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tarcolan
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Post Should we be thankful for the movies?
on: October 12, 2014 10:10
There are those who love the Hobbit movies and others who have a few issues with them, to put it mildly. I am one such, but I was given cause to reconsider by something John Howe said. That PJ would do for Dwarves what Tolkien had done for Elves, "removing what nursery rhyme and folktale have done, which is to diminish them". To give them back the dignity and history they had lost. There is a tendency to belittle and ridicule that which we don't understand, to rob it of its power. Whatever else you may think, should we be thankful?
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Gandolorin
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on: October 14, 2014 12:43
OK, John Howe knows more than we do. I reserve judgment until TH 3 comes out, perhaps even to its EE. The EE of AuP certainly mostly made them seem to be juvenile, or to use another term, sophomoric in the additional material. Some backgroud / flashback material (Smaug's attack, the Battle of Azanulbizar with its obviously massive error in leaving Azog alive and not killed by Dáin Ironfoot) does show grandeur, but the 13 Dwarves of TH so far - Gimli of LoTR by himself seems more fearsome to me in his grim moods than the whole lot together.
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Lindarielwen
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on: October 15, 2014 06:30
All of you who know me, are well aware of how I feel about the movies. I never heard of Tolkien, LotR, Hobbit, et al until that fateful day at the library when I saw a dvd that caught my attention...this Fellowship of the Ring. I took it home and watched it, and watched it, and watched it....That was it, I was hooked.

I was totally clueless about all of it. Maybe that was a good thing. I had no expectations when I watched TTT and when RotK was released, I sat in wonder at the cinema, basking in the grandeur of it.

It was years later, when I found this site, that I realized the depth of Middle-earth. Languages to study. History and geography to learn. Games to play. Opinions to agree or disagree with.

Since then, I have read the books and was surprised at some of the changes Jackson made. Characters saying other character's words. Parts left out or changed completely.

As far as the Hobbit movies are concerned, I like the addition of Tauriel. The Hobbit does not move me as does LotR but it is a different book, a different story, a different time. I still love it even with all the changes and additions and subtractions. Some changes I could have done without, however I do not think any movie based on a book is canon. But do I care? No, not at all. I watch the movies for what they are...movies. Movies that are based on the books.

Thankful? You bet I am. Without the movies, without this site, I never would have met any of you.

[Edited on 10/15/2014 by Lindarielwen]
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Gandolorin
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on: October 15, 2014 12:12
I have the impression that Rivka started this site as a reaction to the LoTR films. Very much a point in their favor, as I can state unequivocally after almost 11 months of membership. Image
And no question, the films brought millions of new readers to the books. There's this number of 13 Million trilogies sold in one year after FoTR appeared in the US alone. Image

And here I would throw in a suggestive book-nerd hypothesis: Image
Of the millions of new readers created by the films, certainly many wanted to go to the book source of their own volition. But how many (more???) were there who needed a little nudge from friends belonging to the tens of Millions of pre-film fans who told them something like "the films are OK, but to REALLY get it, you HAVE to read the book."

A similar suggestion is something I would guess to be pretty much to totally out of the question with TH. Image
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findemaxam48
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on: October 15, 2014 12:26
I think we should be grateful for what we get. I personally got a hold on the books first, and then the movies, as I was too young to view PG-13 films when I read the books. But the movies opened up so much more depth for me, being young.

We are also lucky that PJ got these films, not only for the Trilogy, but for TH also. Imagine how many more complaints we could have if a director other than PJ directed TH.

There were also animated movies, a long time ago. I have seen them. Though they are more accurate,the modern ones really capture some of the scenery and bring more depth to the languages, the characters, the places, and the people. Not to mention events.

So, yes. We should, in my opinion, be thankful.
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tarcolan
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on: October 15, 2014 12:53
I'd agree Maxie. Being a bookie I was not expecting too much of LOTR but was astounded by how well that world had been portrayed. Then I was amazed at the care and attention put in by all the fans who worked on the films. And yes Gando, without them there would be no CoE.

I'm happy enough with the portrayal of the Dwarves, despite the comedy bits. They are certainly a lot better than the garden gnome depiction in children's books and Disney films.
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Evil~Shieldmaiden
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on: October 15, 2014 01:46
I have read the books numerous times over the years and continue to enjoy them enormously. Although The Hobbit is not a personal favourite.

As far as the Lord of the Rings films are concerned, I have only seen two films: I have yet to watch The Return of the King, despite having several copies of it. I tend to look at the "making of" section instead of watching the film itself. I have promised myself that I will watch the movies this winter, including the Return of the King.

I enjoyed the first film, which is the closest to its book; but I was disappointed in the second film, which I felt wasn't as well directed, or acted. The fact that canon wasn't followed to the letter didn't bother me as I'm a realist, and recognize that it is virtually impossible to fully translate a book into film without extensive editing. As for the portrayal of the Elves in the films: the less said the better on my part.

I have not seen The Hobbit. Frankly, I'm not overly fond of the book and the idea of watching it on film doesn't float my boat, so to speak. I will likely watch it at some point, but who knows when. I have been interested in the various reviews, and comments, that have been posted on the site, as they seem to indicate a certain divisiveness regarding PJ's vision of the events in the book.
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Gandolorin
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on: October 15, 2014 03:12
Evil~Shieldmaiden said:

You've given me too much to comment on, E~S. I will say one thing: RoTK is a tour-de-force, especially the 4-hour EE. The theater version is 3-hours 12. Deviations from canon yes (the Dead Men of Dunharrow mop up the Mûmakil troops and the rest, are decisive in the battle - instead of being vanishing at Pelargir). And there's no crisis in the Shire to contend with. But the last words of the film are those of Sam in the book: "Well, I'm back." Brought tears to my eyes.

TH: AuP is fairly close to canon (very much beyond TH the book!). Except for Azog, of course. DoS is very much further from canon. As films with a very weak link to JRRT, they are really good. Fanfic, I would say. But forget canon.
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Dolwen
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on: October 15, 2014 04:55
I also am thankful for the movies, without them I may never have come across Tolkien and without Tolkien I may not be the book lover that I am today as he was the one who started me on that journey as well. The movies have brought tons of new fans to the LotR book and beyond. The LotR movies will always hold a special place for me. TH movies not so. Like Evil Shieldmaiden, I am not overly fond of the book so perhaps that is why I have had such a hard time getting into the movies(and I have really tried) or the fact that I read the book before the movies came out and my expectations were too high or simply that I think PJ went a bit overboard in the LotR nods, additions and special effects all taking away from the story. Whatever the reason, I am still grateful that the movies were made for the same reason I am about LotR. Though it would have been wonderful for the TH movies to have the same kind of magic that the LotR movies had. Maybe in trying to do so is where PJ failed. I will say though that I have grown to like most things about PJ's dwarves, they each have their own personalities which wasn't as evident in the book. Though I will never feel for TH movies what I do for LotR perhaps someday I will be able to just enjoy them for what they are more that I do now. Maybe the third will redeem all.

Evil Shieldmaiden, I second what Gandolorin has said about RotK especially the extended edition. It is amazing, my absolute favorite of the three and definitely worth seeing.

[Edited on 10/15/2014 by Dolwen]
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