For entertainment, I am going back through old reviews of teh trilogy movies and books. Elvis Mitchell sure brought in the (affectionate) snark, man:

Mr. Jackson apparently feels that the way to keep each of the fighting groups separate in the audience's minds is to provide them with hairstyles reminiscent of 1970's bands. The hobbits all have heads of tossled curls — they're like members of Peter Frampton's group. Aragorn and Boromir have the long, unwashed bushes of Aerosmith, and the flaxen-maned Legolas has the fallen-angel look of one of the Allman Brothers. (The tubby, bilious and bearded Gimli could be a roadie for any of them.) "Fellowship" plays like a sword-and-sorcery epic produced by VH-1. Together, they rock against the forces of Sauron — the evil wizard who created the Ring that Frodo holds.

[Elijah] Wood's light, tremulous voice for Frodo and earnest, pointed face offer decency. He sometimes seems to possess the visage that Michael Jackson has spent a lot of money having sculptured by man-made means.

battles between the forces of good and evil — a word from which British stage actors can extract at least three syllables.

He sometimes seems to possess the visage that Michael Jackson has spent a lot of money having sculptured by man-made means.

This is very very true.

And speaking of 70s band hair, I was seriously distressed by the amount of Actual Hobbit Hair I saw at the theatre last night. Bringing the trilogy into major cultural prominence for non-geeks? Fantastic. But did there have to be real-world "fashion" spillover? t shudder

Right. The cultural moment of the Flow-Bee has come and gone, people. Let it lie until VH1 comes along and does a year-by-year clip-show, and you're middle-aged and can laugh at yourself.

At least Legolas's hair remains largely uncopied.

See, Orlando's rocking the hobbit hair -- they're probably not running the numbers and seeing that their lack of unearthly beauty is going to hamstring their attempt.

Wonder why test audiences didn't catch that?

The only test audiences they screened the movie for were the cast and crew. PJ doesn't like test audiences, and I kind of agree with him.

I was going to say that if there was a church of tolkien writings, I'd belong to that, but I suppose I already do.

JohnS, that is exactly how I feel. The LotR books touch me in a way the Bible never did. It all feels "truer" to me, somehow.

And count me in as another person who's irritated that the writers took Arwen from a warrior princess to a placeholder for woman. Arwen in rewrites became to Aragorn almost exactly what Aragorn was to Eowyn -- an object of desire more meaningful in the wanting than in the having. Feh.

Arwen (who gets to sit next to her father, sew a banner, get married, and give Frodo her place on the boat to Valinor - does she even have *lines* in the book before RotK?)

No, she doesn't.

give Frodo her place on the boat to Valinor

Is this what she was talking about, oddly, when she's giving Frodo her grace in FotR? That was a weird line, like she was throwing her immortality at any old guy.

Is this what she was talking about, oddly, when she's giving Frodo her grace in FotR? That was a weird line, like she was throwing her immortality at any old guy.

I think so, though I think it was awkward in FotR. In the books, she gives Frodo her sparkly necklace post-Mordor, and if I remember correctly there's some hinting at that time that he'll get her place on the boat. (I mean, I think he would've gotten to go even if she hadn't stayed, but...)

Edited to whitefont - sorry.

The boat was pretty empty. I'd have been pissed.

"Sorry, Mister ... Baggins, is it? We don't seem to have you down on your list, so I'm afraid we can't allow you to board. I can check for any later departures, if you'd like."

Snerk. Though not everyone could go. Ringbearers and specially elf-invited dwarves only.

Oh, now I want to go track down the fake Lay of Beleriand (well, not Beleriand really, but you take my point) about Gimli and Galadriel's affair in Valinor...