Artwork inspired by Tolkien

It can be grim without being quite as dark as described in the books.  TBH I don't recall how dark it is described as being in the books, although I'll agree that the climb up Mount Doom is oddly lit (I assume it was shot on a clear day).  Honestly though, if you want to criticize lighting choices, I think the Moria sequence is a far more egregious violation, although I still like it a lot. And I think that PJ's Mordor got the point across so I don't feel the need to nitpick on what is (in my opinion of course) a minor issue, if it's an issue at all.

the lighting in Moria is ofcourse not at all as in the book, in the book it's pitch dark... but i don't want to watch 20 minute of a black screen. sorry.

Mordor should be poisonous plumes of gas, ash and slag heaps, oozy bubbling pools- sadly it looks quite nice in the film, I could hiked across there in less than an afternoon.
Moria could be a lot darker without it needing to be pitch black- PJ is afraid of darkness on film- watch some Lynch to see how to do it properly I say.
Neither of course is quite so bad as the embarrasment that is the Dead Marshes- "nice thick mists"- where?
And as for the bunsen burners instead of the tricksy lights- thats just the shitty cap on it.  

get your crabbit on.

Crabbit where crabbit is due.  

I thought film Mordor looked about right, except for the compressed geography Eldo noted. If overdone not even the Orcs could live there; there were sticker bushes, and Sam did find a spring, remember. I totally agree about the bunsen burners in the Dead Marshes. Not eery at all.

Mordor was perfect in the film specially in the EE, just how I imagined it. The Marshes were ok too, although a bit more yellow mist wuld have been better.

Norc wrote:... but i don't want to watch 20 minute of a black screen. sorry.

 

there were sticker bushes, and Sam did find a spring, remember- Halfwise

Yes but not on the final marches-

'All would long ago have been spent, if the had not dared to follow the orc road. For at long intervals on that highway cisterns had been built for the us eof the troops sent in haste through waterless regions.....yet that was more than a day ago. There was no hope of any more.'

and

'..here as the Mountain drew near the air was ever mirky, while out of the Dark Tower there crept veils of Shadow that Sauron wove about himself.'

and '..it was a torment greater than Sam had ever thought that he could bear. He was in pain, and so [parched that he could no longer swallow even a mouthful of food. It remained dark....worst of all the air was full of fumes; breathing was painful and difficult, and a dizziness came over them.'

and

'..the plain of Gorgoroth was dim below them, wrapped in fume and shadow.'

so pretty accurate in the film then  

Only if you turn the brightness right down and smoke a lot so your sitting in a fog.  

And I never got the sense of a painful, will and physical zapping march through a living hell from Elijah looking a bit tired, having dark eye liner on and falling over every other scene.  

Okay I don't always agree with your criticisms but I think they're usually well thought-out.  However, this...

Pettytyrant101 wrote:And I never got the sense of a painful, will and physical zapping march through a living hell from Elijah looking a bit tired, having dark eye liner on and falling over every other scene.  

wat?

You could complain that movie!Frodo starts off too weak and fumbling to begin with, but by the time he gets to Mordor he's pretty clearly on his last legs one way or another.

It did not in the slightest convey Frodo's mental fatigue, or the collapse of his will for me.
Especially not after listening to the excellent Frodo Ian Holm provides in the radio plays- now that Frodo when he is in Mordor especially I believe is going through a personal hell.
Elijah, not in the slightest. In comparison its a shallow, light performance lacking any real sense of horror and gravitas.

you have got to be kidding. we must have watched different films. Frodo was crawling on all fours with exhaustion, thats a bizarre statement. bizarre.

Mmmmm, please dont think Im taking sides, cos Im not ! but, In MY opinion, I felt Elijah Wood was praps not the right choice to play Frodo. He could play the happy, light hearted Hobbit I guess but, for strength of character, endurance, determination, wit & sharpness of mind I dont think he had enough acting experience to do the role justice. He did, I thought, a great job of such a big role for his young age, but it wasnt enough. He needed "more" to him than there was, but thats just my opinion. I couldnt help but feel Elijah portrayed Frodo a bit wimpy or limp wristed ? sorry ! & Im to tired to think who I MIGHT have liked to see play Frodo, and I also wasnt to happy to see Merry & Pippin portrayed so dopey ? I know they had their "moments", especially Pippin but, not ALL the time ? Sorry, just an opinion !  

I suppose its what you compare it to- compared to Holms performance Elijah is, amateurish- and crawling about and falling over is not enough in my view- that and if you add together all the scenes in Mordor (ie post Shelob) theres almost nothing there- some of the scenes- such as when the eye sees them are literally less than a minute long.
The audience just doesnt spend enough time with them in Mordor on this hellish journey to properly convey it.
Pj is too afraid his audience will get bored and so cuts away from them all the time to something more 'exciting' (by his standards)

There stuff there Pj just didnt bother with, (like the scene with the two orcs who are tracing them, the sniffer and the Uruk) and what is left is pretty shallow in my view compared to other dramatizations, performances and the book.

I used to be an Elijah Wood hater myself, but his performance has grown on me since the early 2000s. I quite like it now

{{{{{{I'll lay low for a while, until the Scottish Storm of Crabbit blows over  }}}}}}}}

What you've suddenly taken a penchant for wimpy, underwhelming performances full of acting naivety that mainly relies on having big blue eyes and an ability to look a bit tired and fall over whenever anything important happens - Weathertop falls over when Nazgul attack-baggage at Ford, falls off horse-cant work out what side of a pillar that only has four sides, and he is at one of them, the troll is at then falls over, falls of the High Seat at Parth Galen, falls off a cliff (ok that ones sort of in the book) falls into the Dead Marshes, falls into Shelobs nest, falls out of Shelobs nest and falls his way through Mordor before finally falling off the ledge at  Mt Doom.
Are you ill Ringdrotten?

I dont hate Elijah Wood, I liked The Faculty, thought it was fun ! He has done a lot of "shorts", TV series, & voice overs for computer games & animations, He is young & I dont think he was "strong" enough to play Frodo ?

That and the scripting for Frodo was terrible.
Only thing that surprised me was he didnt fall off the ship at the end.

Petty= I had to laugh ! can we do a count up ? How many falls in the entirety ?
Oh dear ! theres a parody begging to be made in there somewhere !  

nah Elijah was superb. He nailed that role.

I blame PJ and the Coven a lot more than Elijah- he might have made a good Frodo if he had got to play him. But the version in the script isnt the one of the book.
He's not the hobbit that looks himself in the mirror before he leaves thinking he's got a bit fat and soft, he's not the Frodo who hacks off the hand of the barrow wight to save his friends, or who stands up to the Witch King and tries to stab him with sword and elvish prayer, he doesnt get to defy the Nazgul at the Ford ect.
And thats not to mention the other aspects of Frodo neglected- the side to him that gets a bit smug and starts to enjoy the attention at Bree , or the initial cowardly thoughts that occur to him in the Barrow.
Elijah might have been able to play a rounded Frodo well- but thanks to the scripting we will sadly never know.

Pettytyrant101 wrote:That and the scripting for Frodo was terrible.
Only thing that surprised me was he didnt fall off the ship at the end.

 

Telperion and Laurelin... The Trees of Valinor by Roger Garland