Loving the Films

[Black Breathalizer]

With the arrival of the theatrical release of ROTK, it's time to celebrate the wonder and magic of the Lord of the Rings film trilogy. It's a shame that some Tolkien fans feel the films have somehow threatened the books. The truth of the matter is that there could be no bigger advertisement for the books than these films. I guess in a weird sort of way, the fact that some fans feel the films threaten the "real" story is the ultimate compliment that one could give to Peter Jackson's storytelling.

But I digress. This is not a debate thread. For many of us longtime Tolkien fans, these films are like falling in love all over again; a chance to reexperience that magic of our first time reading of the story. It's not total perfection and that is one of the reasons why we have occasionally had some lively and interesting debates here. But I would like to see a thread dedicated to a general 'lovefest' celebration of all that's good about these films.

Some of the things I appreciate and celebrate include:

--That New Line had the bahoonas to tell PJ they wanted three films rather than two (or heaven forbid, ONE as Miramax insisted). How incredible is it that we fans got to see our story presented in three films as it should be!

--That so much time and effort was put into making the props, sets, and location REAL. One of the keys to the books' success was that you felt you were reading a history. I am so grateful that Alan Lee, John Howe, and the people at WETA were involved in this project and so dedicated to the same goal as Tolkien.

--That the casting was so dead-on. Ian McKellan and Viggo Mortenson have been absolutely brilliant. I also think it's amazing how much Orlando Bloom has done with Legolas even though he is a secondary character with not very many lines.

--Sean Bean's performance as Boromir. His performance has enriched my personal view of the character in my readings since the opening of FOTR.

--How the films have touched so many people who would have never picked up the novels if not for these beautiful films.

So how have these films impacted you personally?

Why have they touched such a responsive cord with so many people?

Have they reshaped your view of the story? I will respond to these questions myself later.