the Lich-King is already dead, thus smite makes much more sense to me than kill. It implies more than kill, a righteousness which is necessary for an undead thing.

I'd agree with this here. I think such a big, dramatic moment could have use a little of the "high-style" wording. I don't think anybody would have stumbled over the meaning, especially with the visuals.

It's not enough to make me bitter about their choices, though. The fact that they did such a great job in capturing the spirit of the books, when so much could have gone wrong, allows me to accept that changes that they did make much more easily.

(If I'm bitter about anything, it has to be that the scene of Gandalf facing down the Witch-King at the Gates of Minas-Tirith didn't make the movie. I understand that something like it will be included in the EE, but as I hear it isn't at the main gate. I think that was the scene from the books that I most anticipated,)

It's not enough to make me bitter about their choices, though. The fact that they did such a great job in capturing the spirit of the books, when so much could have gone wrong, allows me to accept that changes that they did make much more easily.

Yeah, I feel like I need to post a disclaimer with every post. I luurrved the movies, especially the EEs. I have to quibble with choices here and there, and I'm unhappy with some scenes, directions, etc. And little things like "disloyalty" do get up my nose. However, this has been some of the happiest entertainment time of my life. Having these movies pending (and some of the others that have come out in this time) has been wonderful. Like Early 80's (Blade Runner, Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Terminator) wonderful, for me. Seeing like one in ten people with one of the books in their hands as I walk through a food court, or ride the subway has been really magical for me.

We're still in the afterglow, with the EEs on the horizon. I really don't want this time to end.

If I'm bitter about anything, it has to be that the scene of Gandalf facing down the Witch-King at the Gates of Minas-Tirith didn't make the movie. I understand that something like it will be included in the EE, but as I hear it isn't at the main gate. I think that was the scene from the books that I most anticipated,)

No, for me it's still Eowyn and Faramir in the Houses of Healing. The story still makes sense without the Witch-King, but Eowyn and Faramir are treated as characters of great importance and then their stories are dropped without a real conclusion.

No, for me it's still Eowyn and Faramir in the Houses of Healing. The story still makes sense without the Witch-King, but Eowyn and Faramir are treated as characters of great importance and then their stories are dropped without a real conclusion.

See, for me, those scenes are important to the story, but I was anticpating the visual of Gandalf staring down the Witch-King (and getting some of the great dialogue from his speech included) that it was the scene (out of all the scenes in the book) that I was most anticipating.

Therefore, the bit of bitterness that it wasn't included.

Ah, I see.

I'm not actually bitter. Just disappointed. And I still have hope some of it will get into the EE.

Generally speaking, I didn't expect much in the way of high style from the film's dialogue, so every time I got something nice I was pleasantly surprised; but at key moments where, you know, I happened to know the original lines by heart, and they didn't especially try to reproduce the tone of the original, I can't help but be disappointed.

Yeah, that's pretty much how I feel. There was a lot of high-style dialogue I was just as happy to do without, but I wanted "You stand between me and my lord and kin, and living or dark undead, I will smite you if you touch him."

I suppose that didn't fit as well with the earthier Eowyn of the the movies as it did with the brittle woman of the books.

I'm mostly bitter about the Arwen nonsense. I see the point of what was done at a high level, but it made no sense in the details, and had a lacklustre actress to boot.

As for the dialogue, I'm mostly at peace with how much Tolkien got in. He may read aloud well, but that's not the same thing as speechifying nine hours of film.

My head would have exploded.

Late to the party, but must add my two coppers:

"Begone if you be not deathless! For living or dark undead, I will smite you if you touch him"

Speaking as someone who is only just now reading the books for the first time--I think that if they'd used this whole line in the film, the context would make "smite" work better. As it was, the standalone "I will kill you if you touch him" sounds fine to me, and imagining "I will smite you if you touch him" in Miranda Otto's Eowyn voice just isn't sounding right in my head. YSMV.

"Begone if you be not deathless" sounds a whole lot more confident and kick-ass than what we got. OK, granted, damned scary situation to be in, but in the book, Eowyn was way beyond fear or caring about survival, she was completely in the "one more step and you're dog food" moment. I wanted a bit more skill in the fighting, too.