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I don't think I've mentioned this, but I am a budding screenwriter. I spend about an hour a day banging away at a new project on my PC, sometimes going over edits on an on-going script. Part of the joy of writing is creating those stories you ALWAYS wanted to see on the big screen. One of my 'dream projects' is to have a sci-fi epic which is a homage to anime made; giant robots, huuuuuuuuuuuge space battles, equal parts Gundam and 'Saving Private Ryan.' Hey, if you're going to do this, might as well do it by writing things you are passionate about. Which brings me to 'ROTK'. Seeing movies like that reminds me of why I enjoy writing; to create something special and amazing, and sharing that vision with as many people as you can.
Is this is umpteenth drooling session that will review the picture? Nope. Seen that, read that a dozen time. Granted, while I write this I am having fond memories of the picture and probably drooling. But what I'm talking about here isn't a plot summation, this is more a discussion of 'why.' Why has this movie made almost a half BILLION DOLLARS IN LESS THEN A MONTH. Why are people seeing this three, four, five times? I'm at two, by the way. Why are people gushing over this movie? In the end, it's because this movie reminds people why they go to see the movies; magic.
One of the amazing achievements of the film is being able to meet expectations of two groups of VERY nitpicky fans; sci-fi/fantasy fans and Tolkein fans. You know what I mean, the type who can break down, by page, paragraph, and line, any inconsistencies in the story. Criticism has been tossed around about scenes being cut out from the books, and scenes that were filmed but left off, e.g. the scenes with Saruman's demise. How soon we forget the film, as is without those scenes, is THREE AND A HALF HOURS LONG. People think sitting around to watch a football game for this long is crazy and people want this to be longer?!! Sorry, it's not going to happen. Sure, some of the cut scenes would be fun to see, but the #1 job of the move maker, which includes screenwriter, editor, director, et al, is to keep the story moving at all costs and not have the audience looking at their watch going 'Dang this movie is long.' If it means clipping that one cute scene so be it. And this isn't a decree from the executives, this is a general rule for film-making, whether it's a grand epic like 'LOTR' or an indie like 'Lost in the Translation.' Every scene CANNOT waste time, and must move the story forward. Good news is Peter Jackson and Co. managed to clip a few chunks here and there, and keep the story in tact.
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