more LOTR, incl. Galadriel's ring

[lupinesque]

Brian wrote:
 
> Perhaps LotR made very good decisions in choosing what to cut out 
and such,
> but it seemed to me, a non-reader, very hurried.  I'm not exactly 
sure what
> I mean by that, but it seems a bit esoteric.  Were we supposed to 
know of
> "Striker" and his liason with that elf-girl?  I was left thinking... 
what
> the?

I thought it left out SO much dialogue that I wondered how anyone who 
hadn't read the book understood any of the characters.  Frodo, Sam, 
Gandalf, and Boromir (I am now firmly in the 
Sean-Bean-for-Sirius-Black camp) are the only ones who get real 
character development.  For three hours of movie, I thought we 
could've learned more about the characters and less about the 
landscape, as much as I loved every second of the landscape.  (Note to 
self:  move to New Zealand ASAP.)  Ooh, and the sets were incredible. 
 I almost cried when I saw Lothlorien, it was so beautiful, which 
seems like the appropriate reaction.

> Oh, and I noticed they made Gandalf a bit less competent in the 
movie.  In
> the book (I read very little of the book.., so forgive me if I get 
this
> wrong), he knew about Bilbo's ring, and the fact that it was evil. 
In the
> movie, he doesn't know anything about it, and he's surprised at what 
he
> uncovers.  

>And he doesn't do any flashy magic!

They added that whole sequence in Moria with half the Fellowship 
(finally just Strider and Frodo) being stuck on the upper part of the 
stairs--none of that is in the book--and I wanted to scream, "Gandalf, 
you're a wizard, can't you throw out a magic rope or something?!"

Abbie, I wondered about Aragorn's ring too, but it isn't Galadriel's; 
she is still wearing hers when she waves them goodbye, and it's the 
same one she had in the quick flash of the three Elvenrings in the 
preface.  I'm pretty sure Aragorn isn't going to turn out to be a 
Ringwraith <g> (wasn't it SO COOL when Frodo had the ring on and saw 
their faces?).

Amy