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The One Ring Forums: Tolkien Topics: Movie Discussion: The Hobbit:
Legolas Appreciation

Laineth
Lorien

Dec 22 2014, 3:11am

Post #1 of 25 (747 views)
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Legolas Appreciation Can't Post

... does anyone else like him? Or am I the only one? It feels like all he does is get dissed. Unsure

I love both book! and film! Legolas. I watched the films before I read the books, so Orlando's Legolas is how I see him. He interested me in the film, and I fell in love with him in the book.

I thought his arc was great in the Hobbit, and tied nicely into LotR. People always complain about the stunts, but no one ever seems to mention how these scenes show Legolas's ingenuity, in both trilogies.


Glorfindela
Valinor


Dec 22 2014, 3:18am

Post #2 of 25 (458 views)
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It's good that you like the stunts [In reply to] Can't Post

However, many people feel the stunts are over the top, silly and/or inappropriate…Unimpressed

I'll restrain myself rather than go into rants on this subject, since I love BoFA in general and don't want to think about any negative aspect and spoil the experience of the film for myself.


arithmancer
Grey Havens


Dec 22 2014, 3:28am

Post #3 of 25 (430 views)
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Not I... [In reply to] Can't Post

He was my least favorite member of the Fellowship (book and film).

But I did think it was appropriate to include him in a 3-film Hobbit series, and I enjoyed some of what the filmmakers made up for him. For example, the mirror moments in DoS and Bo5A in which Thorin saves Legolas by throwing a sword at an Orc attacking him from behind, and then later when Legolas threw Orcristto kill an Orc who was attacking Thorin. I thought they were lovely. And I liked (appaently one of few!) the scene in which Thranduil encourages him to seek out Strider.



Loresilme
Valinor


Dec 22 2014, 3:34am

Post #4 of 25 (408 views)
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Yes! [In reply to] Can't Post


In Reply To
but no one ever seems to mention how these scenes show Legolas's ingenuity, in both trilogies.



I agree! I don't think I realized it until TH trilogy but Legolas' tactics in battles is consistent - he makes use of whatever is around him. He uses whatever is around him, either as a weapon, or to move quickly.

I also liked Legolas in BOFA the most of any of the films. I'm glad we have a backstory now and understand his motivation for joining the Fellowship. I don't think the Tauriel/Kili past detracts from his friendship with Gimli at all. In some ways it may seem even more impactful now.

And I would add: Orlando appreciation Smile. Especially in BOFA, I think he added shading and nuances to the character.


Laineth
Lorien

Dec 22 2014, 3:37am

Post #5 of 25 (422 views)
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I understand. [In reply to] Can't Post

And I know some people don't like stunt or action scenes. That's totally fine, because it's a personal preference. The only part I don't get is when people say the filmmakers made it all up.

After all, Tolkien says this about Legolas,


Quote
He was tall as a young tree, lithe, immensely strong, able swiftly to draw a great war-bow and shoot down a Nazgûl, endowed with the tremendous vitality of Elvish bodies, so hard and resistant to hurt that he went only in light shoes over rock or through snow, the most tireless of all the Fellowship.


and this about Elves in general,


Quote
They were thus capable of far greater and longer physical exertions (in pursuit of some dominant purpose of their minds) without weariness; they were not subject to diseases; they healed rapidly and completely after injuries that would have proved fatal to Men; and they could endure great physical pain for long periods.


That's pretty over the top! Smile


huzzlewhat
The Shire

Dec 22 2014, 3:41am

Post #6 of 25 (408 views)
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Longtime Legolas fan [In reply to] Can't Post

I'm a book-firster — Thranduil was my favorite character in The Hobbit before I knew he had a name beyond the title, and Legolas has been my favorite character in Lord of the Rings since before Orlando Bloom was born. (Yes, I'm old. :-)) And I'm a big fan of Legolas in the movies. I love the action sequences, because as you say, they show his ingenuity. As an example, I love the way the Mumakil takedown in ROTK is structured — it's so logically sequenced that it really does illustrate something about the character and how his mind works... such cool calculation even in the height of battle. Those who are going to be disgusted by them will still be, and some will be laughing derisively, but many of us will be laughing in delight at their outrageousness, invention, and sheer fun. I do think the stunts have become downright crazy, but they're really sort of an in-joke at this point. They're obviously something that Jackson & Co. enjoy, and they have an enthusiastic participant in Orlando Bloom, and it's clear to me that what's onscreen was a blast to film. I've always figured heck, the dude can walk on snow, after that, all the laws of physics are fair game — that allows me to just sit back and enjoy. :-)


mae govannen
Tol Eressea


Dec 22 2014, 3:42am

Post #7 of 25 (404 views)
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I find his stunts great, and a part of his Elvish personality [In reply to] Can't Post

that continues to show also in the LOTR Trilogy: he does like to show off!!!. He likes the OTT stuff, because every time the challenge is worthy of his taking it up.
I guess we just have to realize that first of all he is an Elf, and a Prince, heir to the Throne, who has to outdo other excellent warrior-Elves like Tauriel, and why not, outdo even Daddy Thranduil the Magnificent Two-Swords Warrior whom we discover with awe in the end, when he finally starts fighting.
Legolas doesn't speak much; his actions are his statements, his extraordinary physical abilities are for him simply his way of life.
What we ordinary humans see as OTT stunts are for Legolas just the use of these Elvish skills he has developed to an extreme degree, having probably nothing else to do at the court of his father King Thranduil. The only way left for him to excel on his own has been his fighting prowess. And the least we have to admit is that he is quite efficient!!! Laugh

'Is everything sad going to come untrue?'
(Sam, 'The Field of Cormallen', in 'The Return of the King'.)


mae govannen
Tol Eressea


Dec 22 2014, 3:49am

Post #8 of 25 (393 views)
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Exactly!... Great quotes as well...! [In reply to] Can't Post

Elves just ARE OTT to start with; Legolas is only a little more OTT than the other Elves, that's all...
Well said, Laineth! Wink

'Is everything sad going to come untrue?'
(Sam, 'The Field of Cormallen', in 'The Return of the King'.)


mae govannen
Tol Eressea


Dec 22 2014, 3:55am

Post #9 of 25 (386 views)
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He was my favorite, but otherwise I agree [In reply to] Can't Post

with your comments about this mirror action between the two...
And the super result in his case is that Thorin then has again Orcrist in his hand to kill Azog: Orcrist had been taken from him by Legolas at the time of the spiders, and Legolas had been using it since then... Good for him that he felt he should now give it back to Thorin!!! HeartCool

'Is everything sad going to come untrue?'
(Sam, 'The Field of Cormallen', in 'The Return of the King'.)


mae govannen
Tol Eressea


Dec 22 2014, 4:02am

Post #10 of 25 (372 views)
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Agree totally with you on all this, Loreilme!. [In reply to] Can't Post

In the Review of BOTFA that I just added yesterday to the big OFFICIAL REVIEW THREAD, the whole ending is about the Mirkwood Elves and particularly Legolas, together with the important usefulness of the Tauriel-Kili deep love-story.

'Is everything sad going to come untrue?'
(Sam, 'The Field of Cormallen', in 'The Return of the King'.)


mae govannen
Tol Eressea


Dec 22 2014, 4:07am

Post #11 of 25 (377 views)
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*Standing applause!!!* [In reply to] Can't Post

from another elderly long-time fan of Legolas!!!
I agree with your every word. Thank you for writing this!...Wink

'Is everything sad going to come untrue?'
(Sam, 'The Field of Cormallen', in 'The Return of the King'.)


tarasaurus
Rohan


Dec 22 2014, 4:12am

Post #12 of 25 (375 views)
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Love him :) [In reply to] Can't Post

I'm completely fine with him being in the movies and loved him in LOTR. I liked him in the books as well. I LOVE his choreography in the movies, it's so interesting to watch, and it's almost traditional to give him some corny stunts here and there. I think the only movie he didn't have them in was FOTR (???), and walking on snow doesn't count!


DigificWriter
Lorien

Dec 22 2014, 4:16am

Post #13 of 25 (382 views)
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The thing that I like... [In reply to] Can't Post

... about Legolas' inclusion in the Hobbit films is that, when they're watched in their correct chronological sequence, he'll have a nice little character journey, going from someone who was willing to follow his father's proclamations unequestioningly to someone who ventures out into the wider world and develops an unbreakable bond of friendship with a Dwarf (incidentally following in the footsteps of the woman he clearly loved romantically - Tauriel) and a Man (whom his own father, incidentally, tells him to seek out).


Loresilme
Valinor


Dec 22 2014, 4:30am

Post #14 of 25 (370 views)
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Walking on snow [In reply to] Can't Post

That was great - when I finally realized it Laugh. I don't know how I missed it, but I must have watched FOTR a dozen times before it dawned on me that he was walking *on* the snow BlushCrazy!


Scorchster
Rivendell


Dec 22 2014, 4:34am

Post #15 of 25 (371 views)
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Well he did ride the Cave-troll in FOTR... [In reply to] Can't Post

.. So that probably counts towards his crazy stunt count!


tarasaurus
Rohan


Dec 22 2014, 4:44am

Post #16 of 25 (358 views)
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aaah yes! [In reply to] Can't Post

I knew I forgot one! It's actually a relatively downplayed stunt compared to the others, ha!!


delius82
Rivendell

Dec 22 2014, 6:09am

Post #17 of 25 (359 views)
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I liked him much more in The Battle of Five Armies... [In reply to] Can't Post

...than I did in The Desolation of Smaug. I feel he really opened up as a character.


MouthofSauron
Tol Eressea


Dec 22 2014, 6:31am

Post #18 of 25 (355 views)
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PJ just can't make a middle-earth film without Legolas ... [In reply to] Can't Post

I think his hand was forced for AUJ. I'm not saying i don't like the character but he almost has more screen time than bilbo.


The flames of war are upon you..

(This post was edited by MouthofSauron on Dec 22 2014, 6:32am)


Glorfindela
Valinor


Dec 22 2014, 11:06am

Post #19 of 25 (285 views)
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At least [In reply to] Can't Post

They kept him out of most of the film until right until the end. I disliked him in DoS (ruined the fllm for me), but can mostly ignore him in this one because there's so much great stuff going on around him.


In Reply To
I think his hand was forced for AUJ. I'm not saying i don't like the character but he almost has more screen time than bilbo.



arithmancer
Grey Havens


Dec 22 2014, 5:24pm

Post #20 of 25 (222 views)
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I also liked... [In reply to] Can't Post

a moment in the final fight of FotR, wth Lurtz's Orcs, where he stabbed an Orc with an arrow he had already nocked in his bow, then shot the next Orc!



hobbitylass
Bree


Dec 22 2014, 5:40pm

Post #21 of 25 (244 views)
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I finally figured out what bothered me about Legolas in these movies [In reply to] Can't Post

and it's a purely personal thing, I'm sure.

His grim demeanor and slightly downturned mouth, coupled with his face being a bit fuller and the eyes a little too blue, reminded me of Joffrey from the Game of Thrones TV series. Instant subliminal dislike that I wasn't able to shake.

I love him in the LotR movies, but here he never clicked with me, and I'm glad I at least realized the reason.

Again, purely personal, no knock against Orlando or anything else, other than an unfortunate resemblance to someone despicable.


VeArkenstone
Lorien

Dec 22 2014, 10:11pm

Post #22 of 25 (205 views)
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Orlando Bloom's Legolas is amazing! [In reply to] Can't Post

I love him in the Trilogy but I think in the The Hobbit movies he has come into his own. I love his fighting style, it is soooo smooth. He has filled out and matured in The Hobbit movies and he just keeps getting better and better. Whew!

Please, call me Ve.


Ruxendil_Thoorg
Tol Eressea


Dec 22 2014, 11:20pm

Post #23 of 25 (198 views)
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"like" [In reply to] Can't Post

Spoilers beware. In case that still needs saying.

I liked how Legolas stood up for Tauriel, more than once, even against his own royal father.

I also liked how at the end he lets her go, and goes off to do his own thing, without requiring an awkward buh-bye, see ya, no longer gonna see ya, I need some space, it's not you it's, no wait, yeah, its you, No She-Elf No Cry. He did right by her and gave her a fair chance, but there's a point where it needs to stop, for his own good. Admirable to be able to move on like that.

I liked his action style in that he managed to avoid surfing, for once. Every other film in which he appeared, he surfs something. A cave troll in Moria. A teetering rock over a bottomless Moria pit. Stairs at Helms Deep. Oliphaunt's trunk at Pelennor. Spider carcasses in Mirkwood. Orc corpses, and Dwarf heads, along and on the River. I've written a parody of a Beach Boys song about him.

I'm ok that it was OTT for him to hangglide from a bat (King Kong reference, ya?), steer a giant troll monster and simultaneously create a makeshift bridge, and sprint-climb up falling rock bricks in mid-air, perhaps giving the term rock-climbing a new meaning (maybe Elves do it as a sport?). OTT is what Legolas does. for me, it did not take me out of the film, though perhaps I chuckled a bit.

I liked that he ran out of ammo just when he needed it most. It had to happen eventually.

I loved how he repaid Thorin's favor from DOS, by timely Orcrist-throw. (Also loved Thorin's timely reach-n-grab just as the Orc fell!) Also loved how Legolas was rather reluctant to do it at first, ha!Laugh

Unlike in DOS, in this movie his CGI-blue eyes didn't bother me as much..maybe it was done more mutedly this time?

It didnt bother me that he took Beorn's role as Bolg's slayer. Beorn just hadn't been set up enough to be the guy. I'd have preferred more Beorn overall, but giving the Bolg kill to Legolas was fine by me bc it had been set up.

I enjoyed his and Tauriel's scouting expedition to Gundabad. Showing Gundabad gave it the prominence that it deserved considering its significance to the plot. I would have preferred to see Wargs, and to see Bats doing more other than serve as Legolas' impromptu chopper support. Maybe the EE?

Final note, I'm a bit biased toward Legolas because I am partial to Elves. I like seeing Elf style super-action at its best. It was one of many things I've admired about the M-e film saga.

So, I declare myself a Legolas supporter and appreciator! Where do I sign? Wink

***
-The Return Journey-

Some say home, it is a shelter where one hides from the rain.

Some say home, it is a treasure great hosts rise up to claim.

Some say home, it is a memory that burned bright in the flames.

I say home, it’s the beginning where you come back again.


It’s the feet afraid of walking that never learn to run.

It’s the stone afraid of losing that never can be won.

It’s the bow afraid of yielding that cannot seem to bend,

And the pride afraid of bowing that never keeps a friend.


When the fight has been too bloody and the road has been too long,

And you think that home is only for the lucky and the strong,

Just remember, on the mountain, in the wild and bitter snow,

You will find your seed of courage, and you'll earn your journey home.

* * *
http://newboards.theonering.net/...forum_view_expanded;


Elentari03
Rivendell

Dec 24 2014, 8:59am

Post #24 of 25 (165 views)
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Quite sure you are not the only one. [In reply to] Can't Post

I really enjoyed his friendship with Gimli in LOTR. Thought the two actors did a lot with it. His story in the Hobbit had potential, too, but (imo) it was derailed by the Tauriel story and the stunts in the barrels and vs. Bolg. He seemed to have less character depth in the Hobbit movies than he did in his scenes with Gimli and Aragorn in LOTR.


Adrianna
Lorien

Dec 30 2014, 6:00am

Post #25 of 25 (134 views)
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l like Legolas. [In reply to] Can't Post

I am a fan of Legolas.


I think he gets a bad rap in BOFA. I went for a second viewing of the movie and for me it clearly shows that he had some strong feelings for Tauriel.


The Legolas we see in the LOTR is different then the one in BOFA.

I would of preferred a different storyline in BOFA for that transition over to
LOTR even though the one they did tied into his father's view of being such an isolationist.

 
 

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