palharesf

I watched the movies when they originally came out in theatrical version 20 years ago, and while I loved them, I could not fully grasp their significance at the time (I was 11 when Fellowship of the Ring came out). So re-watching it 20 years later, in the extended version, three movies in a row, and knowing what I know about Tolkien, fantasy, the role that LOTR has in culture more generally, and the advances in technology that happened since this movie was originally released, I'm happy to say that this movie is even more awesome than I remembered.

Over almost three hours it hardly loses momentum - you feel energized and excited for this group even if you know everything that is to come.

I feel that The Two Towers and the Return of the King rely more on chromakey scenes, but I could barely notice them in The Fellowship of the Ring. The pacing is awesome, no comments on the acting or score, or cinematography. It feels rushed at times, but it packs SO, SO MUCH over its runtime that it's an incredible feat. Peter Jackson had an immense responsibility in adapting an astonishing book into a movie that would stand the test of time, and surprisingly, he pulled it off. I'm still in shock and awe with this movie.

Watched it in 2022 after spending the last 24 years hearing about the show's hype. I enjoyed the standalone episodes, they tended to have good music, themes, scenery and interesting (albeit predictable) storylines; pace was usually hit and miss but forgivable, dialogue was mostly awful but since action was good you could forget it. If the series was all about these standalone episodes, it would be okay and fun.

But then the series try to be serious at times, and it simply stumbles. There's not enough dialogue depth, the script is shallow, things are rushed, convenient, unexplained and left unresolved. Little to no character development. Supposedly important characters appear out of nowhere, disappear for 14 episodes then are back out of blue and you're supposed to care for them. Baddies die easy, heroes are invincible. When I reached the end of the series, I was glad it was over. Probably went from a 7 or 8 to a 4 or 5 rating by trying to be too much while failing to be anything remarkable. This review is not against anime as a genre - there are great things in the medium, but I don't think Cowboy Bebop is one of them.