I caught my second viewing on Sunday, and I loved it even more than the first. I could do some score-spotting and appreciate details I missed the first time around.

Things I love about the Score

• What I assume to be Eowyn's theme - the soft and gorgeous bit that often preceeds the Rohan theme on the CD. Best heard when she's telling Aragorn how she fears being locked up.
  
• The ring theme already fitting like a glove with the main title, even for non-score fans.
  
• The highlighting of the choir as the shot cuts to the huge cavern with Gandalf and the Balrog falling from above.
  
• The magnificent Rohan theme - memorable, noble, and so emotional when performed by the Hardinger.
  
• The great familiarity that the Fellowship, Hobbits and Uruk-hai themes bring when they show up. Same goes for the elfs and Barad-dur.
  
• The rendition of the Ring Theme at the end of 'The Black Gate is Closed'. (Still not sure what scene it's for though).
  
• The White Rider's theme, especially in Forth Eorlingas, which in my opinion is the highlight of the film.
  
• The score as Aragorn hurries to Helm's deep.
  
• The music during the 'last march of the Ents' - the main bit of score that struck me on my first viewing.
  
• Gollum's song - the idea, the lyrics, the music, the feel, the suite that follows - everything. Pure brilliance IMO.
  

Other things I loved about the Film (in no particular order)

• The marvellous way Jackson starts the film. Only the briefest of flashbacks, cleverly disguised as a dream.
  
• Hearing Gandalf whilst still seeing the mountain shots.
  
• That shot of the huge cavern, with Gandalf and the Balrog falling relatively slowly in comparison to the vastness of the scene.
  
• The very clever use of narrative to keep the story flowing and explain some details - like Galadriel speaking to Elrond and Grima explaing about Helm's Deep to Saruman. The same goes for the use of Faramir's map to help viewers get their bearings.
  
• Similarly, the great way that Merry and Pippin's escape is told.
  
• Gollum - especially his Gollum vs. Smeagol scenes. He looks amazing, even when wet, and even when wrestling the hobbits.
  
• Legolas mounting that horse. I couldn't stop smiling.
  
• The close-up of the Nazgul where it seems he's on a horse, only to zoom out and reveal that wonderful creature.
  
• Bernard Hill's "What would you have me do?" speech on the walls of Helm's deep.
  
• The Wargs - excuse my ignorance if fur is easy to create, but I thought they looked extremely realistic.
  
• Brad Dourif's performance as Wormtongue - the make-up helped, but I thought he was brilliant.
  
• The set-up of the Helm's deep battle - showing us the momumentous task the Rohan faced, and how scared they were.
  
• The sound of the flapping wings of the Nazgul.
  
• The sound of the close-up Uruk-Hai yelling before the battle, with vapour coming out of his mouth.
  
• The inclusion of great little details from the book - like Legolas and Gimli keeping count, and the lightning which lets us see the hugeness of the advancing army at Helm's deep.
  
• The scene with Gandalf out of focus in the background and Theoden looking at his son's grave. (although it looked even better in the trailer with the music)
  
• Jackson's highlighting of dialogue which is relevant to all times and all worlds - such as Theoden's "No parent should have to bury their son" and Merry and Pippin telling Treebeard he can't ignore a war taking place in his world.
  
• Sam's speech at the end, accompanied by the visuals from both battles. Jackson is a genius.
  
• The great, great ending. I love the mini-cliffhanger, and the fact that we end with Gollum's internal struggle.

  and finally...

• Forth Eorlingas - one of the best scenes I have seen on screen, ever.
  

Things I wasn't too sure about...

• Elfs at Helm's Deep, although the alliance idea is great, especially since it was highlighted in the prologue of FOTR.
  
• Some of Gimli's funny lines, although most were great and helped lighten the flow.
  
• The visuals when Frodo is sucked into the dead marshes.
  
• The balrog still flaming after having plunged into the waters.
  
• Telling the whole Merry and Pippin angle in short snippets, though overall I think Jackson tackled the problem of having to tell 3 stories very well.
  

As you can see, these are very minor grumbles from someone who was totally blown away by the film, especially on repeat viewing. I'm sure I forgot loads of things I loved in the above lists.

p.s. Isn't Orthanc supposed to be cylindrical and smooth?

NP: Guess

Movie was otherwise excellent. Not exactly as I imagined it while reading the book, but overall very successful.

Great acting. Great effects. Funny Gollum.

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Originally posted by TimT:
Wow its incredable how you know all the names of everyone and the creatures!
I still don't know most of them. I didn't understand the Dwarf was Gimli and Legolas was the Elf until this second movie.
Aaragorn? or whatever his name is called out Legolas' name in the first movie after they esacped the cave. But I thought he said "Nicholas".

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Well... for those of us who read the books, or followed the first film close enough.... it's not THAT hard to figure out their names. Not to mention the end credits kinda help with that too.

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Originally posted by Camillu:
The marvellous way Jackson starts the film. Only the briefest of flashbacks, cleverly disguised as a dream.
Hearing Gandalf whilst still seeing the mountain shots.

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This has to be one of my all-time favourite movie openings, even though I've only seen it once yet.

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That shot of the huge cavern, with Gandalf and the Balrog falling relatively slowly in comparison to the vastness of the scene.

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And this image will stick in my head for all eternity. I think that's where the Glass/Itaipu-like choral music plays?

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The very clever use of narrative to keep the story flowing and explain some details - like Galadriel speaking to Elrond and Grima explaing about Helm's Deep to Saruman. The same goes for the use of Faramir's map to help viewers get their bearings.

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I felt a bit uncomfortable about the map bit. Sure, it was nice, but did they really have to show Faramir where Rohand and Gondor are?

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Similarly, the great way that Merry and Pippin's escape is told.

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That bit literally screamed "Peter Jackson", didn't it? He usually has a documentary of some sorts in his movies - in FOTR it was the prologue, in TTT this is what comes closest I think.

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Legolas mounting that horse. I couldn't stop smiling.

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Friends of mine still keep complaining about it. I still say - if you're going to mount a running horse, this is the logical way to do it.

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Bernard Hill's "What would you have me do?" speech on the walls of Helm's deep.

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"Where is the horse and the rider?..." is my favourite.

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The inclusion of great little details from the book - like Legolas and Gimli keeping count, and the lightning which lets us see the hugeness of the advancing army at Helm's deep.

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The glittering in the Rohan caves!

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The scene with Gandalf out of focus in the background and Theoden looking at his son's grave. (although it looked even better in the trailer with the music)

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Yes, also loved that in the trailer already. And did you notice the little door at the beginning of that scene?

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Elfs at Helm's Deep, although the alliance idea is great, especially since it was highlighted in the prologue of FOTR.

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I think it worked wonderfully for the battle, but it still annoys me. Why would the Elves care to fight in that battle? And why did they call the Last Alliance the Last Alliance if it wasn't the last one...

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Some of Gimli's funny lines, although most were great and helped lighten the flow.

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Yup. Most of them were really funny, some of them were perfect, but there were just too many dwarf jokes. The movie didn't have to be that light in places.

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The visuals when Frodo is sucked into the dead marshes.

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I really liked those.

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p.s. Isn't Orthanc supposed to be cylindrical and smooth?

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I don't think so...at least I don't remember reading that. My copy of LOTR has paintings by Alan Lee, including one of the lower part of Orthanc that looks exactly as in the movies (in one of the FOTR DVD docus, PJ talks about how he asked Lee if he could draw the rest of the tower that's not seen in that picture).

Gotta watch the movie again soon!

only by siding with Men do they stand a chance.

or maybe the Elves just got tired of running away and said screw it.

I'm not up on my Tolkien (I've only read FOTR and part of TTT...blush). Why do Elves die, when they go to so much trouble to establish their immortality? It's hardly useful to BE immortal if you actually can die. is that explained anywhere in the books, or am I just a dumbass?

The whole point of LOTR is that the time of the Elves is ending, the Last Alliance was many centuries ago. The Elves are about to leave Middle-earth forever and while some of them do care somewhat for what they leave behind, they don't consider it their problem anymore. Yes, they do defend their own people (attacks of Rivendell and Lorien), and Galadriel eventually destroys Sauron's previous fortress. But at no point to they send an army to any battle of men. And even if they did, wouldn't they send it to Gondor first? The Numenoreans still have the closest connections to them, and aside from the Dunedain (who do still have a lot of contact with the elves, though they haven't appeared in the movies so far - save for Aragorn of course), those that are left of them live in Gondor. In Rohan, on the other hand, elves are already considered somewhat of a myth.

It simply doesn't make sense to me.

Elves are a noble people, and aren't merely "escaping" Middle Earth. They know that when they leave, Middle Earth stands a chance of being overrun by Sauron, so rather than turn-tail and get out of Dodge, they know that they, too, must make some sacrifice so that all that is good is not destroyed and forgotten.

Perhaps even moreso than in the books, there is a permeating sense of environmentalism through the films thus far, even as far as suggesting that Sauruman's mind has turned to "wheels" and "industrial" elements. Elves, too, are part of nature, and even in Rivendale the architecture has an organic feel to it. My point in this? Perhaps to suggest that dismissing the problems of a distant land, no matter how insignificant it may seem to us, will not stem the flow of their problems into our land.

Metaphorically speaking....

--Steve. http://www.caribbeankangaroo.com

Oh well, I'm sure I'll get over it when I've seen it a few more times. And as I said, I think it works well in the movie, I'm just annoyed because I think it doesn't make sense, other than making it possible for the audience to see some cool Elf action.

Really love the Rohan theme accompanied by drums as we get our first aerial shot of the Hornburg.

Also love the crazy orc running to the culvert with the torch, and Aragorn realising how urgent it is to shoot him down.

I liked it (the Elves showing up). First, you can't complain that the Elves "saved the day," because they didn't. They were just as screwed with the Elves as without them. It was still Gandalf and the Rohirrim who turn the tide.

Second, Haldir is cool, and he had a great death scene. That moment where he sees the dead Elf and Orc side by side, when he realizes the fact that he's just sacrificed his immortal life to make war.

Third, it allowed Howard Shore to use his Lothlorien theme as a military figure.

Fourth, Elf chicks with bows-and-arrows.

Finally, I don't see how it harms the story, or the film. Quite the opposite, actually. By exaggerating the plight of the men (reducing their number to a mere 300) Jackson ratchets up the tension. They're doomed to lose, and the audience knows it. When the Elves show up, the audience cheers (at least, in my theater they did). The heroes now appear to have a fighting chance. Which makes it that much more effective when even the combined armies fail.

Ultimately, If I want slavish attention to the book, I'll read the book! I have a friend who HATED the film because the Elves show up at Helm's Deep, something they regarded as a total betrayal of the source material that tarnished the movie irreparably. I pity this person.

If anything, I feel it improves the story, at least dramatically. While LOTR is a fantastic tale, there are many elements that are superfluous or do not make sense.

I for one feel the greatest accomplishments of the film and the screenwriters is that they have know which elements are critical, which should be tweaked, and which should be dropped entirely. This is instance is a change which enhances the film dramatically and increases the elves participation in the story.