Lord of the Rings - Off Topic

but i love the optinal sidequests. you're right though. not necessary at all and i suppose thats why he fell to the editors axe. if they put in everything everyone wanted, it would take less time to read the books than to watch the movie.

[Yorick]

Whoa Kalgrog, keep your shirt on. I said I was anticipating the film.

When you read a book though you can have strong images in the mind of certain faces, landscapes and events. As the human mind often interprets 'different' as 'wrong' there is a natural disappointment to be had when scenes or characters differ from expectation.

I don't think technology will catch a with any great writers imagination soon if ever. Creative mediums often fall short of the creators mental picture anyway.

I wasn't knocking it down as obsolete just offering my feedback as per rip.slaughters request. The three no's and one yuk I wrote were answers to rips respective questions.
As I've already stated, I can't wait.

[Yorick]

Hmmm... I re-read my first reply and the tone IS pretty negative. I think it was because I started with the original LOR film. It was an absolute shocker. Really bad, and they only got up to the Ringwraith attack near the river or something. Has anyone else seen it?

I'll enjoy it Kalgrog don't you worry, but calling me an egotistical perfectionist was probably the wrong context. If I'd written the movie and was whineing or complaining despite the best endeavours the team had made, you may well be right. As an objective observer what I am is a critic. (And according to the saying isn't everyone one of those?)

Sorry if I upset you mate.

First of all, I would like to apologize to Yorick if you thought that the "you" in my sentence about perfectionists was really about you. It wasn't, in fact. It was a "you" in a more general sense of anyone acting in that manner. The reason I went on a rampage (yes, I realize I blew my lid a little) is for the simple fact that there are really no great fantasy movies made today. And since hearing about Lotr the movie, I have felt that finally someone can show the world the true epic and wonderful worlds that are to be found in fantasy. I did get a sense of overall negativity from your first post and a little defeatism, as if there could never be a good fantasy movie made of a great work like this. It depressed me, I suppose. Hence, my first rant. I hope no one's feelings were hurt and that you all give these guys making these three movies a little benefit of the doubt and some credit for taking on such a titanic effort in bringing Tolkien's world to life.

P.S. Boy, OU sure kicked the crap out of FSU! Go Sooners!

I think it's important to address the issue of Tom Bombadil a little farther. This is one the most pivotal points in the whole series, although many people do not usually think into it enough to realize that. When the (earlier stage of the) fellowship enter the Barrow Downs, they are captured by the wights...long dead ghosts of kings and barons who have taken a semi-corporeal form. These wights would have been the end of the party if it wasn't for the intervention of Tom Bombadil. Now, one could argue that there were many instances in which the party's well being was at stake, and the interjacence of a minor character had saved them, but this single mediation was far more important than any others. This is simply due to the fact that the outcome of this was that the fellowship acquired the barrow daggers. One of these barrow daggers played a key role in the slaying of the Lord of the Nazgul at the Battle of Pelennor Fields. This, in conjunction with other important aspects of the battle, led to a victory for the forces of Gondor. So in retrospect, if it wasn't for the intervention of Tom Bombadil the fellowship would never have reached Gondor and the Battle Of Pelennor Fields may have been at lost. It goes without saying that Tom Bombadil also played other key roles in the book (i.e. Old Man Willow) To leave good ole Tom out of the movie would be a severe injustice and I hope that nothing is set in stone as of yet.

Tom getting left out is set in stone. check out the web page "theonering.com" and it will give you updates. Lots of Tolkien fans were pissed about Tom's death on the editing table. The barrow knives are a good point but i'm sure Peter Jackson has found a way around that (they'll probably nd up being gifts from Elrond or someone).

Some good points well made, I personally feel that if this were to be a true representation of the book then no points should be missed, including the fellowships fortunate meeting with Tom Bombadil.

However we do not hold the purse strings for this enviable project and I am sure that if this is the only area they use a bit of directors artistic licence, then I am sure that we will be in for a special film.

The above leads me into my next comment and follows an earlier point raised by our earstwhile Yorick " They're two different mediums. What works in the minds eye doesn't always translate." which in itself is very true. one of the traits that make people special is their imagination and that two people do not think alike, however Tolkien had a very special and coloured imagination and his descriptive verse was so well thought through that I am sure that most peoples minds eye picture of middle earth and the people, races, cities, buildings etc. that inhabit it will be similar. If Peter Jackson the director manages to capure that at least in part then I am sure that people will see these in the film and this will make it seem "familiar", and will help the crossover from book to film. Although things like the terrain, mountains, etc will be hard pressed to copy as these will be limited to where the filming takes place i.e. New Zealand and not Middle Earth.... Can't have everything I suppose.

Anyway we can only wait and see what christmas 2001 brings.

[omegadawn]

What, No Tom Bombadil? That makes me question the integrity of the whole project. Previous posts menton his symbolic importance in describing the threat of the enemy, but what about the fun factor! The songs and dance, his beautiful abode. Some light to balance the growing dark in the land.
Maybe I'm just a purist that doesn't believe in subjective Interpretations of literature into film, but objective portrayals, what ever the cost.
Come on, with a budget like that you don't need cut out a favorite character like Tom Bombadil. Its just not the complete LOTR without him.
Well I'm heading over to the movie sight, which I haven't checked up on in a few months, to check out the trailer and file my complaint.

After reading all this i may just have to go and read the books again, oh btw i am only 19 and i have read the lord of the rings several times, got all the books (and the hobbit as well) and i think it is pretty good. Maybe its the best ever, though it's too hard to really give somthing the title "best ever".

A film woudl do wonders, even in my old age I see the kids that somtimes babysit for sitting in front of Playstations, watching crappy TV or playing pokemon. what? wheres the books gone? i think the only way to get kids these days to actually take a look at somthing is to plaster it on the TV. It woudl be worth making even if it just got more kids reading into the genre, heck, reading at all.

I remeber the film of DUNE, i have it on DVD here somewhere, and although it was not how I understood the book to be, it was An interpretation, and it was mentioned ealier that its good to see other peoples versions of the same story. It always helps when you go back and read it again.

As for the whole Tom thing, i guess what is integral to the plot is arguable. There is so much to put into the film, that it woudl take millions to repreduce the books in the same depth in film format ( though i would have loved to see them do it!!) thats what they employ directors and producers for i guess.

Welli cannot wait for it, even if its not as good as i hope. I will still buy it, and i will still watch it. hats the thing about this sort of thing, no matter how crap it is, i will still buy it. You have to.

Bazz

Anyone who has read the LOTR series should notice that I am a fan just by looking at my name,


- Elrond