Characterization: Great-Awesome
Plot: Great-Awesome
I first picked up the Lord of the Rings books a couple of years before the movies came out. I was literally glued to the page the entire time. I'm a huge bookworm and I'd read many awesome stories before in my life, but I had never encountered world-building on such an epic scale. It is no secret by now that Tolkien was a linguist and that he made up the actual languages for his books. After finishing the books the sense of loss and my desire to relive the experiences in middle earth led me to start map-making and try my own hand at world-building. If you've read many other epic fantasy novels or series in the past - or if you're into some of the fantasy-based games out there, the world and plot may not seem very new, but keep in mind that most of what came after was based on or copied from Tolkien!
The movies were just as amazing as the originals. There are a few things I disliked about the adapatations, such as the excessive, excruciating scenes with Arwen in them, the fact that Faramir even considered taking the ring and some of Elijah Wood's acting. At the same time, however, there were things that the movies improved over the books. For example Tom Bombadil, the most boring part of the entire series, was thankfully cut out of the movies. Another example is the lengthy section where the army of Rohan takes a short-cut through the woods with the help of the natives who dwell in the woods - the description of these wood-dwellers in the book was very condescending and hard to stomach and, again, Jackson and co. made the wise decision of just cutting that part.
I've read the books several times and watched the movies repeatedly. The last time I read the books I found that I wasn't as into them as I would be if it was a sixth or seventh re-read of Harry Potter, for example. I was slightly bored/uninterested and ended up preferring to just re-watch the movies! On the other hand, while I sometimes find Frodo and Sam's lost in the wilderness with Gollum scenes boring this was not the case on my most recent viewing. I actually didn't mind them this time and wasn't tempted to press the forward button! :)
I think Tolkien's books are masterpieces, and I enjoyed reading them at least three or four times, but I would honestly recommend, if you are a little intimidated (or bored) by these large tomes, that you just skip to the movies. Peter Jackson and co did an awesome job, and this is what makes me most excited to see the Hobbit!
The movies were just as amazing as the originals. There are a few things I disliked about the adapatations, such as the excessive, excruciating scenes with Arwen in them, the fact that Faramir even considered taking the ring and some of Elijah Wood's acting. At the same time, however, there were things that the movies improved over the books. For example Tom Bombadil, the most boring part of the entire series, was thankfully cut out of the movies. Another example is the lengthy section where the army of Rohan takes a short-cut through the woods with the help of the natives who dwell in the woods - the description of these wood-dwellers in the book was very condescending and hard to stomach and, again, Jackson and co. made the wise decision of just cutting that part.
I've read the books several times and watched the movies repeatedly. The last time I read the books I found that I wasn't as into them as I would be if it was a sixth or seventh re-read of Harry Potter, for example. I was slightly bored/uninterested and ended up preferring to just re-watch the movies! On the other hand, while I sometimes find Frodo and Sam's lost in the wilderness with Gollum scenes boring this was not the case on my most recent viewing. I actually didn't mind them this time and wasn't tempted to press the forward button! :)
I think Tolkien's books are masterpieces, and I enjoyed reading them at least three or four times, but I would honestly recommend, if you are a little intimidated (or bored) by these large tomes, that you just skip to the movies. Peter Jackson and co did an awesome job, and this is what makes me most excited to see the Hobbit!
What a great coincidence that I literally just returned to my laptop after watching a huge part of the Return of the King on television and found your review! I actually turned back and re-watched the movies in these last couple of few weeks. I remember being bored out of my mind the very first time the first movie was released, and only a couple of years ago I did a huge mistake by buying the triology in Turkish translation, which is dreadful. But who in their right mind wouldn't bow to Tolkien? For a non-native though I have to admit the language is very trying, lol.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see The Hobbit! Did you see the production videos?
:D What a coincidence! I've definitely seen all the production videos and I'm waiting for something else to come out... a trailer, another production video, anything! lol
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