored - and of breaking up the epic fantasy po-facedness with warmth, rugged humanity, and humour.

His Dark Materials, which looks to be completely leaving out all criticism of religion messages present in the trilogy.

Philip Pullman himself confirmed in The Times a few weeks ago that this was a horrible lie and also a bullshit. God-bashing is very much on the agenda.

 

[DeusExMachina]

Really? Yay

 

[Solaris]

His Dark Materials was a fantastic Trilorgy.

 

[theotherguy]

um, no?

Not even the best of their years...in fact I thought they were quite bad.

They had good direction, and a somewhat decent plot, but some scenes were waay tooo drawnnn outttt and the movies were rediculously long, and acting somewhat overdone.

 

[jverne]

people, people! you're so out of perspective!

there just isn't an absolute measure for rating movies. it depends on the preferences.

some people like adventures, and their focus might not be on the characters. probably because they want to get immersed in the movie, not analyze it.

it depends if your a teenager or an adult.
i never really focused on the characters, i got attracted to the fights, bravery, traveling, equipment. i loved the medieval style. i really didn't care for the quest to destroy some stupid ring...

don't be ignorant and take everything into perspective...

 

[MiccyNarc]

Incredible movies. All this debate about whether they were the best or not is moronic. Opinions are like assholes, we all have them, and all of them stink.

 

[Bad^Hat]

Not totally sure about best, but they'd be up there for me. Fellowship of the Ring is one of my favourite movies ever, it's just friggin class in every way concievable. Wasn't as crazy about the 2nd and 3rd individually, but as a trilogy it's one of the most solid ever made.

Also, they're the only movies I've ever liked Orlando Bloom in, which is an achievement in itself. He fits the character almost too well o.o