I've just come back from seeing it. What's the first thing I do? Get on-line and read this thread, of course, that I haven't been able to read all week...

> ** The Opening Scene **
> Very effective. Mrs. Iss objected that this scene makes the Ring's corrupting influence seem *too* powerful and sudden, and I agree that that's a rational argument. But it sure made for great cinema.

In addition, it's perfectly accurate to the book. If anything, in the film it takes Smeagol longer to succumb. From _Fellowship_:

[begin excerpt]

But Smeagol had been watching from behind a tree, and as Deagol gloated over the ring, Smeagol came softly up behind.

"Give us that, Deagol, my love," said Smeagol, over his friend's shoulder.

"Why?" said Deagol.

"Because it's my birthday, my love, and I wants it," said Smeagol.

"I don't care," said Deagol. "I have given you a present already, more than I could afford. I found this, and I'm going to keep it."

"Oh, are you indeed, my love," said Smeagol; and he caught Deagol by the throat, and strangled him...

[end excerpt]

> ** Denethor **
> I appreciated the attention the movie paid to Denethor's favoritism between his sons. But that was about the only thing I liked about the treatment of the character. Otherwise, he came off like a plain villain instead of a tragic figure.

Ooooh, have to agree there... the scene where Denethor stuffs his face while Faramir is out riding to his presumed death left me utterly loathing the character.

>Also, it was out of character for Gandalf -- *twice*, no less -- to beat up the ruler of Gondor and then assume command.

Beat him up, yes. Assume command, no... he rather had to, didn't he?

> ** The Battle of the Pellenor Fields **
> The farewell scene between Eowyn and Theoden didn't strike quite the right note in me either, but again I'm uncertain why.

Could it be that it was totally contrived? If that scene had stayed true to the book, then Theoden would have died never knowing that Eowyn or Merry had even been there, and Eomer would have found the two of them unconscious near Theoden's body.

The actual confrontation scene between Eowyn, Merry and the Witch-King gave me chills, though. It was perfect... that was probably the one moment I was most looking forward to from this film, and it satisfied me completely, illiciting a fist-pumping, exuberant "YES!"

> Legolas vs. the Oliphaunt: didn't annoy me as much as I would've thought. I guess I was pretty well prepared for this sort of thing by the rest of his stunts in the preceding movies.

You know what Legolas vs. the Oliphaunt made me think of? Luke Skywalker vs. the AT-AT. The Rohirrim should have tried roping those suckers' legs!

> ** Sam Rescues Frodo from the Orcs **
> The movie took a weak plot point in the book and made it even weaker.

Agreed. Also, I really missed Sam's confrontation with the two Watchers, and I hope that gets added back in when the extended edition comes out.

> ** The Rest of the Story **
> The "Spotlight of Sauron" seemed to me a lamentably necessary visual effect. There's just no good way to convey the sense of psychological pressure when the Eye is upon you, so I figure the spotlight was an okay substitute.

I thought they did a better job of that in the first two films when the Eye wasn't actually looking right at Frodo. (i.e., when he has the ring on in Bree, or when he's on Amon Hen.)

> There's not much to say about the denouement. It was long, and I had to go to the bathroom *really bad* by then...

LOL... the same thing happened to me when I saw Matrix Revolutions. Never drink your whole Mountain Dew at the beginning of a movie, no matter how long it is.

> I've left out comments on bunches of minor points, but that's what the thread is for, right?

The fact that the entire Scouring of the Shire sequence was never even filmed still bums me, but I can get over it. However, I did really want to see more of a conclusion for Saruman, including the breaking of his staff and his death at Wormtongue's hands, and there is more hope of seeing those scenes in the E.E. Another bit I really wanted to see that wasn't in the theatrical release was the encounter with the Mouth of Sauron at the Black Gate. The Scotsman tells me that he heard that that part was cast, so perhaps Sauron's lieutenant will appear in the E.E. as well.

Gri"rats! I can't WAIT eleven months!"shny