Why LOTR Sucks: The Cave Troll

This is officially the high point of Peter Jackson’s involvement with the Lord of the Rings. It is perhaps the only major deviation from the book that succeeds. Nowhere in the book does it mention a cave troll, but by adding it to the fight in Moria, it creates a great deal of tension. And the scene is beautifully choreographed, one of the best battle scenes I can remember in any movie. The action is fast but we can see that it all makes sense. The Troll’s chaotic movements take the forefront yet you can see the battle raging in the background as well. I can tell you what every character does in the battle.

Compare that with too many action scenes made today, where it’s all rapid-fire editing so that the audience has no clear idea of what is happening. Even the Dark Knight falls into this trap when Batman enters the building in the third act to rescue the hostages. It is very clear that not only do we have no idea what exactly is happening, but neither does Christopher Nolan. Any director wanting to make an action movie should look at this scene as a lesson of what to do right.

As an added bonus, Peter Jackson shows a close-up of Gimli crying, and resists the urge to use slow motion.

Of course, there are four other slow motion close-ups of people crying, but we can’t have everything.

Minutes Watched: 2:20.14

Number of Montages: 5

Number of slow motion close-ups of people crying: 9

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