In my opinion there are too many dragons in the game...

I read a book long time ago but as far as I remember dragons were almost perished.
In LOTRO I feel like a witness of the dragons rebirth.

Quite right boss man, Smaug is ment to have been the last of the great dragons of old, turbine have kind of flanged it by saying that the dragon kind you see in eraidor today are lesser forms of the once great drakes.

i would not know about that apart from the smaug bit as i have only just gotten the other books that are not lotr or the habbit

Ehh I`m watching The Return Of The King ones more, this time in tv, and I can said ones more it`s marvelous film:)

All three films are great. I'll not get into a debate as to how much (or little) licence PJ took with the story lines.
He kept pretty much true to Tolkien's books and he has to be allowed his own flair and interpretation etc.
All three films kept pace well and didnt get bogged down. The visuals were mind blowing and it was acted well throughout.

I had better stop or I'll go on for hours..

I loved them..

heh I could do the same, Clavain.
And I'm re-reading (again) the books (blame the game) and can only appreciate even more Jackson's ideas and work. The book consists of long speeches - take the beginning, there is talking and talking, and it's not even proper dialogue, but huge chuncks of text. Try putting it in a film. You'll fall asleep faster than... I don't know what but fast
And PJ and his team did a brilliant job on cutting it and glueing it again ...

I have to agree cerras doing the films straight from the books would have been a bore, JrrT while a great author had little flair for writing the details of fights, he deals with great swipes of combat rather than the parry and thrust of the combat. PJ adds the detail and cuts the huge fluff out.

Helms Deep ~ If you look closely at the extended version towards the end of the fight you can see a green clothed curved bladed very attractive elf lady! Apparently they were going to have Arwen play a big part in the battle but P Jackson changed his mind.
I really do have love/hate relationship with the films.
Some parts were magical. Boromirs relationship with the ring on the way up Carahdras, some of the music, the prologue. Others dire ~ Legolas moments (too many to mention) the Army of the Dead, the Uruk who gets killed while they are lined up outside Helms Deep by an arrow that looked like a bit of a twig, could go on forever really but stopped relating them to the books virtually straight away.

the films are the best i have seen so far [apart from pirates of the carribean] I think the director [forgotten his name] should get a medal also started reading the LOTR books in its single book form all 1067 pages...should be done by tomorrow

yeah talking on the topic of the elves in helms deep, after watching the commentary on the extended DVD box set the cast do mention the fact that the elves sense battle, they have some kind of power within them......it was also a powerful moment as Haldir mentions of the last alliance between men and elves, the whole dialogue in the scene of their arrival is pretty much based on that.

I think both the books and the films are incredible.....no fault to neither of them but no film made about a book, or a game will ever top them. originals are usually what youre heart grows to love before all else.

as for the game the idea of taking a different storyline as to what you see in the books and the films revolving around the ring is a genius idea but also keeping the connection between your character and the fellowship, at each major point in the epic quest you know exactly where the fellowship are, for example the first book, you learn of a hobbit named underhill, then you learn the hobbits have passed through the old forest and carry the ring but they way its described to you by strider/aragorn and other rangers is just perfect.

well done to the game, PJ and ofcourse the creator of all these wonderful ideas expanding Tolkien

Highly perceptive analysis. I have to concur. One particular aspect of constant amazement for me are the landscapes. In the book Tolkien does a great job describing them. And obviously PJ exceeded any expectations in the movies. And for the game.. my wallpaper for the last 16 months has been a revolving series of screenshots from the game.

And what you said about expanding the story; top notch stuff from Turbine.

There are constant links and reminders of the Books and Films throughtout this great game.... (obvious statement really) but those little tieins and the contribution your PC gets to make to the Epic line and the Fellowship is great.
You feel involved, part of it some how.

Fantastic