hey (nervous talker here) i just watched the movie and that first scene with thranduil and thorin was really good but it made me feel incredibly uncomfortable. the way thranduil talks and his strange snake-like movements and sudden changes in demeanor felt unnatural to me. i don't know if it was cut in a weird way or if it was deliberate but that's how it made me feel. he actually came across as slightly mad and sick to me, like the forest. did he make you feel this way at all or is it just me?
Ahhh ok so I’m going to (with permission) publish this so I can hopefully get some more opinions on this because I personally find this very interesting c:
First of all; don’t be nervous. I LOVE discussion as long as it is on a mature level that insults no one, as this is :)
So then. I personally couldn’t have been happier with Lee’s performance. It was sheer perfection and one of the strongest acting performances in the whole movie in my opinion.
What I so especially loved was that we now have an elf who SHOWS EMOTION. A LOT. He has a lot of temper, he is cunning and charming, dark and intimidating, arrogant and proud. Lee managed to get all of this and more into his performance, despite butchered screen time. His quick changes in demeanor appealed very much to me, because it really showed what kind of character he is. He doesn’t play around, he is intelligent and very adaptable.
I loved the way he moved. It was incredibly graceful and filled with arrogance, but still elf-like and otherworldly. All these small notions of mannerism really added to the feel and the uniqueness of his performance for me.
As for his voice, it’s the same here. He could go from a deep manner of speech to a whisper in mere seconds, without any shown effort. It, for me at least, kept me very interested in his voice and Lee has once again created a completely unique thing for his character with his special way of speaking.
As for coming off as mad; I did not think so. However, my sister actually said that he, while not coming off as insane to her, came off as …. weird. Different. So I’m not saying you are wrong. I would love to hear more opinions on this because it is certainly interesting. Avid Thranduil fans does not seem to think (from what I’ve seen) that Lee’s portrayal made him seem mad, but other people who does not care as much about him as his fans has also dropped these remarks. I do not agree with it though, but opinions are opinions and are meant to be shared in a respectful manner :)
I think people might have been a bit tipped off because he is so very different from all the other elves we have met?
I rambled way too much, but my point is that I loved every second of it. For me this was the most interesting and most natural performance on screen, I am very, very impressed, Thranduil is one of the most complex characters of the whole trilogy in my opinion and Lee owned this role.
OPINIONS????