Lord of the Rings Trilogy

[jimsteele]

Hey all. I am new to this, and thought it was a great place to discuss my film opinions. I actually discovered Movie Poop Shoot when I was watching Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and have only just signed up. But anyway, many of my friends have told me that they think that The Lord Of The Rings Movies are crap, and not anything compared to the books. I have read the books 17 times, and they are my favourites, and I thought that the movies were just as good. They captured what Tolkien was writing about. The movies are also my favourites, and I was just wondering what you guys thought.<FORM METHOD=POST ACTION="http://www.moviepoopshoot.com/forums/dopoll.php"><INPUT TYPE=HIDDEN NAME="pollname" VALUE="1049181721jimsteele">


Lord of the Rings: what do you think?
<input type="radio" name="option" value="1" />Greatest movies ever made, as good as the books
<input type="radio" name="option" value="2" />OK, But the books were better
<input type="radio" name="option" value="3" />Had nothing on the books
<input type="radio" name="option" value="4" />I am going to find Peter Jackson and hurt him
<INPUT TYPE=Submit NAME=Submit VALUE="Submit vote" class="buttons"></form>
Thank you very much for taking part in this. I look forward to seeing the results, and please, post your opinions and e-mail me.
Thanks, Jim

[Crystal]

I couldn't vote. I only read 'The Hobbit' and I wasn't impressed. With my attention span, the story seemed to move sooooo slooooow. Fantasy is my favorite genre, at least book-wise, so Tolkien wasn't exactly creating new and exciting worlds by the time I got to it, because all the authors I read had got to him first...I think that's why anyway. I wouldn't say 'The Hobbit' was bad, just not that exciting. Decent, though.

But I liked the first LOTR movie. Much more exciting than reading the books and it gave me pictures to look at that I hadn't seen in my mind when I was reading 'The Hobbit'. I was really impressed with the first one but I haven't seen the second one yet though.

[Brucmack]

It's hard to compare The Hobbit to the real trilogy... the reason being that it is a book intended for children, without the deep dark baddies in it. And as such it takes on a much different tone than the trilogy. It is a much more cheerful and carefree book, and does take longer to play out than the trilogy.

As for the movies, I liked Fellowship more than Towers... some of the elements they put into Towers didn't sit well with me, like the character of Faramir and some of the extra drama they added. Of course it was as visually stunning as the first, however.

[Jessica]

Yeah, the Faramir thing bugged me too.. But overall, I have really loved both movies! I think they are doing a phenomenal job!

[JK]

"The Hobbit" was the first book I read all by myself, I was seven going on eight. I've read the trilogy every year ever since. When I heard the movies were being made, I had mixed emotions- I didn't want the images I had cultivated in my head for the past 22 years to be changed, but I was excited as well- a live action Lord of the Rings! I'm happy to say I am in no way dissappointed! My best friend thinks I need help- it seems like everytime he calls I'm watching FOTR. My girl and I want to use the sound track when we get married this year. Am I obsessed? Probably. But who cares? They're good movies, very well made.

Oh, a little tid-bit if'n y'all haven't heard it yet- apparently Sauron will be making an appearance in the final battle. Another departure from the books, but I have faith Jackson can pull it off without pissing off the hardcore fans of the books.

[themysca]

well, I read all (yes, all) the Tolkien books, and as i think that the two first movies get the idea of the Tolkien world, I'm soory they mix the story that much, skip some nice and essential passage to me (where's Tom in the FOTR ?) and they had a little too much drama for me. I know, I know, when you've got Aerosmith daughter in a movie like that, you give her lines, but as she does well and is a very cute elve, those part are useless. And what about those guys coming late in the battle in TT ? That's not a John Wayne western ! But the actors are well chosen, and Ian McKuellen impress me once more.

[SnowBall]

lord of the rings sucks, im sorry but i would never pay to see that

[bstie1198]

To me, Fellowship felt truer to the book, mostly because of how the treated Faramir (one of my fav characters) in Towers. I'm thinking I'll enjoy Two Towers better in extended edtion, though, as I was much happier having seen the extended edition of Fellowship.

[Robbo_the_Hood]

I really don't like how they are making the dwarf the comic relief in these movies. In the books it's Merry and Pippin as the comic relief. But hey, that's the only thing bad I can say about the movies so far.

Of course there's lots of little things about it that aren't going to be totally accurate. I loved Gollum. He's going to be the next Yoda.

[Razorback]

I love the books (I have read them a few times). I absolutely loved FOTR (the movie). However, while I thought TTT (the movie) was a very good action movie with some good plot it was just too much of a change from the book and missed a large portion of the story. I am hoping for a better movie with ROTK. It will probably be the most action packed movie ever made so it should not be boring but PJ and crew have so many blanks to fill in that I am afraid that the movie might disappoint me.

RB

[Omaru]

I cant really comment, I've only seen the first film once and I didn't like it much and that was the original DVD edition, not the four disc edition that restored another 30 minutes.. maybe I'll watch it again but its finding the time for a 3 hour film.

[themysca]

Gollum never manage to go like my favorite green little Yoda

[JK]

This will show just how much of a geek I am- All the extra scenes with Arwen used in The Two Towers that so many people were offended by are actually taken from The Silmarillion and can also be found in the Appendices in The Return of the King (in some editions) Arwen lives on long, LONG after Aragorn dies and the last ship leaves for the Havens. She does become the Lady of the Wood and eventually allows herself to die and is enshrined in what is left of Lothlorien.

[Razorback]

Which is why I was not bothered by those scenes with Arwen (and they were taken from the appendixes in ROTK, I don't remember anything about that in the Silmarillion).

I was bothered by the silly departures from the book that did not make the story better.

RB

[JK]

Aragorn and Arwen were mentioned in passing in the last chapter of the Silmarillion, but all the details were in the ROTK.

I was perturbed about the abscence of Fangorn Forest in the battle of Helms Deep and the journey of Faraimir and Frodo to Osgiliath, but I was happy with the extra Liv Tyler... Maybe it was the ears.

[Razorback]

Faramir was just... disappointing. I wasn't bothered by the actor just the way he was written.

RB

[bmxryda4evr]

i think that The Lord Of the Rings was a great movie.when it first came out i was like" the movie is gonna suck" but then i saw it and it totally changed my mind about it and i cant wait till the last one comes out cause it shall be good. and from what i hear about the books it sounds like they did a great job on the movies and had done them exactly like it which is great. sometime i hope to read the books.

[Razorback]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
and from what i hear about the books it sounds like they did a great job on the movies and had done them exactly like it which is great

[/ QUOTE ]

Not remotely. Not even close. Fellowship of the Ring: Special Edition was a good version of the book but The Two Towers (theatrical release) was only slightly like the book. Anyone who told you otherwise has never read the books or read them so long ago that they don't know better.

RB

[SecretArt]

*yawn* sorry but i'm so on Lord of the rings overload...the books are classics but the films whilst watchable and enjoyable for what they are, in my opinion are nothing special.

and if i see one more picture of orlando Bloom or Elijah Wood....araghhh!

[DarthMaulRat]

I think LOTR is really the Jurassic Park of the New Millenium.

Honesty, JP was a great book and its also an excellent movie (if you don't believe me, watch it again. The movie was so much more than a special effects gimmick). But the two have enough differences to be considered entirely seperate works, only connected by concept.

The actual books and the adaptation will always be different because they are two different mediums that work by different rules. The most important being that a book can be read in increments while a movie needs considerable momentum to make sure plot points are hit logically and within a certain time limit.

The fact that LOTR and TTT are both over 3 hours yet enjoyable enough to sit through comfortably is an accomplishment in itself. The fact that Peter Jackson has the balls to try and attempt a project of this magnitude is also quite impressive. If he really botched this project (see: dancing kangaroos), his house would be covered in fresh flaming manure sacks every day, for the rest of his life.

[Razorback]

He came close to botching TTT.

RB

[DarthMaulRat]

Awwww, come on!

I don't want to cut you down, but don't you ever just see a movie for some fun or entertainment? You know, as they say in the critic lingo, a "good popcorn flick"? I don't remember hearing 90 people coming out of the midnight premiere of TTT moaning, "gahhhh! That was a waste of my life! It was sooooo painful to sit through! It didn't follow the book! You could haul Rosie O'Donnel's ass through those plot holes!"

At the end of the screening I attended, this guy stood up and started clapping furiously. He was dressed up as an elf in green spandex, complete with a bow. If he's not a fan, then I don't know who is.

Now, I never read the books, I'm a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy person myself, but if reading the LOTR trilogy is going to ruin all of my fun, then I'll just give up on literature now.

[Razorback]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
I don't want to cut you down, but don't you ever just see a movie for some fun or entertainment?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yup... Star Wars.

I have too much time invested in the LOTR experience (from the books etc) to just simply "enjoy" a raping of the story. I am not one of those Tolkien Purist, in fact I loved FOTR despite its many changes because I felt that it did not stray too far from the original story (though it did stray far enough). TTT was just too much of a departure from the spirit of the story for me to love it.

I did like TTT and strangely enough saw it more times at the theater than I did see FOTR (though mostly because I went with different people, who wanted to see it badly). I just can't see it as a masterpiece or even a great movie overall. I can only say that it is one of the best action movies ever made... but for me that is not saying much after the brilliance of FOTR.

I pray that ROTK is more FOTR-like (in the sense that it remains within the Tolkien spirit and less within the PJ madness).

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
Now, I never read the books, I'm a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy person myself, but if reading the LOTR trilogy is going to ruin all of my fun, then I'll just give up on literature now.

[/ QUOTE ]

You are lucky. I think you will be able to love both. A friend of mine did not read FOTR or TTT until he had seen the movies and he said that while the books "fill in the blanks" and explain the story better that he still loves the movies.

His theory is that if you have read the books and loved them that it is hard to love the movies. I almost agree except for the fact that I love FOTR as a movie.

Another friend, who read the books years ago loved FOTR (the movie) and then went back and read the books (all of them) and HATED TTT. His theory is that you should not read the books right before seeing the movies (I read TTT again a week before I saw the movie). So I am not reading ROTK this year and instead re-reading the Silmarillion. /forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

RB