From the Elvis Mitchell review:

Aragorn has the slinky swagger and dreamy stubble that make him look like a legend created by Tolkien, Sam Shepard and Ralph Lauren... while poor Liv Tyler, as the elf princess Arwen, is limited to dialogue that sounds like a spoken portion of a Spinal Tap album.

To Nutty's point: Yes, I loved the catapult v. trebuchet battle. Now *that* was cool, and an excellent use of CGI and historically accurate detail.

Also, ita... you're right, because of the vast difference in numbers, they're dead meat any way you cut it, but staying together defensively atop the hill earns them more time alive, and lets them kill hella more guys than they would be able to charging out of their defensive position.

Hell, they may have even lasted quite a while, had they stayed on the hill, but ultimately, they would have perished when somebody on the orc team got it into their head to bring up a trebuchet and just zero in on them, or even just left them up there on their hill to die of starvation.

Legolas stair surfing

Never ever going to get over this. Ever. Until the day they make editable DVDs and I can cut it out along with all refs to dwarf tossing.

how was that described in the books?

ita, they stood their ground while the waves of orcs and trolls attacked them. In the novel it's still accepted as basically suicide but they don't try to make it easy for the bad guys, either.

Oh, also, in the novel, they discover just before battle starts that Frodo was captured, so they're thrown into complete and utter despair. Which makes the realization when the Ring is destroyed that much more wonderful.

edited because ain't but one i in despair.

I'm just grateful that Merry and Pippin didn't get trampled in their mini charge. Pure luck, there.

I was arguing lightly with someone at work about the exclusion of the Scouring. While I think it is important (like the knowledge that Frodo's captured), selfishly I don't think it's important enough to further break my little heart, which was in as little pieces as I think possible for successful repair.

Every time I think about it again, Tolkien keeps bumming me out more and more.

Is that the inscription from the One Ring on the collar of Richard Taylor's coat?

Ooooooh. Man, that must have been difficult to emboss. If I can figure out how to do it, I know what my Evil Queer Twin (and #1 Tolkien geek) is getting for his birthday.

Is that the inscription from the One Ring on the collar of Richard Taylor's coat?

Who's up for a pirate voyage to NZ and looting Richard Taylor's house? The treasures of the ages are in there. You know it will be like a dragon's hoard.

We just need a burglar ...

"She's like Morticia, only better!" - El Vez

Jilli, is El Vez talking about you?

Didn't you think Frodo looked like a Living Dead Doll when he was wrapped in spider-webbing and Sam cleared off his face?

Who's up for a pirate voyage to NZ and looting Richard Taylor's house?

Sign me up!

Actually, I just want to raid the costume department's left-over fabrics.