The Critics' treatment of Tolkien & Jackson

[Black Breathalizer]

I recently read that RottenTomatos.com has names TTT as the best reviewed film of 2002. I think it's interesting how the film version is receiving a level of critical respectability that the book version never received.

Film critics have gushed over Peter Jackson's telling of Tolkien's tale while many of the so-called respected literary critics in the 50s and 60s did not give the author the same treatment. In fact, Tolkien's work was ridiculed in many academic circles. It wasn't until after his death that some in the academic community grudgingly began giving Tolkien his due. But even now, some critics like to make fun of his writing style. More than anything, it was the devotion of its fans -- not the literary elite -- that made LOTR the "book of the century."

It may well be that the high quality of the films will actually help literary critics to better understand and appreciate the books. Who woulda thunk THAT back in 2001?

What do you think?