# Return of the King - talkback (spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 17, 2003, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-king-talkback-spoilers/219504 "2003-12-17T08:50:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-king-talkback-spoilers/219504/201 "2003-12-23T23:10:50Z")
NoCool…I have the exact same problem. I’ve enjoyed each movie much more on the second viewing, when I’m past the “how are they going to depict/cut/show/mangle…” anxiety. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2003, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-king-talkback-spoilers/219504/202 "2003-12-24T00:19:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NoCoolUserName \* > \*\* Qadgop, you know more about LotR than the rest of us (maybe more than the rest of us put together). Why don’t you have this problem? \*\* Maybe because I’ve read not only LOTR and Silmarillion (& Hobbit & UT of course) but also HOMES. Here one sees early discarded versions of many favorite scenes, story lines deleted completely, events moved back and forth, 180 degree turns in character and theme direction, and whole new characters suddenly just abandoned. Since I realize that JRRT’s mind encompassed so many variations, when I go back to read LOTR I oftentimes see the same old scenes in a new light, thinking, “oh, he is saying something different than I thought all these years!” It also makes me realize that my interpretation is not universal, and that others have valid insights to what certain scenes implied. I may disagree, but its interesting seeing their viewpoints, and integrating it into my “Ardaview”. It also shows me that the development of Middle-earth history was an ongoing process, even up until JRRT’s death. Therefore little in his writings should be considered absolutely immutable. I’m also a pretty easy-going guy! ---
**Author:** ![vandal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/858c86/32.png) [@vandal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vandal)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2003, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-king-talkback-spoilers/219504/203 "2003-12-27T21:53:16Z")
For those of you who can’t get enough the Rohirrim Charge (like myself), here it is in MP3 format (1.7MB file, a little over 2 minutes). [link deleted. You wanna see the movie, go pay for a ticket. Or wait for the video. – Ukulele Ike, CS mod]. Still gives me goosebumps. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2003, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-king-talkback-spoilers/219504/204 "2003-12-28T17:28:08Z")
I’ve never in my life seen any other movie that made my jaw drop with awe time after time after time. I’ve read LoTR two or three times and have the BBC radio play version nearly memorized. And I like to think I do a fairly good job of visualizing the action myself. But what I saw on the screen so completely outstrips my own version that I can’t help but revel in the genius of the director. As any devoted Tolkienite, I do have minor quips and quibbles with a few moments that I didn’t agree with. But the sum total of the experience was far greater than the sum of its parts, and for me, the greatest achievement in the entire motion picture medium. To make a long post short, gush gush gush gush _ad infinitum_. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-king-talkback-spoilers/219504/205 "2003-12-29T01:09:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Munch \* > \*\*Dins, that’s exactly what Bombadil would have done with it. I would bet the Eagles would have been corrupted (Don Henley most of all). \*\* Haha! That made me laugh right out loud. Thanks. Also, while I’m feeling mirthful (not mithril, mirthful you dopes!) and happy, let me just maintain the serious tone of this discussion by asking if I’m the only one who thought that the actress who plays Rosie Cotton was pretty damned attractive? But, maybe that’s just me. 🙂 At any rate, carry on. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-king-talkback-spoilers/219504/206 "2003-12-29T02:38:34Z")
Haven’t gotten around to posting my comments, and, dang it, I feel the need to express myself: -Overall (as a virtual life-long, can’t remember how many times I read and loved the book person) I really really enjoyed this movie. -Yes, there are nitpicks I have. Mostly concerning poor handling of Denethor character; Frodo waking up and seeing his friends handled badly; Bilbo’s makeup was terrible; The boat scene at the end wasn’t set up well enough for non-book readers…um there are others. But they don’t outweigh the overall goodness. -Best things: Elijah Wood did it. He didn’t blow the big scene at the crack of doom. Sean Astin became Sam for me, which 3 or 4 years ago I never would have thought possible. The music was again lovely. Peter Jackson managed to put in some moving moments along with the incredible epic moments. My daughter (12 years old) almost cried when Merry & Pippin separate. I got teariest looking at David Wenham’s portrayal of Faramir in the scene with Denethor. Oh - and wasn’t Billy Boyd just esp. excellent throughout this whole film? And they ended with the last line from the book, just as they ought. Thank you, thank you to everyone involved. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2003, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-king-talkback-spoilers/219504/207 "2003-12-29T03:08:59Z")
Dang - Knew I’d forget something: -Enjoyed the movie more the 2nd time and even more the 3rd time. -Comparing in my memory how Frodo looked at beginning of FOTR and at end of ROTK - very different. very effective. you really do have to think of it as one long movie, in some respects. -Seeing Frodo crawling up the mountain was indeed what I had been waiting years to see. -I appreciated every Tolkien line they managed to get in intact. -The “Arwen dying because of the ring” bit didn’t bother me, because my daughter leaned over and said “she’s dying of grief, right?”. I had explained to her that elves can only die in battle or from grief and we agreed Arwen was dying for sadness for how the war was going. Worked for us. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/return-of-the-king-talkback-spoilers/219504.md?page=10)