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Regarding LOTR

posted 5 years ago by Deathcreeper (105)
25 replies | jump to latest

I remember I used to frequent the IMDB message boards. The LOTR boards were decent. Lots of Jacksonittes would go crazy if you pointed out any flaws in the films.

Since then I’ve noticed online there are a lot of purists who claim Jackson got it wrong on so many levels, regarding themes, characters and missing out integral parts of the stories.

Personally I think he did a fantastic job, I hear some complaints and take them on board. But all in all I think he delivered.

[–] Moonglum9 (11320) 5 years ago

I think he did as good a job as can be done in translating the books to a cinematic universe. And that has been my favorite book series since I was a kid, so if it totally missed the mark, I would definitely say so.

[–] actionkamen (23176) 5 years ago

It was all right.

[–] ShogunofYonkers (78448) 5 years ago

They were great movies, very entertaining and the special effects were terrific

I could not finish The Hobbit though
That was not good

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Same here. I've tried a couple times and just lose interest.

It could just be that I hit my limit with the LOTR universe, because I really have no desire to try The Hobbit again.

[–] ShogunofYonkers (78448) 5 years ago

It should have been 2 long movies without all of the added bits

[–] CKid (3842) 5 years ago

I first read The Lord of the Rings when I was 12 years old (I'm 68 now) and I definitely loved those books.
I was very pleased with Peter Jackson's films in that he did an exceptional job in converting book to film.

Did he leave things out?
Yes.
BUT, and yes, this is a big but, he included a lot of what he left out in the extended Blu-ray editions of the films.

The only major thing that is still left out, as far as I'm concerned, is the book chapter titled, 'The Scouring of the Shire', which occurs near the end of 'The Return of the King'. This was integral to the overall story because, even though Mordor was defeated and Sauron was eliminated, the effects of what had happened still had to be dealt with when the four hobbits returned home.
Specifically, Saruman was still alive and causing trouble.

That being said, I do recognize that the film had to end. Many people complain that they hated the so-called multiple endings, so if Jackson were to include Scouring, he would have had to add at least another 30 minutes to the already long final film.

Thus I am more than content to pick up the book and read Scouring if I want to add it to the story the film tells.

[–] AndyKing1967 (39705) 5 years ago

Loved the Trilogy, but I’m one of those people who wasn’t too keen on the multiple endings.

[–] ShogunofYonkers (78448) 5 years ago

Great post C
As you say The Scouring would have added too much to an already very long movie but was nevertheless pretty important to the ending of the story
It showed that The Hobbits finally realized that they were part of the bigger world and needed to take a role

No complaints from me about the trilogy though, I thought it was pretty much perfect

[–] AndyKing1967 (39705) 5 years ago

I thought Jackson did a great job and pulled off what many believed was the impossible, however, I found the multiple endings were starting to resemble a Monty Python sketch.

[–] ShogunofYonkers (78448) 5 years ago

It was a very long ending but for whatever reason I didn't mind it

Everyone important to the (9 HOUR!) story got a final say and goodbye

I felt it was pretty fitting

[–] AndyKing1967 (39705) 5 years ago

Oh absolutely, which is why I was gently poking fun, rather than going down the ‘worst ending ever’ route.

[–] Otter (24464) 5 years ago

"Since then I’ve noticed online there are a lot of purists who claim Jackson got it wrong on so many levels, regarding themes, characters and missing out integral parts of the stories. "

Oh, the purists were there all along, and they're still there, since they're the main people who still care about LOTR 20 years after the films wrapped up.

So I'm an old Tolkien geek but not a purist when it comes to films, I understand that changes have to be made when adapting very long books to movies, and I approve of almost everything Jackson did. I think he did about a good a job as could be done! But here and there, you can see him starting to lose his grip on the editing and letting things run on too long, and by the time he'd made "The Hobbit" he'd completely lost the ability to make a good movie.

[–] Deathcreeper (105) 5 years ago

You could tell by the Hobbit films he was just phoning/cashing it in.

He no doubt didn’t have the energy to undertake another trilogy made to the LOTR’s standard and attention to detail.

Instead we got standard uninspiring cgi-ladden movies in the same league as wrath of the titans!

[–] Otter (24464) 5 years ago

I don't think that "phoning it in" was the problem with the godawful "Hobbit" movies, I think that at some point PJ lost the ability to edit films. Instead of keeping things tight and only putting things that forwarded the plot or genuinely impressed into the final cut, he got sloppy and just kept heaping anything and everything into his films. More fan-service dialogue, more cool shots, more monsters, more slow-mo shots of more monsters, more impossible things done with molten gold, more extraneous subplots, just MORE, until he's literally lost the plot. And if you'd followed his career the way I have, you can see that particular problem starting in the LOTR trilogy and getting worse and worse with subsequent films, and getting completely out of control with the "Hobbit" films.

I wonder if PJ lost the services of a very good editor somewhere along the way.

PS: Oh, and BTW, fabulous film critic Lindsay Ellis did a wonderful three-part documentary analysis of the "Hobbit" films and what went wrong with them, including some huge problems with the movie studios. Here's a link to part 1 - "A Long Expected Autopsy". Parts 2 and 3 are called "The Battle of 5 Studios" (there were five studios involved), and "The Desolation of Warners".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTRUQ-RKfUs

[–] Deathcreeper (105) 5 years ago

An admirable invective.

I’ll check out the link! Cheers

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

They were good. People are bored and stupid.

[–] AmeriGirl26 (15062) 5 years ago

They are some of the most awesome movies ever to hit cinemas, and I am so glad now that they were made in the early 2000s. I can't bear to think of what they would have been like, had some idiot tried to make them today. Peter Jackson did an amazing job with this trilogy, and it still holds up after nearly 20 years!

[–] Moonglum9 (11320) 5 years ago

Micheal Bay’s The Lord of the Rings!!!

KAPOWWW!!! BANGGGG!!! KERANGGGG!!!PEW-PEW!

[–] AndyKing1967 (39705) 5 years ago

I'm sold!

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

tbh there was a fair bit of that in it , our heroes charging into enemies that outnumber them vastly in either size or numbers , and just hacking away until things go their way like some kind of video game boss battle.