I did see it in the theater - multiple times. We did the big midnight release where you watch all 3 films. (Can I just say that needs throw the best parties. We dressed up. People were buying pizzas to share as we waited in line...) Also the cheer that erupted when Boromir showed up in ROTK after we'd all cried over his death a few hours before.
My husband was/is pretty upset about not having the Scouring of the Shire included, "That's the whole point!" ( He also stood up and hollered "What the f**k!?!" when the Elves showed up at Helms Deep.)
hahaha, I love these vignettes about your husband and feel like we'd get along! I agree that the Scouring of the Shire is almost the whole point of the books...I get the arguments about why it doesn't work as well in a movie, but I still think it's just so important. (I was also upset/confused about the elves at Helm's Deep)
Firstly, regarding Ahsoka: "solid and enjoyable if a bit poorly paced" is a nice way of saying underwritten. I agree with your assessment, though I am more frustrated than pleased with the show.
1. The real question is 'how many times did you see RotK in theaters?' I believe we went 3 times. Saw Two Towers 4 times. Only went to see Fellowship once, which is crazy because it is now my personal favorite of the trilogy.
2. People like to make a big deal about the multiple endings, but I loved them. I didn't want the movie to end. It was a nice way of helping us say goodbye.
3. Yes, the Scouring is unnecessary in the films. That said, I wouldn't hate an extended extended edition with the Scouring as another ending.
4. Fav ending is hands-down, 'my friends, you bow to no one.' Still can't get through it without tears.
5. Never thought about an eagle for Gollum. Makes sense. Mind blown!
1. Fellowship is my personal favorite too! I think I saw RotK at least twice: once camping out at the theater for opening weekend with friends and another time with family.
2. I like the perspective of the various endings helping us to say goodbye to the characters.
3. An extended extended edition! Yes please! (I agree that the Scouring is unnecessary, but only grudgingly lol)
4. It's so good. Gets the waterworks going for sure.
5. I had to have it pointed out to me too, but once you think about it it does make a good amount of sense
Yeah, re: Ahsoka I feel the frustration too. there are things we only learned in the finale that we should have known much earlier and I'm somewhat mystified by the lack of emotion in some of the reunions between people we're supposed to believe really love and care for each other and are seeing each other for the first time in a decade. But I appreciated a lot about it too. Just wish I could have said at the end I mostly enjoyed it instead of it being something of a mixed bag.
I saw all of the movies for the first time at home and owe them a debt of gratitude-they gave me the impetus to finally read the books. I think I love Aragorn’s coronation the best, it’s visually stunning, the singing of his song, and the bowing to no one is just pitch perfect I think. I would have liked to have seen the scouring because I think thematically it matters a lot to the books, but not as much in the way Peter Jackson told the story. So it makes sense to leave it out. Third eagle for Gollum has blown my mind
So great that you were inspired to read the books after watching the movies! Yeah, the coronation is just top notch. That's a great distinction you bring up between the way Peter Jackson told the story and whether the Scouring works/matters to that!
I, too, loved Aragorn's coronation. I still replay his song every chance I get. And the "You bow to no one" scene where EVERYONE bows to them? Mind-blowingly tear-jerking and SUCH a great scene! And I confess, I am enough of a fan that the LOTR theme song is my ringtone.
I saw RotK in theaters when it came out. I didn't give the multiple endings much thought, but have relatives who still, twenty years later, can't get over it.
As for the Scouring of the Shire...personally glad it wasn't added. The movies played around with the timing of story and character arcs (Faramir, Shelob, etc.), and it made sense not to have a final battle of seemingly lower stakes after the ring is destroyed. The Scouring seemed somewhat out of place to me in the books, but I understand why Tolkien put it in as part of the coming home/character arc of the hobbits. Would love to hear anyone else's thoughts on the Scouring in general.
Of course, if Peter J treated the Scouring like The Hobbit, we could have gotten a whole movie just about it...
ahahaha, ohhh man you're so right about the Scouring being its own movie if he'd treated the trilogy like The Hobbit.
I get the reasoning from a filmmaking/cinematic point of view for why the Scouring wasn't including, but in terms of the overall story and themes of the books it really is crucial for demonstrating just how far the Hobbits have come and changed(physically and personally) on their journey, the true cost of war, closing out the arcs of the hobbits like you mentioned, and more. Instead of simply returning to an idyllic home that's saved from the effects of the war and evil, they come home to find that even the Shire did not escape untouched. They didn't save the Shire just by defeating some far away evil, they have to save the Shire (personally) in addition to that far away victory.
But those themes and arcs don't quite fit within the framing of the story as Peter Jackson told it, which is more the typical action/adventure lens. So I get it
So the ending of ROTK bugged me a lot less after I realized that it’s functioning as the ending of the entire trilogy, and not just the last episode of the trilogy. That’s why it’s three times longer than a final act ought to be, is that the work it is capping is three times as long as the individual episode.
Heresy. Return of the King is a wonderful film, if anything it needs MORE endings. And all of them should involve the Scouring of the Shire.
The suggestion that the third eagle was for Gollum is very interesting and I hadn't heard it before. Fits with a certain conception of grace, if you allow the eagles to be clued in to the workings of the Valar (although not quite). I suppose I always assumed Gandalf was riding number 3 - alternatively he might have been there for air defence purposes. Prosaically, if there's any race in Middle-Earth whom you'd expect to have developed a reasonable air warfare doctrine it would be the eagles.
Ohh, I like that about the eagles and the Valar and grace.
Yeah, I think that's an easy assumption to make that the third was just carrying Gandalf, but when you watch closely, Gwaihir is both carrying Gandalf and picks up a hobbit.
I personally lean more towards the theory you mention about air defense/escort. Good to have someone dedicated to scanning for and intercepting any threats. But I like the Gollum theory too!
I remember being somewhat annoyed with how many times the movie ended. Honestly, I think the perfect grace note would've been Frodo leaving on the ship to Valinor.
Imo, the multiple endings would work better if LOTR were recut for television, with an hour-long epilogue episode playing after the climactic destruction of the Ring. In this hypothetical recut, I wouldn't mind having some more endings. I mean, they teased the Legolas and Gimli epilogues on the DVD of ROTK but never actually showed them in full.
Now that I think about it, if they ever do a television re-adaptation of LOTR, they could def-ly do the Scouring as one of the final episodes. In the movies, it doesn't really fit that well.
That last line! I am going to start saying "Son of a Balrog" on a regular basis. :) And yes, there are too many endings, but I don't care! I dislike the whole scouring bit in the book, so I didn't miss it in the movie, even though the theatrical version of ROTK leaves Saruman's story undone. I remember seeing ROTK in the theaters and crying for half the movie. No regrets.
The eagle that carries Gandalf (Gwaihir, I assume) *also* picks up one of the hobbits. So one eagle is just flying escort...OR was there in case Gollum was too
Have you ever seen the Honest Trailers on the movies? Pretty funny provided we can all laugh at ourselves a bit. And they definitely touch on the multiple endings. https://youtu.be/AOIi9SjJvgU?si=6JVqQPEgLI0XRhOx
I did have the pleasure of seeing it in the theater, twice. Once by myself because I couldn't wait, which really pissed off my girlfriend. The second time was with her (she was still annoyed, but the happy outcome was that she still married me in 2007).
The multiple endings did not affect me at all. I couldn't get enough of the story so I was down for as long as they wanted to make them!
I was not in any way surprised that the Scouring of the Shire wasn't included. I always had to drag my way through when reading it. I have learned to appreciate and even enjoy it as I have gotten older, but it just doesn't work as a theatrical device.
Since I have to pick one.. I'll go with Sam's return home.. "I'm back.."
The third eagle was a escort / tagalong.. not that I think Gandalf would've abandoned Gollum had he still been alive.. I just don't think it was that explicit to have the third eagle "just in case".
Yes! It was the movie that never ended! Soooo many endings! I never considered that the third eagle could have been intended for Gollum... hmmm... Or was the third one the one that Gandolf was riding on? And an eagle can't both carry a wizard rider AND carry a hobbit? But I might be wrong. Maybe the Gandolf eagle also grabbed one of the hobbits? Fun considerations!
I only ever saw the movies once, actually. I've just listened to the audiobooks (Rob Inglis is the best narrator, although I am very much looking forward to listening to Andy Serkis read them all).
I feel like the Scouring should've been including, but then I think everything should be included. I still resent they left out Tom Bombadil, not to mention all those wonderful songs.
Maybe the third eagle was there to provide moral support?
I did see it in the theater - multiple times. We did the big midnight release where you watch all 3 films. (Can I just say that needs throw the best parties. We dressed up. People were buying pizzas to share as we waited in line...) Also the cheer that erupted when Boromir showed up in ROTK after we'd all cried over his death a few hours before.
My husband was/is pretty upset about not having the Scouring of the Shire included, "That's the whole point!" ( He also stood up and hollered "What the f**k!?!" when the Elves showed up at Helms Deep.)
The 3rd Eagle carried the snacks.
hahaha, I love these vignettes about your husband and feel like we'd get along! I agree that the Scouring of the Shire is almost the whole point of the books...I get the arguments about why it doesn't work as well in a movie, but I still think it's just so important. (I was also upset/confused about the elves at Helm's Deep)
Gotta have in-flight snacks!
Your husband sounds like a very wise man. You chose well.
I did! 😊
Firstly, regarding Ahsoka: "solid and enjoyable if a bit poorly paced" is a nice way of saying underwritten. I agree with your assessment, though I am more frustrated than pleased with the show.
1. The real question is 'how many times did you see RotK in theaters?' I believe we went 3 times. Saw Two Towers 4 times. Only went to see Fellowship once, which is crazy because it is now my personal favorite of the trilogy.
2. People like to make a big deal about the multiple endings, but I loved them. I didn't want the movie to end. It was a nice way of helping us say goodbye.
3. Yes, the Scouring is unnecessary in the films. That said, I wouldn't hate an extended extended edition with the Scouring as another ending.
4. Fav ending is hands-down, 'my friends, you bow to no one.' Still can't get through it without tears.
5. Never thought about an eagle for Gollum. Makes sense. Mind blown!
1. Fellowship is my personal favorite too! I think I saw RotK at least twice: once camping out at the theater for opening weekend with friends and another time with family.
2. I like the perspective of the various endings helping us to say goodbye to the characters.
3. An extended extended edition! Yes please! (I agree that the Scouring is unnecessary, but only grudgingly lol)
4. It's so good. Gets the waterworks going for sure.
5. I had to have it pointed out to me too, but once you think about it it does make a good amount of sense
Yeah, re: Ahsoka I feel the frustration too. there are things we only learned in the finale that we should have known much earlier and I'm somewhat mystified by the lack of emotion in some of the reunions between people we're supposed to believe really love and care for each other and are seeing each other for the first time in a decade. But I appreciated a lot about it too. Just wish I could have said at the end I mostly enjoyed it instead of it being something of a mixed bag.
I saw all of the movies for the first time at home and owe them a debt of gratitude-they gave me the impetus to finally read the books. I think I love Aragorn’s coronation the best, it’s visually stunning, the singing of his song, and the bowing to no one is just pitch perfect I think. I would have liked to have seen the scouring because I think thematically it matters a lot to the books, but not as much in the way Peter Jackson told the story. So it makes sense to leave it out. Third eagle for Gollum has blown my mind
So great that you were inspired to read the books after watching the movies! Yeah, the coronation is just top notch. That's a great distinction you bring up between the way Peter Jackson told the story and whether the Scouring works/matters to that!
I, too, loved Aragorn's coronation. I still replay his song every chance I get. And the "You bow to no one" scene where EVERYONE bows to them? Mind-blowingly tear-jerking and SUCH a great scene! And I confess, I am enough of a fan that the LOTR theme song is my ringtone.
Sam ending the movie as he ends the books is all I want and all I need. 💜🥹
It's really perfect
I saw RotK in theaters when it came out. I didn't give the multiple endings much thought, but have relatives who still, twenty years later, can't get over it.
As for the Scouring of the Shire...personally glad it wasn't added. The movies played around with the timing of story and character arcs (Faramir, Shelob, etc.), and it made sense not to have a final battle of seemingly lower stakes after the ring is destroyed. The Scouring seemed somewhat out of place to me in the books, but I understand why Tolkien put it in as part of the coming home/character arc of the hobbits. Would love to hear anyone else's thoughts on the Scouring in general.
Of course, if Peter J treated the Scouring like The Hobbit, we could have gotten a whole movie just about it...
ahahaha, ohhh man you're so right about the Scouring being its own movie if he'd treated the trilogy like The Hobbit.
I get the reasoning from a filmmaking/cinematic point of view for why the Scouring wasn't including, but in terms of the overall story and themes of the books it really is crucial for demonstrating just how far the Hobbits have come and changed(physically and personally) on their journey, the true cost of war, closing out the arcs of the hobbits like you mentioned, and more. Instead of simply returning to an idyllic home that's saved from the effects of the war and evil, they come home to find that even the Shire did not escape untouched. They didn't save the Shire just by defeating some far away evil, they have to save the Shire (personally) in addition to that far away victory.
But those themes and arcs don't quite fit within the framing of the story as Peter Jackson told it, which is more the typical action/adventure lens. So I get it
Missed this one when it was first posted and I’m so bless that it was included in the 2023 roundup 😂
Haha, glad that it made the list so you could catch it! 😁
So the ending of ROTK bugged me a lot less after I realized that it’s functioning as the ending of the entire trilogy, and not just the last episode of the trilogy. That’s why it’s three times longer than a final act ought to be, is that the work it is capping is three times as long as the individual episode.
That's definitely a good point, it's the ending not just of one movie but of a trilogy, so you're saying goodbye to a lot more than usual.
Heresy. Return of the King is a wonderful film, if anything it needs MORE endings. And all of them should involve the Scouring of the Shire.
The suggestion that the third eagle was for Gollum is very interesting and I hadn't heard it before. Fits with a certain conception of grace, if you allow the eagles to be clued in to the workings of the Valar (although not quite). I suppose I always assumed Gandalf was riding number 3 - alternatively he might have been there for air defence purposes. Prosaically, if there's any race in Middle-Earth whom you'd expect to have developed a reasonable air warfare doctrine it would be the eagles.
Ohh, I like that about the eagles and the Valar and grace.
Yeah, I think that's an easy assumption to make that the third was just carrying Gandalf, but when you watch closely, Gwaihir is both carrying Gandalf and picks up a hobbit.
I personally lean more towards the theory you mention about air defense/escort. Good to have someone dedicated to scanning for and intercepting any threats. But I like the Gollum theory too!
I remember I needed a bathroom break by the end of that movie, so all those additional endings were torture! 😂😂
I remember being somewhat annoyed with how many times the movie ended. Honestly, I think the perfect grace note would've been Frodo leaving on the ship to Valinor.
Imo, the multiple endings would work better if LOTR were recut for television, with an hour-long epilogue episode playing after the climactic destruction of the Ring. In this hypothetical recut, I wouldn't mind having some more endings. I mean, they teased the Legolas and Gimli epilogues on the DVD of ROTK but never actually showed them in full.
Now that I think about it, if they ever do a television re-adaptation of LOTR, they could def-ly do the Scouring as one of the final episodes. In the movies, it doesn't really fit that well.
That last line! I am going to start saying "Son of a Balrog" on a regular basis. :) And yes, there are too many endings, but I don't care! I dislike the whole scouring bit in the book, so I didn't miss it in the movie, even though the theatrical version of ROTK leaves Saruman's story undone. I remember seeing ROTK in the theaters and crying for half the movie. No regrets.
One eagle is for Gandalf, silly!
The eagle that carries Gandalf (Gwaihir, I assume) *also* picks up one of the hobbits. So one eagle is just flying escort...OR was there in case Gollum was too
It’s tricksy.
Have you ever seen the Honest Trailers on the movies? Pretty funny provided we can all laugh at ourselves a bit. And they definitely touch on the multiple endings. https://youtu.be/AOIi9SjJvgU?si=6JVqQPEgLI0XRhOx
I did have the pleasure of seeing it in the theater, twice. Once by myself because I couldn't wait, which really pissed off my girlfriend. The second time was with her (she was still annoyed, but the happy outcome was that she still married me in 2007).
The multiple endings did not affect me at all. I couldn't get enough of the story so I was down for as long as they wanted to make them!
I was not in any way surprised that the Scouring of the Shire wasn't included. I always had to drag my way through when reading it. I have learned to appreciate and even enjoy it as I have gotten older, but it just doesn't work as a theatrical device.
Since I have to pick one.. I'll go with Sam's return home.. "I'm back.."
The third eagle was a escort / tagalong.. not that I think Gandalf would've abandoned Gollum had he still been alive.. I just don't think it was that explicit to have the third eagle "just in case".
Just my two cents..
Yes! It was the movie that never ended! Soooo many endings! I never considered that the third eagle could have been intended for Gollum... hmmm... Or was the third one the one that Gandolf was riding on? And an eagle can't both carry a wizard rider AND carry a hobbit? But I might be wrong. Maybe the Gandolf eagle also grabbed one of the hobbits? Fun considerations!
I only ever saw the movies once, actually. I've just listened to the audiobooks (Rob Inglis is the best narrator, although I am very much looking forward to listening to Andy Serkis read them all).
I feel like the Scouring should've been including, but then I think everything should be included. I still resent they left out Tom Bombadil, not to mention all those wonderful songs.
Maybe the third eagle was there to provide moral support?