TTT DVD: ROTK Preview - Spoilers

[Lafce]

From www.theonering.net:

TTT DVD Review!
Xoanon @ 9:33 pm EST
Elanor writes: Last year before Fellowship was released, a friend tipped me off to a store in my neighborhood that sells DVD's earlier than the official release date. So I figured it wouldn't hurt to check this year either. I went in yesterday and to my utter delight the guy said yeah we're getting it tomorrow. So today I am the proud owner of the theatrical widescreen DVD of The Two Towers. I had always planned to buy it, eiven though I am even more eagerly awaiting the special extended version due in November. Hopefully I'll get that early too and review it as well. But I was dying to see the Return of the King preview. And now I have. I wanted to get this news out to all those salivating for ROTK news. Hola to all my AICN tailend pals. It's worth it, oh yes. It's worth it.

What a relief! I finally have some ROTK footage to swoon over. Well here is as much of a review as I can muster since all I really want to do right now is watch it over and over. So far all I have watched is the ROTK preview (3 times) the Extended version preview and the Gollum's Song video. I think the preview may be the very same thing as was shown at Comic Con. Be prepared though, this is not a trailer per se but a behind-the-scenes preview with actual snippits of footage interspersed throughout. Some amazing snippets but nothing that lets you get emotionally involved. Lots of interview snippets with PJ, Viggo, Elijah, Alan Lee, etc. Some cool looks at 'how they did it' but I would rather see that later, after I see the movie itself. The last few minutes is straight footage (the sequence I never saw online but lots of you have) which is all superb, especially the Frodo, Sam and Gollum stuff . For those enamored of Tolkien's melancholy the preview gave me the distinct feeling that the filmmakers have NOT missed that element. Nor do they seem to have forgotten that it's Frodo's story.


Mumakil with horses running between its legs! The Reforging of Narsil into Anduril which PJ once said would open ROTK seems to take place in a cave-like forging room Rivendell as it should, which makes me speculate again that Elrond will sub for Halbarad and bring it to Aragorn, rather than Arwen's banner (he could bring both I guess, poncy elf that he is) Cool scene with Aragorn and Gandalf talking strategy. Denethors bitterness seems ratcheted up and more personally against 'upstart Ranger' Aragorn. Dialogue spells out that Sauron mistakenly thinks Pippin has the Ring (more subtly done in the book) but it looks like PJ is getting some bonus emotional mileage from it via Merry and Pippin. Not sure yet how this jives with Nazgul/Frodo; did he see/sense the Ring in Osgiliath but I will wait to see. It looks like the Three Hunters are alone at the Paths of the Dead - and it looks foreb oding as hell. One shot I can't figure out of something, someone walking into Barad Dur. Shelob's cave looks less dark (how could you film that anyway?) but absolutely creepy and terrifying. Gandalf and Shadowfax galloping up the stairs only to see the immensity of Sauron's army on the Pellenor.


Yes, I would say this makes buying this version worth it, even if I do still wish I had gotten the type of trailer we were treated to of Two Towers at the end of Fellowship's run. But then again, I am now satisfied that they were not holding out on us. In the back of my mind I kept thinking they HAVE a trailer, they are just not showing us one. But now I see, they really never made one. HOWEVER, for those like me who love seeing footage, we have the preview of the Two Towers SEV. Now THAT is far more satisfying. I saw lots of juicy morsels that have not been talked about yet and far be it from me to spoil any of it for the next Rings geek.

[Matt]

When the DVD comes out, get the preview on the net, ASAP.