Any LOTR geeks here?

13

Replies

  • tappae
    tappae Posts: 568 Member
    Well, since the captain didn't get mauled, I'm offering myself up with an opposing viewpoint (though not on the poetry).

    I'm a huge LOTR geek, but I don't care for the movies. Don't get me wrong, they're probably the best possible LOTR movies (unless they did 6, that would be better). The cinematography was excellent, the set designs and costumes were fantastic. Visually, I thought they were awesome. Most of the acting was great and so was about half of the casting (Gandalf, Saruman, Galadriel, Gimli...). The other half not so much. All of the hobbits were way too young (Frodo was 50 when he left the Shire) and all of the elves were way too tall (in Middle Earth, elves are shorter than people).

    Now, I understand that they had to leave stuff out (unless they made 6 movies, right?), so I'm not really mad about that. I even understand why they left out my favorite character (Bombadil), even though he was arguably the most powerful character in the book. What really bothers me are the things that were added (like using Gimli and even Aragorn for comedic relief), particularly in the action scenes. I understand that Tolkien's versions were often less exciting, but they were certainly more believable. For instance, the black rider that they avoid in the Shire gets way too close in the movie. From that distance, he would have been able to smell a hobbit that had been walking for miles and nabbed him; end of movie. And the scene at the ford? They're just going to sit on their horses and get washed away by a flood? The bad guys from Home Alone would have been able to get out of the way!

    Anyway, I recently reread the books and it struck me that any accurate film adaptation would have to be a musical. Those guys sang at the drop of a hat. They're walking, they sing. They're eating, they sing. They're tired, they sing. They're happy, they sing. They're sad, they sing. They even sing while they're taking a bath together!
  • tappae
    tappae Posts: 568 Member
    I love LOTR. Read the books 8 times, seen the movies more times than I can count, own the extended editions, etc, etc.

    I can't wait for the Hobbit, either! Did anyone else hear about how it MIGHT be a trilogy instead of just two movies??? *fangirls* I think we should know for sure by the end of this week or so.

    REALLY?! what are they going to use content wise to fill it all? The unfinished tales and letters?

    I've heard that Radagast is in it for some reason.
  • Krizzo87
    Krizzo87 Posts: 14,186 Member
    BIG TIME!!! Love the movies AND books!!! :bigsmile:
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,605 Member
    I first read LOTR when I was very little. And I re-read it every year for maybe ten years. Aragorn son of Arathorn was my first love object...

    I liked the movies too. But I think it's essential to always approach films as a completely different thing from the books.
  • tappae
    tappae Posts: 568 Member
    So I'm wondering if Peter Jackson will do a Silmarilon movie in 10 parts?

    So want to see Beren and Luthien, the fall of Gondolin, Feanor and the Balrogs....

    I'd be orgasming the entire movie if that happened. But it never will, that book is impossible to film

    You're right that they couldn't do the whole thing, but they could make great movies out of sections of it, like Beren and Luthien or Turin Turambar. Some of the stories are so skeletal that they're almost begging to be filled out (unlike LOTR, which is quite too full to be accurately adapted).
  • MSeel1984
    MSeel1984 Posts: 2,297 Member
    huge LOTR fan.. and i cant wait for the new hobbit movies.. im gonna be as giddy as a school girl.. erm.. boy..

    It's ok, man...embrace it. I know I will.

    I used to have "The one ring" on a chain...and a great gray cloak that looks like the ones the fellowship got from Lothlorien...I gave the ring away to my nephew...you'd think it was the real deal by the expression on his face. Imagine his disappointment when he did not disappear when he put it on :(
  • MSeel1984
    MSeel1984 Posts: 2,297 Member
    So I'm wondering if Peter Jackson will do a Silmarilon movie in 10 parts?

    So want to see Beren and Luthien, the fall of Gondolin, Feanor and the Balrogs....

    I'd be orgasming the entire movie if that happened. But it never will, that book is impossible to film

    You're right that they couldn't do the whole thing, but they could make great movies out of sections of it, like Beren and Luthien or Turin Turambar. Some of the stories are so skeletal that they're almost begging to be filled out (unlike LOTR, which is quite too full to be accurately adapted).

    Yeah...I can't imagine they'd be able to do that in film...or maybe because parts of it are so skeletal they'd be able to take more creative licenses...even worse....and why does license look like it's spelled wrong...? I need to go home.
  • dare2love81
    dare2love81 Posts: 928 Member
    Best line of the movies??


    My friends, you bow to no one.

    Very dignified and sad, if you realize how little anyone in the shire knew of their true deeds. I wish Jackson would have done the scouring of the shire....

    My all time favorite line(s) of the trilogy:
    "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world besides the will of evil." ~Gandolf
  • lucythinmint
    lucythinmint Posts: 239
    Right here!!! :drinker:

    :drinker: I love the movies but I love the book just as much. It is a perma-fixture on my bedside table. In between other books I pick up where I left off and read through them again.


    Aragorn son of Arathorn.........:love:
  • MSeel1984
    MSeel1984 Posts: 2,297 Member
    Best line of the movies??


    My friends, you bow to no one.

    Very dignified and sad, if you realize how little anyone in the shire knew of their true deeds. I wish Jackson would have done the scouring of the shire....

    My all time favorite line(s) of the trilogy:
    "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world besides the will of evil." ~Gandolf

    AMEN to both...And I'm very bummed they took that part out too (Scourging of the Shire)...and I may be one of the only people truly bummed that Tom Bombadil never made an appearance.
  • MSeel1984
    MSeel1984 Posts: 2,297 Member
    i have never read the books or watched the movies.

    i fail. :(

    I...I think my heart broke a little. I seriously feel bad for you...Please...you need to see someone about this... ;) J/K

    But seriously-if you enjoy fantasy at all...it's a must. I loved the books but many find them quite dense/a hard read. I enjoyed them...one of my own favorite quotes is

    "Drums...Drums in the deep. We cannot get out. They are coming."

    Mostly because the first time I read LOTR: FOTR I was in band class...reading between breaks/songs...someone leaned behind me to talk to me and I literally tossed the book it scared me so bad.

    Excellent-movies and books.
  • LordBezoar
    LordBezoar Posts: 625 Member
    i have never read the books or watched the movies.

    i fail. :(

    Chica, go get the books. DO IT NOW! We will wait for you....

    ...
    ...
    ...
    ...
    ...
    ...
    ...
    ...
    ...
    ...
    Ok, now read them. Alternatively, you can get audiobooks...erm...about.

    HOWEVER, if you want a really cool nerd experience, read the five main books in chronological order: The Simarillion, The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. The Simarillion can be a bear to get through, but the nerd payoff when you get to the other books is awesome.
  • she_elf
    she_elf Posts: 108
    I love LOTR. Read the books 8 times, seen the movies more times than I can count, own the extended editions, etc, etc.

    I can't wait for the Hobbit, either! Did anyone else hear about how it MIGHT be a trilogy instead of just two movies??? *fangirls* I think we should know for sure by the end of this week or so.

    REALLY?! what are they going to use content wise to fill it all? The unfinished tales and letters?

    I think they're using the appendices as well as Tolkein's personal notes (appendices for sure--the notes is speculation based on the statement they released last week). I'm super exicted!
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    I don't think I'm too fanatical... but I did wear out my DVD of 'Return of the King'... TWICE!

    Read the books when I was 12. Just love the LOTR series (books and movies)!
  • Sockimobi
    Sockimobi Posts: 541
    I went to the theatre production of LOTR in London. It was amazing.

    I can't wait to see the Hobbit later this year.

    I love LOTR but I grew up watching the animated version and it's still my favourite. Super creeeeepy.
  • LordBezoar
    LordBezoar Posts: 625 Member
    Best line of the movies??


    My friends, you bow to no one.

    Very dignified and sad, if you realize how little anyone in the shire knew of their true deeds. I wish Jackson would have done the scouring of the shire....

    My all time favorite line(s) of the trilogy:
    "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world besides the will of evil." ~Gandolf

    AMEN to both...And I'm very bummed they took that part out too (Scourging of the Shire)...and I may be one of the only people truly bummed that Tom Bombadil never made an appearance.

    I was totally bummed about Tom Bombadil, but then I thought about it and I really don't think that there was any way they could have worked it in without either totally throwing off the vibe of the movie or completely slaughtering Tom and angering everyone. I have made my peace with it.

    As for favorite quotes:

    Silmarillion:

    “Many are the strange chances of the world,' said Mithrandir, 'and help oft shall come from the hands of the weak when the Wise falter.”

    I will not debate with you Dark Elf. By the swords of the Noldor alone are your sunless woods defended. Your freedom to wander there wild you owe to my kin and but for them long since you would have laboured in thraldom in the pits of Angband. And here I am King and whether you will it or will it not my doom is law. This choice is given to you: abide here or to die here and so also for your son.”

    Hobbit:

    "Far over the misty mountains cold / To dungeons deep and caverns old / We must away ere break of day / To seek the pale enchanted gold." --The song in the trailer still gives me chills.

    "Never laugh at live dragons, Bilbo you fool!"

    LotR:

    “It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

    and, of course:

    “Roads Go Ever On

    Roads go ever ever on,
    Over rock and under tree,
    By caves where never sun has shone,
    By streams that never find the sea;
    Over snow by winter sown,
    And through the merry flowers of June,
    Over grass and over stone,
    And under mountains in the moon.

    Roads go ever ever on,
    Under cloud and under star.
    Yet feet that wandering have gone
    Turn at last to home afar.
    Eyes that fire and sword have seen,
    And horror in the halls of stone
    Look at last on meadows green,
    And trees and hills they long have known.

    The Road goes ever on and on
    Down from the door where it began.
    Now far ahead the Road has gone,
    And I must follow, if I can,
    Pursuing it with eager feet,
    Until it joins some larger way,
    Where many paths and errands meet.

    The Road goes ever on and on
    Down from the door where it began.
    Now far ahead the Road has gone,
    And I must follow, if I can,
    Pursuing it with weary feet,
    Until it joins some larger way,
    Where many paths and errands meet.
    And whither then? I cannot say.

    The Road goes ever on and on
    Out from the door where it began.
    Now far ahead the Road has gone.
    Let others follow, if they can!
    Let them a journey new begin.
    But I at last with weary feet
    Will turn towards the lighted inn,
    My evening-rest and sleep to meet.”
  • Jain
    Jain Posts: 861 Member
    Does having a tattoo from Tolkien's Children of Hurin count?!

    yep, im a full blown LOTR nerd

    Just the one tattoo?

    I've got 2.:blushing:

    The White Tree of Gondor on my back and a wristband based on the Fellowship Leaf.

    So yup I'm a LOTR geek & wear my badge with pride.
  • Big time - first read the books when I was around 10 years old. The movies were very well done, all things considered.

    All that is gold does not glitter;
    Not all who wander are lost;
    The old that is strong does not wither,
    Deep roots aren't reached by the frost.

    From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
    A light from the shadows shall spring;
    Remade shall be the blade that was broken;
    The crownless again shall be king.
  • Booksandbeaches
    Booksandbeaches Posts: 1,791 Member
    TL:dr

    I'm a big LOTR fan. Read The Hobbit, LOTR, the Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, The Letters, and most of the HoME. Those are my creds. lol

    I couldn't stand the insert of Arwen into the movies, but I enjoyed the LOTR films. I'm so looking forward to The Hobbit.
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
    The more I think about it, the real reason I liked the movies was because I wanted to man-hump Viggo Mortensen. He was so... kingly...
  • courtniemarie
    courtniemarie Posts: 172 Member
    At risk of getting mauled to death by a mob of angry geeks I'll say I prefer the movies over the books.

    Don't get me wrong, I comprehend the zeitgeist-changing innovations the books brought to fantasy literature, but personally, I can only read a limited number of awfully written hobbit poems in one sitting...

    LoL...I enjoy the books, but I almost prefer the movies (and I DID read the books first)...on the one hand (just like the Harry Potter movies), reading the books gives you some background so you might get some things that aren't described very well in the movies....on the other hand, unlike the Harry Potter books, the LOTR series had a LOOOOTTTT of detail. I mean....I love Tolkein, but he would spend a page and a half describing a tree...

    I very much agree and I also read the books first. So, are we saying we should publish a "cut & paste" version of the trilogy? Probably less paste and more cut... For those times when I want to read the books again but then realize I don’t really want a geography lesson for my fun-reading-time.
  • Booksandbeaches
    Booksandbeaches Posts: 1,791 Member
    The more I think about it, the real reason I liked the movies was because I wanted to man-hump Viggo Mortensen. He was so... kingly...

    He was. But my crush was Sean Bean. That voice...he could read me the phone book and I'd be happy.
  • TheDreadPirateRoberts
    TheDreadPirateRoberts Posts: 225 Member
    Total LOTR geek here.

    Read the book several times, (and all the others including farmer Giles of Ham and the Father Christmas Letters) played various computer and pen and paper and board games based upon it. Seen the films lots and have all the formats (just because i couldnt wait!) and still have the Ralph Bakshi version on tape somewhere.

    My name online used to be "Witchking" before it became common as muck as every bugger had seen the films.
  • CountryMom03
    CountryMom03 Posts: 258 Member
    Me Me Me!!!!! LOVE me some LOTR:) I have to say that Im really into the movies but never could quit really understand and get into the books:) Cant WAIT for the movie The Hobbit to come out:) Sitting on ready!!! Me and my husband also have a kinship in the MOORPG LOTRO. He plays more often than me now, but its still a huge part of my heart:)
  • Jesstruhan
    Jesstruhan Posts: 331 Member
    Heck yes! My Mom and I get together around Christmas and watch the extended editions together. All in a row. Everyone else things we're NUTS.
    We are.
    It's OK.
  • EngineerPrincess
    EngineerPrincess Posts: 306 Member
    Me me me! I'm trying to find a reason to buy Eriwen's dress (more of a book fan but the movies are good too), the green one. Someone give me a reason please? (Feeble reasons are gladly accepted) :tongue:
  • Skeels
    Skeels Posts: 929 Member
    I def am a LOTR fan!!!!!! Saw the sneak peake for The Hobbitt at the theatre the other night.........I am fired up!
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
    Me me me! I'm trying to find a reason to buy Eriwen's dress (more of a book fan but the movies are good too), the green one. Someone give me a reason please? (Feeble reasons are gladly accepted) :tongue:

    The name is Eowyn...
    this dress?
    Miranda_Otto_Eowyn_.jpg


    And yes I am SO excited for the Hobbit.

    I always wish for a theater to do all 3 movies back to back, extended versions, 12 hours of moviegasm.....
  • BondBomb
    BondBomb Posts: 1,781 Member
    A few months ago I posted a comment about the Silmarillion. Almost no one even knew what it was let alone read it. Made me kinda sad.
  • RealWomenLovePitbulls
    RealWomenLovePitbulls Posts: 729 Member
    i'm not obessesed, but i did read all the books and see all the movies. including The Hobbit