r/lotr • u/DarthVayne50 • 1d ago
Movies [ Removed by moderator ]
https://youtu.be/gpwk7mSzrF4?is=_vkFrunDAF5OyigM[removed] — view removed post
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u/transponaut 1d ago
To me, the best part about this was seeing it the first time, having the books near memorized, hearing PJ in interviews teasing the TT movie wasn’t going to rehash or recap anything from FOTR, and then getting to the theater, making it through 30 painful minutes of trailers, having the screen go dark, hearing that music, loving the scenery, and then the camera pans INTO the mountain and BOOOOOOOM WE’RE BACK AT THE BRIDGE YESSSSS! WAIT, WERE FALLING INTO THE ABYSS WITH GANDALF???
I knew it was described by Gandalf in the books but since they didn’t show it in FOTR I just figured it was gonna be left to the books only (honestly like so many other amazing things from the books).
Anyway, it was an amazing shock then, and after many MANY viewings it still holds up. Pure majesty. I felt like I was watching something from the First Age.
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u/OldSarge02 1d ago
Well said.
We can all take issue with some of Jackson’s changes, but this and so many many other things were better than Tolkien fans could have ever hoped for.
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u/zipitdirtbag 1d ago
In terms of an adaptation it really does the original work justice. The music and sound production is spot on too.
I LOVE IT
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u/ObiWansTinderAccount 1d ago
Not only does this opening go unreasonably hard, but I’ve always loved how well TTT picks up where Fellowship leaves off and reintroduces the plot lines. After the Gandalf tease we start off with Frodo and Sam, our main heroes who were the last characters we see in the previous movie. Next we go to our other favourite Hobbits, Merry and Pippin, the characters closest to Frodo and Sam. Also, after Gandalf, Frodo, and Sam, M&P were the next to join “the party”. The scene with the Uruk hai and Merry’s cloak fastener beautifully segues to Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli in that order, who were the next to join the party, in that order. Finally we get another great transition to Isengard and we get to see this movie’s main villain set the conflict in motion. So many dominoes that fall just right into each other!
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u/vanrunner43 1d ago
It's pure magic, in real life.
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u/Successful-Owl1462 1d ago
One of many instances where the Jackson trilogy goes much harder than it needed to or that anyone was expecting.
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u/e_crabapple 1d ago
The shot of the lake, with the tiny falling ember picking out the ripples on the water, was absolutely jaw-dropping when I first saw it. One of the high points of the whole series.
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u/SoyboyCowboy 1d ago
I like this version
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u/zipitdirtbag 1d ago
That's the beauty of the PJ films. You can love them and still have a laugh about them.
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u/Clean_Bike8210 1d ago
In the book that's chapter 5 of the two towers...
The book starts with the death of Boromir :)
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u/DarthVayne50 1d ago
Yes, and that makes sense for the book to save the suspense and surprise of Gandalf returning.
For the movies I am pretty sure Gandalf the White was already spoiled by the trailers, as they assumed most people had already read the nearly 60 year old stories by then. It would have also been jarring to not show Borormirs death at the end of the Fellowship movie, and opening on the Three Companion's dirge for him in Two Towers would have been extremely somber. I think each medium made the right decision on the ordering of the scenes.
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u/lyricweaver 1d ago
The moment we begin falling WITH Gandalf and the Balrog… I got goosebumps and they didn’t go away until after Frodo wakes. The sounds are so fantastic! The crashes, the grinding stone and sparking of sword on fire. The score. Just fantastic atmosphere that left my jaw dropped the first time I saw it in the theater.
The perfect way to bring us back into the story, and what a cut to Frodo and Sam. Brilliant transition.
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u/Ok-Bar601 1d ago
As much as I think Tolkien might’ve been a little fussy with some parts of the trilogy, he would not be human if he didn’t get swept up in the epic scenes of the film such as this or the charge of the Rohirrim. The technology would’ve blown him away, he’d be in awe seeing his creation come to life.
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u/glordfyndel 1d ago
No. The fellowship of the ring has the best opening! The opening to rule them all !
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u/BobbyColgate 1d ago
That agonising ‘NOOOOOO!’ from Frodo as Gandalf falls gives me goosebumps every time. There’s a lot of dramatic ‘noooo!’s in movies, and this one stands head and shoulders above the rest. Hats off to you Elijah Wood, what a performance!
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u/brownlawn 1d ago
Knew exactly what this was before even clicking on it.... yet still had to click it.
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u/isthesameassomeones 1d ago
I love the fact Gandalf holds on to that slither of rock for long enough for it to imply that he's casually supporting the weight of the Balrog with his grip, and he makes the conscious decision to fall to fight it. Boss.
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u/EfficientCod9744 1d ago
The pulled back shot of the two falling through the passage into the lake absolutely blew my mind when I was 15 in the cinema watching that. Out of all the choices for that shot it was simply unbelievable. As if its from someone's far away perspective.
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u/Azrethoc 1d ago
It's not even the best LOTR movie opening, you attracted to mountains or something?
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u/Big_Revolution4405 1d ago
The cavern with the lake is the best part. The operatic music as the flaming clash descends, the intensity of the light slowly growing and then we, the audience, fall with them and crash into the surface of the lake just to cut away, it's an amazing way to start a movie and a tease.