Shell-shocked

Rating: 10/10 (15 January 2004)

Forgive my unpolished thoughts here, but I wanted to counter some of the negative comments about the movie. I have to say that I saw this movie a week ago and I still am in a variable state of awe and sadness. The movie, by far, exceeded my expectations. This comes from someone who hasn't read the books (although I will now), and I watched the previous 2 at least 4 times each to finally feel like I totally understood where the characters were coming from. (And, I thought that the first half of Fellowship was a little slow but I loved Two Towers).
The only negative things that I concur with are the dizzying effects and the volume of the war sequences. I have heard multiple people getting sick if they were at the front of the theater because of the effects. But, I thought it was appropriate in the same way that the intro scene from "Saving Private Ryan" made me sick (and both of these were better use of camera effects than the cutting I found in "Seven" which made me more nauseated). Battle scenes like this are meant to be disorienting. I felt more "into" the movie as a result of it.
Also, the length is annoying if you are in uncomfortable seats, but I thought that an intermission would have drawn you out of the movie. Although my neck hurt after the movie was over, I was so enthralled that I couldn't care much about what was going on in the real world.

Some feel that the spider sequence was too hyped. I guess I didn't follow the news groups as thoroughly because I didn't think that the whole movie would peak at that scene. But, I thought that the upwards looking shot with the spider over Frodo was one of the best shots in recent film (IMHO).

As for the ending, I thought that the resolution was appropriate given the trilogy. I would have felt short-changed if we did not find out what became of the characters given that we have become such a part of their quest. (And, since I didn't read the books yet, I didn't know). I would have liked a little more about the humans and elves, but I still loved the ending.

Many of my friends are much more avid fans than I - some read the books EVERY year. Most saw it at midnight on opening night. Most have already seen it multiple times. I consider myself a moderate fan at most, and I am still am both teary-eyed and orgasmic a week later. I thought it was a roller-coster of emotions at the end, and I am impressed by the intricacies of the plot and how integral each character is at the end. Does it deserve the academy awards? Absolutely - Peter Jackson and Best Picture for sure. I think Sean A. also did a spectacular job. And, it probably deserves Best Score and best screenplay too.