LotR: The Two Towers

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » December 10, 2002, 10:08 am

Well, opening day is Wednesday, December 18th. Am I the only one giddy as a schoolgirl over this movie? Seriously, I have not been this excited about a movie's release in years. It's pretty cool to experiance that childhood excitement again

My prediction is that this will indeed be beter than the original, as promised by Peter Jackson and his staff. Only time will tell. It sure is fun to be part of movie history!

Cotto · Post by **Cotto** » December 10, 2002, 10:12 am

Giddy as a schoolgirl? I think not my son, I've gone beyond that, I can hardly keep my hands from shaking at the prospect at this. So far, the small few who have seen it agreed it was better than the first.

Personally I cant fucking wait, Helms Deep battle, Treebeard, Gollumn! Jesus why isnt it out now! Now!

Deward · Post by **Deward** » December 10, 2002, 10:18 am

Well I have heard you can get copies of it in Taiwan for a $1. That means it is probably on Morpheus by now as well.

I am hoping they decide to do a midnight showing. They have been waffling around here since I am in such a small town. Either way I will be waiting in line to see it first chance I get.

Deward

Burke · Post by **Burke** » December 10, 2002, 10:21 am

I've had tickets for the noon showing for more than a week now. I believe I will be *cough* *cough* sick on the 18th and won't make it into work.
heh

Cotto · Post by **Cotto** » December 10, 2002, 10:35 am

Taking a 1/2day at work, going to see how many times I can watch the film from 12 onwards

Neost · Post by **Neost** » December 10, 2002, 10:50 am

I've checked several times for tickets online for around here and keep getting "no showing in your area"...WTF?!?!?!

Bubba Grizz · Post by **Bubba Grizz** » December 10, 2002, 11:16 am

We went and finally saw Harry Potter 2 last night. The theatre was empty except for one other couple. Really liked the movie.

I'll be seeing Star Trek this weekend and then prepare myself for a marathon of viewings of the Two Towers. I suspect I will see it at least 4 times before New Years. They had previews before the Harry Potter and I almost dumped the popcorn due to my chubby.

Neost · Post by **Neost** » December 10, 2002, 11:54 am

Ok, that's better.

I now have tickets for a midnight showing Tuesday night. I was about to get upset that I couldn't get tickets but I never checked moviefone.com

Voronwë · Post by **Voronwë** » December 10, 2002, 11:58 am

Neost wrote:I've checked several times for tickets online for around here and keep getting "no showing in your area"...WTF?!?!?!

thats because you live in a 3rd world country neost!

Neost · Post by **Neost** » December 10, 2002, 12:03 pm

I, sir, have acquired 3 tickets to a showing at midnight, theater to open at 11:59pm on Tuesday night. 3rd world country....phhhhtt! Away with you, heathen!

Fallanthas · Post by **Fallanthas** » December 10, 2002, 12:03 pm

Dammit.

Fugging band director scheduled my kids' Cristmas concert on....you guess it! The 18th.

Not only is that opening night, it's also the girls birthday.

Fek. No TT for me until Thursday....

Voronwë · Post by **Voronwë** » December 10, 2002, 12:08 pm

what are you talking about Fall?

"OK girls, daddy has a surprise for your birthday...we're going to the movies!!!"

Post by **Sylvus** » December 10, 2002, 12:19 pm

I got a chance to attend a media premiere of The Two Towers last week, and it was everything I had hoped it would be. Which is saying a lot. I'll avoid spoiling anything important for anyone (though who doesn't already know everything that is going to happen), but let me just say that I thought they did a fantastic job with Gollum. He was amazing really, like the exact picture I had in my head.

Overall it seemed like it was more action-packed than the Fellowship was, though I suppose that's true of the books too. I'll be seeing it again (and again and again...) not long after it's released to the public, though I'll wait a couple days till the crowd thins out a bit. I'm so happy that Peter Jackson stayed as true to the books as he did, LotR is shaping up to be my #1 movie, though I'll wait until the whole thing is finished to make that judgement.

Oh, and make sure you're in your seat and looking at the screen when the lights go down in the theater. Some cool shit goes down in the first 5 minutes.

Lalanae · Post by **Lalanae** » December 10, 2002, 12:22 pm

Sylvus, would you say you liked is "as much" or "more" than the first movie?

There isn't a day that goes by that Bakara or I don't mention it, it seems

I hate opening nights of movies like this (standing in line is the suck) but I doubt we'll be able to sit at home that night KNOWING that other gimps are watching it!

Xyphir · Post by **Xyphir** » December 10, 2002, 12:29 pm

My wife is close to finishing the entire book. This is the only book I've recommended to her that she's actually read. She picked it up shortly after we saw the first movie. After constantly proclaiming that it wasn't her bag (baby), she's changed her attitude. It only took her a year to read! I breezed through it in about three weeks last month in anticipation. Chances are we'll see it this weekend, but I still haven't seen Harry Potter. I just read the second book too.

I'm anticipating the Ents and the battle at Helm's Deep. Just not looking forward to yet another Soap Opera style ending.

Post by **Sylvus** » December 10, 2002, 12:29 pm

I would say that I definitely liked it more than the first. Though the friend I saw it with had a good point, he said that they are really just parts of the same movie and he wouldn't judge them against each other. It's not really even different than the first movie, short of what happens when. The characters look exactly like they did in the first movie, and the scenery is consistent. If I'm not mistaken they filmed them all at the same time, and that was a great idea on their part. I think I just liked this one better because of what takes place, from the focus on Gollum to the battle of Helm's Deep to seeing Oliphants and Ents, it's good stuff.

Adex_Xeda · Post by **Adex_Xeda** » December 10, 2002, 12:32 pm

Ah the 18th, I am graced by a resonant circuits final that day.

Obviously the prof is not a lotr fan.

Lalanae · Post by **Lalanae** » December 10, 2002, 12:36 pm

Adex_Xeda wrote:Ah the 18th, I am graced by a resonant circuits final that day.

Obviously the prof is not a lotr fan.

Maybe he is. If he's anything like the profs I had in school, he'll let his assistant take over the class. He'll be happily munching on popcorn while you're sweating all over your #2 pencil.

Fallanthas · Post by **Fallanthas** » December 10, 2002, 12:41 pm

Vor,

What I am talking about is the dumbfuck band director scheduled a concert the night of the 18th at 6 PM.

So instead of daddy takin the girls out for their birthday to see the new flick, I will be listening to 40 12 year-olds pondering the mysteries of the bass and treble clefs.

Advil anyone?

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » December 10, 2002, 1:23 pm

Fallanthas wrote:Vor,

What I am talking about is the dumbfuck band director scheduled a concert the night of the 18th at 6 PM.

So instead of daddy takin the girls out for their birthday to see the new flick, I will be listening to 40 12 year-olds pondering the mysteries of the bass and treble clefs.

Advil anyone?

The movie is going to be in theaters for MONTHS. This, I'm quite positive, is going to be a once in a lifetime event =)

It's not as if you didn't know the story already anyhow..

Ooga[foh] · Post by **Ooga[foh]** » December 10, 2002, 1:31 pm

Xyphir wrote:...After constantly proclaiming that it wasn't her bag (baby), she's changed her attitude...

Sounds a lot like my dad. My dad was constantly bashing me over and over about playing EverQuest and how the dungeons and dragons shit was stupid and a waste of time, etc, etc, etc. The DVD came out right about the same time as his birthday so I bought it for him and he made some snide comments about it when he opened it. He wasn't rude or anything, but only because it was his birthday of course. Well it was like 4 months since I had seen him and last time I went over to his place he had already read all of the books, bought the extended version and even apologized about all the shit he ever had to say about the genre.

Although he is still firm that he thinks EQ is a waste of time. I think I'm going to buy him the trilogy for his next bday.

noel · Post by **noel** » December 10, 2002, 2:16 pm

I have tickets to the midnight showing.

I too am giddy as a schoolgirl. Just can't wait for this.

Pubin · Post by **Pubin** » December 10, 2002, 2:37 pm

Is this the sequal to yawn of the rings #1?...i heard there was a nerd circle jerk tonight in town and i wasn't sure why.

Krimson Klaw · Post by **Krimson Klaw** » December 10, 2002, 2:49 pm

My manager bought tickets for our entire team for opening day (30 people). Free TT tickets, I am in heaven.

Post by **Sylvus** » December 10, 2002, 2:54 pm

Heh, an EQ player calling LotR enthusiasts nerds. That's like a Mormon calling a Catholic a Jesus freak.

And the pot spoketh unto the kettle...

Nick · Post by **Nick** » December 10, 2002, 2:56 pm

Can't wait

Aaeamdar · Post by **Aaeamdar** » December 10, 2002, 2:58 pm

Got my Midnight Tickets.

Can't wait.

I agree you canot really compare them. They are all one movie.

Looking forward to that day in 2004 when I have all three extended versions on DVD and can watch them in sequence for 13 hours.

Bait Masterson · Post by **Bait Masterson** » December 10, 2002, 3:20 pm

if it follows the books, this one will have a big cliffhanger in Shelobs lair, for people who havent read the books, im sure the suspense will kill them.

/buys tickets and packs along his sneak a toke.

Kelshara · Post by **Kelshara** » December 10, 2002, 7:13 pm

Must.. see.. it.. now.. suspense.. killing.. me..

Think I've read the books 6 times through the years.

Hoarmurath · Post by **Hoarmurath** » December 10, 2002, 7:35 pm

Bait Masterson wrote:if it follows the books, this one will have a big cliffhanger in Shelobs lair

I've heard that for "dramatic effect", the encounter with Shelob will be in The Return of the King and not in The Two Towers. I know that kinda sucks, but I don't mind so much. I suspect that the movie will end with Frodo, Sam, and Gollum just about to enter a cave or something...but hey I could be wrong.

Legenae · Post by **Legenae** » December 10, 2002, 7:40 pm

Hoarmurath wrote:
Bait Masterson wrote:if it follows the books, this one will have a big cliffhanger in Shelobs lair
I've heard that for "dramatic effect", the encounter with Shelob will be in The Return of the King and not in The Two Towers. I know that kinda sucks, but I don't mind so much. I suspect that the movie will end with Frodo, Sam, and Gollum just about to enter a cave or something...but hey I could be wrong.

Hmmm... I would think the bigger dramatic effect/cliffhanger would be to have it end the same way it ends in the book. /shrug

Voronwë · Post by **Voronwë** » December 10, 2002, 7:45 pm

me 2.

they didnt have any problem with gandalf's being left for dead at the end of FotR.

the movie will be out next year. a cliffhanger ending would be good in my opinion.

noel · Post by **noel** » December 10, 2002, 7:56 pm

Voronwë wrote:me 2.

they didnt have any problem with gandalf's being left for dead at the end of FotR.

the movie will be out next year. a cliffhanger ending would be good in my opinion.

If someone is more familiar with the LotR than I am, please feel free to correct me, but Gandalf was not left for dead. He actually dies in the fight with the Balrog.

Voronwë · Post by **Voronwë** » December 10, 2002, 8:07 pm

yes he's dead.

carry on nothing to see here.

noel · Post by **noel** » December 10, 2002, 8:16 pm

Voronwë wrote:yes he's dead.

carry on nothing to see here.

Dude, I'm not sure if you're correcting your original post, or trying to say he doesn't actually die.

I have read the book at least 15 times.

I realize he comes back, but he actually does die in the fall with the Balrog. He comes back as Gandalf the white.

KilornCloudwalker · Post by **KilornCloudwalker** » December 10, 2002, 8:37 pm

Oh, he really died then? I assumed he just got away or something which is why he was back for the second one

Revs · Post by **Revs** » December 10, 2002, 10:07 pm

I would mow down any fucking slow pedestrian (in NYC or Jersey) on the 18th, anything to finish my deliveries early and see TT with my friends

noel · Post by **noel** » December 10, 2002, 10:09 pm

I want to clarify what I said because I did some research.

Found the following from this site.

There has been debate concerning the death of Gandalf. While we all agree that Gandalf, being a Maia spirit, was not subject to the same “permanent” death as the Children of Iluvatar (passing beyond the circles of the world to be with Him, or remaining in Aman until the Ending of the World) we do not all agree as to whether he experienced a physical death. Some believe that Gandalf did indeed die a physical death as a result of his battle with the Balrog of Moria. Others, however, believe that Gandalf did not die, but merely passed into a coma. The evidence given in LotR, however, better supports the former point of view than the latter.
The first evidence of Gandalf’s death is in his description of his battle.

“The darkness took me, and I strayed out of thought and time, and I wandered far on roads that I will not tell.”
“Naked I was sent back-for a brief time, until my task was done. And naked I lay upon the mountain-top.”
“I tarried there in the ageless time of that land where days bring healing not decay. Healing I found, and I was clothed in white.”
(Book 3, The Two Towers, "The White Rider")

These passages can be interpreted to support both views. According to the “coma” theory, Gandalf meant by the first quote that he passed into a coma. The other two then tell how in the battle, Gandalf’s clothing was burned by the Balrog, and how after he awoke on the peak and was taken to Lothlorien his body was healed and he was given new clothing. The “death” theory says Gandalf did indeed die after he threw down the Balrog. His Maia spirit left his body and went to Aman, where he probably stood before the Valar to receive counsel and orders. He was then sent back in spirit form (the purpose for the first use of “naked”) to re-inhabit his body that lay atop Zirakzigil without clothing (the purpose of the second use). Gwaihir found him and bore him to Lothlorien, where his body was healed and he was clothed anew. The dual interpretation ends here.
The second piece of evidence is what Gandalf says to other people. He tells Wormtongue at Theoden’s halls, “I have not passed through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a serving-man till the lightning falls.” ("The King of the Golden Hall") He then later tells Saruman at Orthanc, “Behold, I am not Gandalf the Grey, whom you betrayed. I am Gandalf the White, who has returned from death.” ("The Voice of Saruman") In both of these Gandalf specifically tells those listening that he has been through death.
The final evidence in favor of Gandalf’s death comes from "Appendix B: The Tale of Years" at the end of The Return of the King. I cite these excerpts:

January 25: He (Gandalf) casts down the Balrog, and passes away. His body lies on the peak.
February 14: The Mirror of Galadriel. Gandalf returns to life, and lies in a trance.
November 3: Battle of Bywater, and Passing of Saruman. End of the War of the Ring.

In the second excerpt, it says Gandalf “returns to life,” which means that he had to have died. After returning, he “lies in a trance,” in which he sees and hears the goings-on of Middle-Earth. Also, the first and third excerpts both speak of “passing away.” The first concerns Gandalf, and the third concerns Saruman. At the end of Return of the King, Saruman dies.
Here has been shown that Gandalf did indeed die after his battle with the Balrog of Moria. He left his physical body, which constitutes death for those in Arda who cannot freely toss away this body (i.e. the Children of Iluvatar could not, and neither could the Istari, being bound by the Valar to those bodies). He specifically says twice and to two different people (one of them Saruman, who is also an Istar, and thus would not need things put in “words he can comprehend”) that he passed through death. Finally, the Tale of Years not only says that Gandalf returns to life, implying a return from somewhere, but also uses the same description for Gandalf’s death as it does for Saruman’s death at the hands of Wormtongue. It is clear by all these clues that Gandalf did die, and that Tolkien intended for his condition after his battle with the Balrog to be considered death.

References:
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Two Towers
The Return of the King

For further information on the Istari, their fate and their nature, see
Unfinished Tales, "The Istari"
The Silmarillion, "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age"
The Valar Guild's Tolkien Encyclopedia, section Maiar, topic Istari
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page maintained by Varda

You'll note that when Gandalf comes back, he is one serious motherfucker who is not there to light fireworks or play games. Nearly all of his joviality is gone. There has been speculation that it was actually the leader of the Valar that took Gandalf's new form.

There is additionally speculation that the reason he was reincarnated so quickly was because not the Valar, but instead Illuvatar (Tolkein's version of God) had him reincarnated.

The thing about the Lord of the Rings that I have learned, is that the three LotR books are kind of like the top level. There's a whole (incomplete due to Tolkein's death) mythology that exists at a lower level that's in the Silmarillion and some of the other books.

OMG, THEY KILLED GANDALF! YOU BASTARDS!!

Kaldaur · Post by **Kaldaur** » December 10, 2002, 10:42 pm

It's stated in the Unfinished Tales, taken from his notes and bound together by his son Christopher that Olorin (Gandalf) was chosen by one of the Valar to combat evils left behind after Morgoth's capture. Saruman was also one, and so were three others, two of which never enter the trilogy. One can gather that Gandalf does die, as Aranuil stated, int he fight with the Balrog. But the fact that he is a Maia means he doesn't die and go to the Halls of Mandos. He just sorta ressurects himself (oversimplified) and comes back in white, after labeling Saruman of Many Colors. White is the Head of the Council, and so he assumes the position Saruman once held before his fall to evil. As a sidenote, Galadriel tried to have Gandalf appointed the head of the Council back when it formed, but Gandalf at the time didn't want the position.

And yes, I have two midnight showing tickets and two tickets for the following day. One with my girlfriend and one with my little brothers. To say that I'm looking forward to it would be an understatement. With Star Trek and TT, I'm in movie heaven.