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Resolved: The Balrog Has Wings, But Can It Fly?

admin — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

A Balrog of Morgoth. Those words of Gandalf’s terrorized even Legolas, an eternal being who did not fear much. In the movie, the vision of the smoking, flaming Balrog with bat-like wings emerging from the shadows of Moria revealed a true match for our favorite wizard.

With those huge wings, however, comes question: does the Balrog fly?

Interestingly there is no mention in any of Tolkien’s books of a Balrog flying. During their fight, the beast fell when Gandalf struck the bridge.Additional information can be found at http://epicbrew.net/2011/09/18/geek-speak-weekly-balrogs/. They then climbed the stairs to the top of the mountain. From there Gandalf threw him down from the peak and broke the mountainside when he hit.

If the Balrog could fly, would he have fallen from the bridge or been thrown from the mountainside? The key is found in a description from the book:

“His enemy halted again, facing him, and the shadow about it reached out like two vast wings.”

In the book, the wings are a representation of the depths of his evil and menace. From this description the movie designers chose to show the creature with physical wings. However, the Balrog never uses them to fly, but rather to intimidate Gandalf at their confrontation.

Was Excluding the Scouring of the Shire In the Film A Mistake?

admin — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Peter Jackson’s exclusion of the Scouring of the Shire from The Return of the King, the last film in the Lord of the Ring’s Trilogy, was a mistake, but not a fatal one.

In J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterpiece, the hobbits return to the Shire from the War of the Ring. The One Ring has been destroye and they expect to resume their untroubled lives. But they find out quickly that the Shire is now under occupation by a bunch of cruel Big People called Ruffians, who answer to a boss named Sharkey. Not only are the Ruffians running things, but they have corrupted other hobbits like Frodo’s slimy cousin Lotho and Ted Sandyman. To Sam’s horror, they’ve also cut down lots of the Shire’s beautiful trees, including the venerable Party Tree. The mill has become a monstrosity that belches smoke into the air and filth into the water. All of this expresses Tolkien’s horror at the industrialization of his beloved English countryside.

In the book, the hobbits muster up a hobbit army and drive the ruffians out and set about trying to restore the Shire. In the movie, they merely return to the Shire and listen to other hobbits talk about pumpkins. Jackson’s decision to not include the Scouring probably had something to do with the expense of filming it, the fatigue of the audience after watching the Battle of Pelennor Fields, and, as the writer China Mieville put it, the inappropriateness of staging another battle after “the Big Boss Battle.” But again, though many fans have complained, the exclusion of the Scouring isn’t fatal. The trilogy is already lauded as a classic for the ages.

A Consideration of Saruman’s Death In the Book and the Film

admin — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The death of Saruman at the hands of Grima Wormtongue presents a unique end to one of the primary antagonists in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Whereas many characters perish throughout the trilogy, Saruman’s ending is unique in that it suggests a total annihilation, a dissipation that men, elves, dwarfs, hobbits and the evil races alike never suffer.

Though it goes unstated, the Wizards Saruman, Gandalf, Radagast and others are likely Maia, sent from Valinor to oppose the disciple of Morgoth and to assist the people’s of Middle Earth in their struggles against evil. It can be supposed that the Wizards enjoy eternal life much like all the inhabitants of Valinor, and are free to return to the blessed continent upon the completion of their duties. Sauron was also likely a Maiar, and upon his ending, he is relegated to an eternally hateful shadow life, diffused but aware, and unable to ever must the strength to take shape again.

Saruman, though, after being stabbed by Grima Wormtongue, has what may be supposed as his soul or spirit leave his body, and linger malevolently for a moment before a wind from the west wipes away all trace of him. While Tolkien never exactly states what this fate means for Saruman, it may be something like total annihilation, unlike the eternal torment meted out to Sauron.

Our Favorite LOTR Characters

admin — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

If you’re really into the trilogy you may want to find a theater airing all three director’s cuts (set your ADT system firstyou’ll be gone a long time!) or you could just watch them at home. If you’re really into the films you’re probably wondering who our favorite characters are – let us tell you
Sauron: Yeah, we know he’s evil but he sure is interesting. There’s something compelling about one of the more human characters in the movies and his costumes are pretty great, too.
Legolas: Where does he get that endless supply of arrows? Legolas is the only character that doesn’t look like he hasn’t showered in weeks and he’s so soft spoken andElvish. We love watching him on screen and how he doesn’t have to talk to convey emotion.
Aragorn: He’s meant to be the “star” of the films but we like him because he’s the hero all men try to be. He loves his woman unconditionally and believes in honor before all elsewhat better war man have you seen on film in recent years?

The Bromance of Sam and Frodo: Films vs. Books

admin — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The Bromance thing came from some slightly warped minds piecing film clips together in such a way that exaggerates the relationship between the two hobbits, sometimes in ways that are borderline perverted. Then, uploading these clips for the world to see. I admit it makes for a good laugh. Still, I worry that people who have never read the books or through the 10 plus hours of video will form a misguided opinion about the nature of this classical tale. I guarantee that in 1937, J.R.R. Tolkien never heard of a bromance. Tolkien did understand values like loyalty, integrity and duty. These he expressed in many ways throughout the trilogy, including the relationship between Sam and Frodo. In the books, many other powerful characters are explored in depth. Most memorable to me is the friendship that develops between Legolas and Gimli (elf and dwarf). The movies spend more time following the hobbits and less of these other characters. I’ll admit that I sat in the theatre with tears streaming down my cheeks when Sam and Frodo were saying their goodbyes. When my less nerdy friends questioned me, I replied “Everyone should have a friend like that.” Bromance? I get it. But it wasn’t the author’s intent. That was just people getting creative with editing software.The information party rocks on: Frodo?? HELL NO!

Should Andy Serkis Have Been Nominated for An Academy Award?

admin — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

He should have at least been nominated. His role was very complex. Just because his actual face wasn’t shown onscreen for any but the last movie, and that was just for a few minutes, his physical movements and facial expressions were used to enhance the character Gollum.
For every scene that Gollum was in Andy Serkis had to act it out. He had to do all the physical contortions and gyrations so the computer could capture every nuance of his performance. Not only was he filmed against a “green screen” but he also had to be filmed at the actual location so that his could be filmed in a special suit that the computer could keep track of so that not only the close ups but also the distance scenes were very realistic.This/tag helps explain it more. While he was acting on “green screen” he was playing to nothing other than his imagination. He has to pretend there were others there for him to interact with. Essentially he did twice the work of the other actors.
So yes, Andy Serkis should have at least been nominated for an Academy Award. His role was no less difficult than Robert DeNiro’s role in Awakenings. Gollum rocked!

The Bromance of Gimli and Legolas

admin — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Legolas and Gimli, contemptuous of each other initially the pair grow to be incredibly close friends throughout the course of the story. So close that it is easy to see similarities between the arc of their relationship in the Lord of the Rings and modern day “bromances”.
From entirely different cultures, their values and attitudes incredibly abrasive to each other, the pair is forced together with the weight of the free world on their backs. The movies frequently rely on this pair, or the hobbits, for comedic relief for exactly this reason. As the story winds on the two both fight back to back, spends weeks and months on the trail together, undergo attack by agents of Sauron ranging from Uruk-hai to Nazgul. They grow close, and details like their competition to see who could kill the most orcs at the battle of Helm’s Deep and subsequent promise to visit the site’s beautiful caves and Fangorn Forest in more peaceful times are two small examples of the relationship that forms between them.
There are those out there who see the Sam and Frodo story as a stronger example, but if you really take a close look, Legolas and Gimli are the two that deserve the bromance title from all the Lord of the Rings characters.

Women in the Books vs. the Films

admin — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

One of the biggest complaints that movie goers often have is that the characters or plots of movies often stray greatly from the books off of which the films are based, most notably with female characters. “Foxfire,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “The Twilight Saga,” and “A Walk to Remember” are all novels where the lead female characters differ greatly from their literature based counterparts.

In the film, “A Walk to Remember,” Mandy Moore portrays Jamie Sullivan, a southern preacher’s daughter with a big secret. In the film, she is often seen with her hair down, wearing pants, and making random displays of whit. In the novel of the same name, however, Jamie Sullivan is painted more or less as a spinster in the making, never wearing make-up, and almost always in dresses with her hair pulled up and is painted as far too kind to make snappy comments at others.

“Foxfire” features Angelina Jolie as the boyish looking “Legs,” a teenage drifter that arrives in Portland. In the controversial novel, Legs is a beautiful blonde with long hair that often uses men to get the things that she needs. The movie hints that the girl may be a lesbian and has no political affiliation, while the novel is exact opposite.

“The Twilight Saga” novels feature Bella Swan as a plain looking red-haired teenager with friends and a job, while the movies have her as a raven-haired waif of a loner. In 2004s “Phantom of the Opera,” Emmy Rossum paints a much younger and fragile sense of Christine Daae’s appearance with her extremely lean physical build and quiet demeanor. In the novel, it is implied that Christine has a few friends and associates and is in her early to mid 20s.