My LOTR 2 review (school assignment)

[Flasken]

Hi!

I've written a review of LOTR 2 as a school assignment (english class). I'm posting it here because I want to know if you think it's a good review. I think we've discussed the movie enough, I just want ideas to make it a better review. To improve the wording and so.

Shivohum, your review has been one of my main sources of inspiration, except I'm not quite as harsh as you were.

[size=medium]Director Peter Jackson makes gruesome evil look adorable[/size]

Moviegoers were in for a real treat this Christmas when the curtain fell and the second instalment of the LOTR (Lord of the Rings) movies was revealed in all its glory. For a whole year, scores of anxious Tolkien fans have waited in anticipation for the second part of the screen version of the novels that, if not created, truly established the fantasy genre.
Glorious moments of natural beauty and harmony mixed with epic battles of overwhelming size are some of the main points that keep moviegoers’ eyes peeled throughout the duration of the seemingly long three-hour-length of the movie. Fans of the fantasy genre as well as the uninitiated will appreciate a picture with plenty of breathtaking action, a rather fast tempo that keeps climbing all the way through and a few magical moments that truly convey the spirit of J. R. R. Tolkien.

Where the first part of the trilogy was merely an introduction to Tolkien’s immense universe, unmatched action sequences and a more involving storyline highlight this movie. The feeling of grandness involves the viewer as the camera flies over beautiful sceneries while the horns of Gondor blow the unmistakeably awesome LOTR theme. And the effects in this movie are just amazing to say the least. Perhaps even too amazing, detailed and revealing, as director Peter Jackson repeatedly fails to recognize the value of the unseen.

The second chapter begins with the battle of Gandalf against the Balrog. Meanwhile, Frodo the Ringbearer and Sam meet Gollum, a previous bearer of the ring searching for his “precious”. Merry and Pippin escape from the band of Uruk Hai that captured them and escape into Fangorn Forest. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli follow them there where Gandalf reappears and informs them of trouble in the kingdom of Rohan. The four of them go there to ally with the king in the war against Sauron, the ruler of the evil lands of Mordor, leaving Merry and Pippin with the Ents, an ancient tree folk. Sauron’s ally Saruman sends his massive army to attack Helm’s Deep, a fortress where the people of Rohan have recently received backup from the majestic Elves. As the battle unfolds, Merry, Pippin and the Ents go to attack Saruman off his guard.

Gandalf’s fight versus the Balrog in the beginning of the movie would have been far scarier had director Peter Jackson chosen to describe the Balrog as a more mysterious creature. As everyone who has watched a good horror movie knows, only what is unknown can command true fear.
When Peter Jackson shows us all of the Balrog in great detail, it loses the nightmarish quality that is the Balrog’s true fundamental nature. This is a problem that is repeated a lot of times in the movie, which means that The Two Towers loses practically all of its scariness in the transfer from book to film. The fact that moments in the book of great horror are replaced in the movie with great effects that are stunning instead of frightening might upset some.

A highlight of this movie is Gollum, a really neat addition to the ensemble who is played quite well. His conversations with the evil side of himself are nicely portrayed, and Peter Jackson creates a screen character that at times is slightly annoying but has a distinct charm that is quite similar to that of the golden droid “C-3PO” of Star Wars.

Another bright point is the Ents. Something of these colossal beings’ true dignity and grandeur is conveyed in the movie. Treebeard, the old and wise Ent that carries Merry and Pippin on his shoulders through the forest, is probably the character played truest to the spirit of the books.

On the whole, The Two Towers is an awesome movie with a lot of action and excitement. The strongest points are Gollum, the Ents, and some astounding effects, for example the massive battle at Helm’s Deep where thousands of warriors are rendered in great detail. Sadly, it is also in this battle the “Balrog syndrome” is witnessed once again. Everything is revealed and out in the open, making the gruesome Uruk Hai lose their terrifying character.
At times the movie seems to be trying too hard, forgetting that it is what is not shown that creates true awe. Too many times, the movie shouts when a whisper would be of far greater effect. But make no mistake; The Two Towers is one of the greatest movies in the genre for a long time. It is far better than the recent instalments of the Star Wars movies and is an improvement over Peter Jackson’s first LOTR movie. But sadly, it does not quite utilize the full potential of the original novel.

 

[Ebonyks]

Flasken: Just a quick question about your review. How old were you when you read the books?

IMO, consitering peter jackson's past, making movies like Dead alive, meet the feebles, and bad taste, He's done an amazingly good job with LOTR. Perhaps the movie format has a limited ability to re-create the nightmare-ish qualities which you certiantly got a feel for in the book

 

[Flasken]

Hi!

I just thought that LOTR 2 should have been scarier. perhaps I'm wrong, but I've considered this alot, and to begin with I just thought it was great, but when i saw the movie i was more like "wow" than "oh my god I'm so excited right now, this is so thrilling".

 

[Flasken]

Quote:

Originally posted by Flasken Hi! I just thought that LOTR 2 should have been scarier. perhaps I'm wrong, but I've considered this alot, and to begin with I just thought it was great, but when i saw the movie i was more like "wow" than "oh my god I'm so excited right now, this is so thrilling".

oh, your question - I read the book at the tender age of 16. I'm ... 16 now.

 

[Ebonyks]

OK, one of my father's friends who we went and saw the first one with had the complaint that it was "unrealisitic", and that when he read the book, everything just seemed more natural, i think he was trying to say something simliar to what you said, in a much less articulate way. We make fun of him for that comment to the day, btw

Personally, i much perfered the darker feel of the second movie over the first. It wasn't to the standard of the book (IMO, an impossibly high benchmark) but still a significant improvement.

 

[Flasken]

Quote:

Originally posted by Ebonyks Personally, i much perfered the darker feel of the second movie over the first. It wasn't to the standard of the book (IMO, an impossibly high benchmark) but still a significant improvement.

Part of what seemed stranged to me was that, yes, the second movie has a nicer, darker feel. But without being scary at all! It feels unnatural. The first movie actually seemed more natural to me.

Quote:

Originally posted by Ebonyks OK, one of my father's friends who we went and saw the first one with had the complaint that it was "unrealisitic", and that when he read the book, everything just seemed more natural, i think he was trying to say something simliar to what you said, in a much less articulate way.

So... you think the way I said it was articulate? Wow, thanks a lot!

I'm glad, because I spent almost 3 hours writing the review, of which half was spent on further articulization (

) [edit: 3 hours because my native language is danish]

 

[kelly]

"Moviegoers were in for a real treat this Christmas when the curtain fell and the second instalment of the LOTR (Lord of the Rings) movies was revealed in all its glory."

Curtains open at the beginnings of things and fall at the close of them. To say they were in for a treat when the curtain fell is to say they were relieved it was finally over. "Moviegoers were in for a real treat when the curtain fell on this long ass movie and they could finally go whiz after sitting on a large soda for three long hours."

When I've written reviews of films and plays, I've tried to be less revealing of the plot points. I've read only a small portion of reviews that follow my approach, but I've found the most useful reviews to be the ones you read BEFORE seeing the film, rather than after. When I read the kind of details you've revealed in your review, I feel cheated--I feel the film has been spoiled for me. Not everyone has read the book and some have read and forgotten. Reviews can be written in such a way as to not destroy the act of discovery and I wish more were. However, this is an unpopular opinion and most may prefer your approach.

Your use of adjectives is excessive. It's to be expected that you've fallen into cliche and hyperbole given the kind of wording we so often use on an audio forum but a profession review would be more calm and even toned. I admit that my reviews on Head-Fi often share this flaw with your Two Towers review but it's something you should be aware of if you ever intend to write professionally. Words like "awesome" should be used sparingly if at all. Remember that if your job is to review films, you'll sound like an idiot if you go overboard on each one. It's often best to describe and then limit your subjective opinion to key points. Keeping this in mind will give you a more clear focus.

You should also seek to avoid generic comparison. Saying, "It's far better than Star Wars" will alienate the readers who love Star Wars and does not really convey any additional information to the reader. If you think a comparison is useful, compare specific elements. For example, you might say, "The settings of Two Towers were more believable and tangible than the far off worlds of Star Wars."

I have little qualms with your English. I wasn't sure if you wanted feedback on your use of language or the actual content of your review. If it is the former you intended to request then ignore the above paragraphs. You are indeed well written for someone whose first language is Danish.

 

[Flasken]

Kelly,

First I'd like to thank you for your long reply. I was actually hoping to hear from you since I really like your language and review style.

Quote:

Originally posted by kelly "Moviegoers were in for a real treat this Christmas when the curtain fell and the second instalment of the LOTR (Lord of the Rings) movies was revealed in all its glory." Curtains open at the beginnings of things and fall at the close of them. To say they were in for a treat when the curtain fell is to say they were relieved it was finally over. "Moviegoers were in for a real treat when the curtain fell on this long ass movie and they could finally go whiz after sitting on a large soda for three long hours."

Wow, that was such an incredibly stupid mistake of me. Thanks for pointing it out without making fun of me.

Quote:

Originally posted by kelly When I've written reviews of films and plays, I've tried to be less revealing of the plot points. I've read only a small portion of reviews that follow my approach, but I've found the most useful reviews to be the ones you read BEFORE seeing the film, rather than after. When I read the kind of details you've revealed in your review, I feel cheated--I feel the film has been spoiled for me. Not everyone has read the book and some have read and forgotten. Reviews can be written in such a way as to not destroy the act of discovery and I wish more were.

I think you are right about this. My summary is too revealing. My teacher's request was for an ultrashort summary, and mine is longer than ultrashort. I will make it shorter in the final version of my review.

Oh, and sorry for spoiling things for you, I guess I should have put a warning in my post..

Quote:

Originally posted by kelly Your use of adjectives is excessive. It's to be expected that you've fallen into cliche and hyperbole given the kind of wording we so often use on an audio forum but a profession review would be more calm and even toned. I admit that my reviews on Head-Fi often share this flaw with your Two Towers review but it's something you should be aware of if you ever intend to write professionally. Words like "awesome" should be used sparingly if at all. Remember that if your job is to review films, you'll sound like an idiot if you go overboard on each one. It's often best to describe and then limit your subjective opinion to key points. Keeping this in mind will give you a more clear focus.

I knew there was something wrong with my writing style when I read it, but I couldn't quite see it. I believe removing a lot of those adverbs and adjectives and replacing some of them with synonyms that sound less enthusiastic will make the review give a far better overall impression. Thanks.

Quote:

Originally posted by kelly You should also seek to avoid generic comparison. Saying, "It's far better than Star Wars" will alienate the readers who love Star Wars and does not really convey any additional information to the reader. If you think a comparison is useful, compare specific elements. For example, you might say, "The settings of Two Towers were more believable and tangible than the far off worlds of Star Wars."

Thanks, I'll revise that part of my review. (of course without using your words, in case my teacher is reading head-fi as well

)

Your expert advice is much apreciated, thanks. And thanks for the kind words about my english sK1LLZ

I truly love your language, especially writing it. I've actually been stressing my teacher lately to give my class a written assignment. My classmates now think I'm a dork.

 

[shivohum]

Thanks for the review, Flasken.

Quote:

Shivohum, your review has been one of my main sources of inspiration

I could see that...

 

[kelly]

Flasken
Oh, I didn't mean to say that you had actually spoiled anything for me. I saw it opening night at midnight, once since and another planned viewing this week.

 

[Flasken]

Quote:

Originally posted by kelly Flasken Oh, I didn't mean to say that you had actually spoiled anything for me. I saw it opening night at midnight, once since and another planned viewing this week.

Oh, you just told me how you'd feel had you not seen it already. Okay then.