Finally saw the movie, thanks to a free ticket included in my FotR extended edition DVD box. Woo.

My verdict: Good. Not as good, in my opinion, as Fellowship... but still good. I also want to see the extended edition RIGHT NOW so I know what got left out. Hehe.

My notes:

Good heavens, will the people behind me SHUT UP ALREADY?! Thanks. Also, 8 stinking previews?! GAH. 7 of them stupid, too. (The remaining one was for Pixar's next film, and since they've yet to make a movie I didn't like I give them the benefit of the doubt.) Anyway, the movie itself...

Good things: Gollum is perfect. Wonderfully animated, superbly voiced. I can't think of anything I'd do to improve him.

Legolas and Gimli rule. The dynamics of their friendship really came out in this movie, and I love it. (That was something you didn't really get in the theatrical release of Fellowship, although it did show up in the extended version.)

Aragorn tracking Merry and Pippin was nifty.

Rohan was just as I'd pictured it, especially architecturally, and Eowyn came off well. I'm ambivalent about the changes in the restoration of Theoden... they certainly made sense, but I really love the way the book handles it. Theoden holding his sword, surveying his lands and giving the call to arms... I would have liked to see that. Oh well.

I always pictured the winged mounts of the Nazgul as being birdlike. The ones they ended up with are pretty cool, though. Frodo's struggle with the Ring and Sam's reaction to all of it is well-done. So is Sam and Gollum clashing, and Sam seeing the Oliphaunt.

Helm's Deep RULES. And this is from someone who doesn't really like battle scenes. A few of Gimli's joke-lines weren't as well placed as they could be, but the "toss me!" bit was great. Legolas and Gimli's one-upmanship was also good, as was Legolas *failing* to stop the explosives-lighter. Theoden's 'where is the horse and the rider' bit was excellent. The addition of the elven archers was interesting, but made sense in the context of the backstory WITHOUT addition (which would have been harder with the Huorns). And hey, Haldir is cool... even if he does get it. Sigh.

The Ents were pretty cool. The attack on Isengard and the releasing of the Isen's flood were wonderful.

I loved the scene with Sam and Frodo, when Sam asks if Frodo thinks there will ever be songs about them. Almost made me cry, darnit.

Bad things: Why, why, WHY did Legolas have to SURF down a staircase during Helm's Deep?! Wouldn't it have been easier to just run or jump down it? Gah.

I still don't quite get why the addition of Aragorn falling off a cliff was warranted. I don't HATE it, but I don't get it. I think the time that took up could have been better used on something else.

Faramir. This is my biggest beef with the movie. Faramir is supposed to be the complete opposite of how he ended up. I suppose there was SOME rationale there, but gaaah, it BUGS me. Especially the 'kingly gift' line... that comes in The Return of the King, and Denethor says it TO Faramir, COMPLAINING that Boromir would have brought him a kingly gift had he been in the situation Faramir was in. For me, that just was the last straw. Where is the noble man of Gondor that wins Eowyn's heart? Hrmph.

I love the Ents, but there was something off about them. They do bring up the 'we're not hasty' thing, but I don't get why the Ents didn't decide right away to attack Isengard. And when the hobbits show Treebeard the waste that Saruman has created, he takes 10 seconds to go declare war. That seems really hasty to me...

On the 'niggly complaints' end: The Ents aren't named Oak and Chestnut and whatnot. Also, I want Quickbeam. Heh.

I also want the reuniting of the Fellowship (or what's left of it not counting Sam and Frodo) at Isengard. Not only is that cool, Gandalf giving Saruman his comeuppance is cool, and that whole scene sets up Merry and Pippin going with the hosts of Rohan and Gondor, respectively. I don't want to miss the dynamic of Merry's friendship with Theoden. It's cool. Although maybe it'll make it into Return of the King?

Also, whyyyyyyy aren't they doing anything with Anduril? They mention Narsil and the re-forging of the Blade that was Broken in Fellowship (more so in the extended version) but I want Anduril to be reforged already. If they leave it out, I'll be disgruntled.

Sosi"that is all, going to see it again soon"qui