I'm with Victor--Elves are lighter and stronger and more supple than humans. I liked seeing that demonstrated in the films (except the surfing, which was too modern for me).

True enough, he isn't human, and the cleanliness and the snow thing both ruled because they're subtle. When you come right down to it, the eye stab with the arrow was, from a realism standpoint, a pretty good way to piss off an Uruk-Hai and break an arrow at the same time, but the scale was small enough that it just came across elvish.

Ita, flawless CGI would probably win the cave troll thing over. It's borderline, but if it looked good enough, I'd say enh, it's just a movie, and hell it did look pretty sweet. I've already forgiven the horse thing because they kind of got shafted into keeping it. I'll wince every time I see the subject of the recent white fonting for the rest of my life, and I'll add some fist shaking to that for The Last Toboggan Ride of The Elf.

I getchya.

My lust for the killer that doesn't break a sweat aside, I think that Legolas's flash supplied a parallel function to Gimli's humour -- and it's all about the deftness of the handling, which has been variable.

It's a bleak story, with depressing fighting, and the odd respite is well appreciated by me.

Viggo does all these little things that sell the fights so well. The little salute before Amon Hen, the WTF take after killing Lurtz, the little swagger he puts on whenever it's about to drop in the pot, all that. Good psychology.

It had been quite a while since I'd seen FotR, and Viggo's fighting in TTT was more familiar to me. So the Weathertop scene, which I've read was filmed his first week in NZ, took me aback, a little. He sells that one a little too hard, and it's all in the face, in the grimace.

I know ita's been aghast VM wore his costume and carried his sword when he was off-set, but I do think it paid off. By the time they filmed Amon Hen, and certainly Helms Deep, it had gone far beyond actor and prop. Familiarity, handiness, yes. But also human-ness, weariness, fatigue. Unlike the dwarf, who just kept on hewing, and the elf, who

isn't human, and doesn't move like a human (Or get dirty, or be bothered by snow, et al.)

Victor-- Hobbits jumping up and down on Frodo's bed? And then Gimli walks in and eyes them with a big, knowing smile? And then Legolas comes in? Slashiest. Scene. Ever.

Yes! And do you notice the way Gandalf was looking at them? Naughty Ian!

He brings a total Big Damn Hero vibe to the thing, whereas the big CGI Legolas stunts don't really have much impact beyond eye rolling. To me, anyway.

But that's where it's all personal: to me, Aragorn (movie version) is Big Dirty Hero, and Legolas is hot. Even when he's a) CGI and b) ita's.

Although, on the Aragorn front-- the first time I saw the clean!Aragorn, I thought "yeah, the boy cleans up nice." Which is my impression from the books. But second time? clean!Aragorn doesn't look quite as good when I started appreciating the hot of sweaty!Aragorn in some of the fight scenes.

And my favourite Aragorn scene is still the summoning of the Army of the Dead. I can think of characters who could take a lesson or two in giving rallying speeches from him, and for that matter Theoden. Yes, season7!Buffy, I'm looking at you.

We all do know, don't we, that Bernard Hill auditioned for Gandalf? Which, oddly enough, I can see. A very different Gandalf, not actually wrong, if not quite so perfect as Sir Ian. Hill has the chops, but I'm soooo glad we got him as Theoden, instead. I've been thinking, and can't come up with anyone who'd have been as good in the Theoden role.

It had been quite a while since I'd seen FotR, and Viggo's fighting in TTT was more familiar to me. So the Weathertop scene, which I've read was filmed his first week in NZ, took me aback, a little. He sells that one a little too hard, and it's all in the face, in the grimace.

Hmm. I too, shall have to rewatch. At the time I thought Weathertop fine for what it was, that being a quick and dirty little brawl. IIRC, Weathertop was VM's first fight, and he'd only gotten like, 10 days of sword training (That compared to, I dunno, months or something for everyone else). It's entirely possible he lacked confidence in his swordsmanship and hammed it a little to compensate.

PJ could have done a film entirely about Theoden, Eowyn, Eomer and Wormtongue -- the casting is that good, and strong. (In fact, I kind of wish that a "sequel" could be made that follows the events of the War of the Ring entirely from the viewpoint of the Rohirrim, just so that we could get so much more of these actors and their roles.)

Oooooo, Theo. Can one drool and shiverr in anticipation all at the same time? All those lovely sets, props and costumes! Not relegated to some "museum," never to be worn again. I mean, if your armour is lined in leather, with "made for Theoden, king" tooled on the inside, and you've worn it for weeks on end...how could you part with it? Send it back to wardrobe, knowing you'd never put it on again? Or even though your horsey helmet wouldn't fit without the wig, how could you say goodbye to it, knowing how handsome you look in it? And how crosseyed anyone less heroic would look in it? I'll bet the actors would be up for it.

I still think it's a damn shame that Brad Dourif did not get Best Supporting. He ownz every scene, no mean feat when sharing said scene with Christopher Lee or Bernard Hill.

Got my husband the Weapons and Warfare book for Xmas and he's loving it, so add another recommendation to the chart.