Lord Of the Rings Media Review.

and The Black Gates. Its a small but highly overdone battle in the film. If I were to complain of anything it would be that it goes on too long and may seem too dramatized. However many scenes give The Two Towers depth and the "Middle-Earth feeling". These include Theodreds Tomb, Gandalf's return at Helms Deep, the march of the Ents toward Isengard and Osgiliath (I know its a detraction from the book but it beautifully brings in Gondor's war against Mordor and gives the feeling that the War has been going on for a long time to hold Osgiliath. The Warg scene was foolish I admit, as was the removal of The Voice of Saruman. Overall The Two Towers holds its own in my opinion but it does falter and I feel it will be the lowest point of the trilogy, its miscalculations causing errors in ROTK.As for ROTK I think this will be an excellent movie. If Saruman is placed back in and Sauron does not! Take form again I will consider it a fully successful adaptation. I look forward to it, as I have said any faults in this film will have been caused by the mistakes of TTT (specifically the removal of The Voice of Saruman). It looks to be beautiful.As for the opinion that LOTR is a story about the triumph of men I disagree. It is, partially, about this. However my interpretation makes it more about the fall of the old, (to be precise: the fall of the greatest Maiar, the departure of the others (including Gandalf) and the evacuation (my apologies for such a clinical term) of the elves. I feel that is the saddest aspect of the story and I hope Jackson manages to give it visual form. I can see why Jackson made some of the changes he did, other changes leave me bewildered. However I like the films a great deal and I give Jackson full credit for putting so much effort into this piece of art, despite any mistakes I may feel he has made.This is the fundamental argument I am making: it is a piece of art, just like John Howe's drawings. You may see a picture of the ringwraiths and dislike the way it has been portrayed but you can take it or leave it. These films are an adaptation. This is the critical factor to me. If they had tried to say that this is official and the correct film version of the books I would be angry. However they have made it clear that this is how they see it. So we must take the films as a piece of art portraying the book in the way Jackson saw it. Nothing more. Any changes are simply to make it more digestible and to attract enough box office viewers to make the films worth making to the producers (its the only way we could have had the films). I watch these films so I can see and hear what I have previously only imagined. I think Jackson has done a good job at producing some beautiful visions of Middle-Earth, its people and its characters.This is my opinion. And as for the comments about minorities and majorities, I don't really care; everyone’s opinion is a factor for consideration. This is mine. I don't intend to make it matter of fact or to humble others opinions. I have read the book several times, this makes me no more qualified to judge Jackson than a movie goer who knows nothing of LOTR. Overall the films will be historical, no doubt about it. They wont necessarily be accurate to the books but they carry the all important meanings and atmosphere of the book.