So has anyone else watched it yet?
I thought the production values were great. The scenery, lighting, costume/make-up, music etc were all wonderful and completely captured the spirit of PJ's films. There is a quietness, a sense of atmosphere, allowing characters to take their time, which feels very much in keeping with the Tolkien story feel. It's not action packed but more atmosphere oriented. The only thing I wasn't sold on was the script/storyline. Some slips in the detail/timeline means that sadly the Hunt4Gollum won't flow seamlessly into FotR:
SPOILER ALERT *****
Aragorn meets Gandalf in 'Prancing Pony', and is told that Gollum must be found because Bilbo has told him his name and where he lives and he must be caught before Sauron gets hold of that info. Then comes the travelogue style search with majestic shots of M-e - can't fault that at all. Aragorn meets another Ranger in the wild whom he doesn't know but after hearing the password and family background of said ranger, accepts him, and introduces himself as "Strider", (thought only the Bree-folk called Aagorn that?) and goes on to tell him that he's looking for a creature matching Gollum's description. this allows said Ranger to dispense the lines about "rumours of a nameless fear" in Ithilien and Mirkwood.
Shortly afterwards Aragorn tracks Gollum down and captures him, very neatly done, by laying a trail of fish guts, and dropping a sack over him. it transpires from Gollum's mutterings in the sack that he has already been to Mordor and Aragorn is too late. We are meant to believe that Gollum is carried in this sack for days, if not weeks until an ambush by orcs. Aragorn receives a poisoned wound and we have the obligatory scene in his delirium of Arwen declaring her love for him back at Rivendell, and somehow healing him across the miles. When Aragorn awakens from his fever, Gollum has escaped the sack. Aragorn tracks him in the dark to the foot of a tree in which Gollum is hiding.
Before he can coax him down, Aragorn is attacked by a Black Rider!!?? He drives away the Nazgûl and then has a surprise tap on the shoulder from none other than Legolas who tells him "we have your creature!" Cut to scene of Gollum in Thranduil's dungeons, as Gandalf exits from his interrogation and tells Aragorn definitively that from piecing together Gollum's backstory it all makes sense, Frodo has the Ruling Ring and the Shire must be protected.
Apart from that, a great effort from all involved; it is wonderful to have another piece of Middle-earth brought to life, even if only to be argued over
Congratulations to the Team
There is magic in long-distance friendships. They let you relate to other human beings in a way that goes beyond being physically together and is often more profound.
~Diana Cortes
