My review has been posted (and another essay)

Michael Martinez · 12-18-2003, 10:29 PM

Actually, it went live yesterday morning, but I was just too tired yesterday to tell people about it.

So, look for Returning to the Ring at my MERP.COM topic.

Here is an excerpt:

Six years ago I read an online rumor that someone was working on a "Lord of the Rings" movie. Since then, I've found myself jostling for sanity along with hundreds, even thousands of other writers who have all been swept up in the LoTR craze. And now here I am again, writing the obligatory review.

Writing is never easy when it's an obligation. When so many people expect you to say something, it's almost inevitable that you're going to choke. That's only human nature. And expectation has played such a large part in the post J.R.R. Tolkien world of Tolkien commentary and interpretation that even Peter Jackson's films have been deluged with complaints about perceived failures.

There was a time when people felt lucky to be alive while someone was filming a live-action LoTR adaptation. And there was a time when most online Tolkien fans reacted negatively to the idea of anyone adapting the most popular fiction book of the 20th century to the big screen. For that matter, there was a time when the two camps argued incessantly over the merits of attempting to adapt the book to film.

Expectations have abounded through the years. They have encrusted Tolkien and LoTR discussions with layers of regret, anger, and apprehension. As the release of Peter Jackson's "The Return of the King" approached, I increasingly heard more people pile on expectations for this movie than for the first two combined. "It's GOT to win the Oscar!" "It's got to be better than 'The Two Towers'!" "It's got to be more faithful!" And the expectations become more refined as you ask about them.

But they really don't make sense. For example, why should a movie no one had seen win an Oscar (for Best Film)? What if it turned out to be a really bad movie? Of course, expectations insist that it will be a GREAT movie. But that's not the point. The point is, what if it is a really bad movie?

Read the full article here

Also, be sure to check out my previous essay, posted a couple of weeks ago. That one was called Waiting for a king like you.

12-18-2003, 10:29 PM	#1
Michael Martinez Elven Loremaster Join Date: Feb 2000 Posts: 892	My review has been posted (and another essay) Actually, it went live yesterday morning, but I was just too tired yesterday to tell people about it. So, look for Returning to the Ring at my MERP.COM topic. Here is an excerpt: Six years ago I read an online rumor that someone was working on a "Lord of the Rings" movie. Since then, I've found myself jostling for sanity along with hundreds, even thousands of other writers who have all been swept up in the LoTR craze. And now here I am again, writing the obligatory review. Writing is never easy when it's an obligation. When so many people expect you to say something, it's almost inevitable that you're going to choke. That's only human nature. And expectation has played such a large part in the post J.R.R. Tolkien world of Tolkien commentary and interpretation that even Peter Jackson's films have been deluged with complaints about perceived failures. There was a time when people felt lucky to be alive while someone was filming a live-action LoTR adaptation. And there was a time when most online Tolkien fans reacted negatively to the idea of anyone adapting the most popular fiction book of the 20th century to the big screen. For that matter, there was a time when the two camps argued incessantly over the merits of attempting to adapt the book to film. Expectations have abounded through the years. They have encrusted Tolkien and LoTR discussions with layers of regret, anger, and apprehension. As the release of Peter Jackson's "The Return of the King" approached, I increasingly heard more people pile on expectations for this movie than for the first two combined. "It's GOT to win the Oscar!" "It's got to be better than 'The Two Towers'!" "It's got to be more faithful!" And the expectations become more refined as you ask about them. But they really don't make sense. For example, why should a movie no one had seen win an Oscar (for Best Film)? What if it turned out to be a really bad movie? Of course, expectations insist that it will be a GREAT movie. But that's not the point. The point is, what if it is a really bad movie? Read the full article here Also, be sure to check out my previous essay, posted a couple of weeks ago. That one was called Waiting for a king like you. __________________ http://www.xenite.org/faqs/lotr_movie/ http://www.michael-martinez.com/ http://www.merp.com/essays/MichaelMartinez/