Saturday 13 June 2015

Film Review: The Fellowship of the Ring, Part 3

We're almost halfway through this viewing of The Fellowship of the Ring now. All the set up stuff is kind of out of the way now so we can get to all the rest of the action, after a little more talking first of course.


Last week things started going rather badly for almost everyone we'd met so far; Gandalf went to hang out with his old friend Saruman, only to be taken prisoner at the top of a big tower; the hobbits headed out for a strolls and ran into some creepy guys on horses who wanted to kill them, and even though they've been saved by the mysterious Strider, things are about to get a lot worse for them!

105. Since they've not encountered the Barrow-wights, this is where the Hobbits get their weapons.

106. "What are you doing?!" "Tomatoes, sausages, nice crispy bacon." Hehe.

107. They all gather around Frodo to protect him and do absolutely no good whatsoever. At least Sam has a go, Merry and Pippin are just pushed aside.

108. And I think that's the second time Frodo has fallen over in this film.

109. When will he learn that putting on the Ring is not the solution to these situations?


110. At least Strider's shown up. Although if I was a suspicious person I would wonder where he had been for all this time. He just left the Hobbits to fend for themselves.

111. He's got good aim with a burning torch anyway.

112. In the darkness I can just about make out Isengard. They've been doing some new developments there since the last time we saw it.

113. Luckily Gandalf's got company, in the form of a moth.

114. I love the way we just drop down beneath Isengard here, so very cool. It's like being on a rollercoaster.

115. This is some sort of Uruk-Hai birthing chamber. I've never really thought about how disturbing that is before. Lurtz is the ugliest newborn I've ever seen.


116. Ooh, stone trolls. :-) I love these little links to the books which we've now gotten to actually see in the Hobbit films.

117. "What's this? A Ranger caught off his guard?" I know that this bit should be Glorfindel, but Liv makes a fantastic Arwen. I really don't mind her having a bigger role in this film than in the book.

118. Sam sounds really American when he shouts at Strider there. "Whaddaryoudoin'?!"

119. Turns out that all the Wraiths were just waiting for you, Arwen.

120. This whole bit is a wonderful example of music and editing making a scene that would otherwise be a bunch of people riding horses feel really dramatic.

121. Arwen's face after telling them to come and get her kind of smacks of 'oh crap, I didn't realise they would actually come over here'.


122. I love that they included the white horses in the water. It's little bits like that which make me smile.

123. Don't worry Arwen, Frodo's not dying, he's going to be in the next two films.

124. And Gandalf saying lines exactly as they are in the book makes me smile as well.

125. Time to fill us all in on what's been going on, just in case you weren't paying attention. And so we know just how Gandalf got off that tower.

126. The Eagles are coming!

127. That's got to be one of the best movie escapes ever. How many other good guys escape on the back of a giant eagle.


128. Oh look, more pretty New Zealand landscapes.

129. Rivendell is so pretty. I could quite happily move in there.

130. And they get to be reunited with Bilbo. Bilbo's book is beautiful and it's so cool to hear the places he mentions now that we've seen The Hobbit films.

131. Sam's one of those people who's like 'I've been there now, let's go home'. Then again, considering that their journey to Rivendell wasn't exactly a walk in the park, I don't blame him for wanting to go back.

132. The idea of Frodo's wound never fully healing is kind of gross, like he's always going to have a weeping, open sore there.

133. Unfortunately, and unbeknownst to Frodo, the Ring isn't going to be allowed to stay. And Elrond's not got much faith in Men being able to take over the care of the world from the Elves.


134. Oh look it's Boromir. And Legolas. And Gimli (and Gloin).

135. Perhaps Elrond should've just pushed Isildur into the fire. That would've solved the problems they're having now.

136. And just in case you're wondering who they're talking about when they mention 'the one' who could help them, we cut to Strider. I wonder what he's reading.

137. It's funny that Boromir is a 'man of the South' when he's got such a Northern accent. ;-)

138. Boromir's obviously never been to a museum. You don't play with other people's broken swords.

139. At least Arwen's there to give Strider a little pep talk. And then they take it outside where the moonlight is more romantic.


140. This also helps clarify that Elves are immortal, just in case you didn't know that. But Arwen's giving it all up for love. Aww.

141. But now it's time for Elrond (and his eyebrows) to chair a committee meeting into what's going to happen with the Ring.

142. Frodo seems so relieved to put the Ring down on that table. If I was him I would take off out of there before anyone could give it back.

143. Gandalf gets all big and dark again to scare Boromir away from the Ring. Elrond is not impressed.

144. And it's still not enough, Boromir still wants to use the Ring.

145. Legolas doesn't like people dissing his Aragorn, the Ranger formerly known as Strider. He's like 'Yo Boromir, that's your King you're bad-mouthing!'


146. On the commentary when Elrond says 'one of you must do this' Orland Bloom says 'well why don't you do it then mate', which I can't help but think every time I watch this bit.

147. Hehe and here's the line that's launched a thousand memes.

148. And just like all committee meetings, the discussion soon descends into an argument.

149. Gimli's clearly still bitter at Legolas mistaking a picture of him as a child for a goblin when Gloin met the Elf.

150. Oh dear. Frodo's taken all the arguing to mean that he should take the Ring. At least that stops the argument and everyone starts volunteering to help him out. Could they not have done this without all the shouting?

151. I have no idea why anyone agrees to let Boromir go with them though. He's really sinister.

152. Elrond looks really horrified when all the Hobbits start popping up. You just know he's thinking 'oh no, not another Hobbit infestation, we only just got rid of the last one'.


153. He's probably just glad that he doesn't have to take the Ring to Mordor himself.

And so we'll leave the newly formed Fellowship there.

Next time we'll have more beautiful scenery, more action and more dramatic bits as the Fellowship of the title finally gets underway.

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