Bookworm review- Sci-fi- Fellowship of the Ring, JRR Tolkein

[legna]

Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkein

With the hype of the movie floating around, I knew that I had to read the book that such an amazing movie was based upon. Expecting an amazing read, as books are always better than the movies made from them, I was sadly disapointed.
I am not a big science fiction fan, and that may have been the problem, but I found the book to be dry, dull, and my imagination was so taken with the movie (which unfortunatly I saw first), that many of the details did not tie in with what I imagined.
It was just small details that jarred for me, Frodo's age for one. In the book he was 33 when he gets the ring, and doesn't leave the Shire until he is in his fifties.
Nothing about the book inspired my imagination to develop my own images, as I had already "seen" them all uravel on the big screen.
I'm going to try and read the other two books before I see the movies, but while the continuing movies hold appeal for me, the books do not.


Rating
4 out of 10 stars
http://www.nosound02.f2s.com/legna/tobimg/star.gifhttp://www.nosound02.f2s.com/legna/tobimg/star.gifhttp://www.nosound02.f2s.com/legna/tobimg/star.gifhttp://www.nosound02.f2s.com/legna/tobimg/star.gif

View the Book (http://www.vstore.com/cgi-bin/pagegen/vstoremovies/filimhobbit/page.html?mode=itempage&file=/page/itempagev4/itempage.spl&prodID=821466&catID=26307)

[Film Hobbit]

You may now eat shit and die.


TOLKIEN

[MBNorris]

FH, this forum might need to be closed if this is the kind of reviews we'll see. :)

Matt

[Film Hobbit]

I agree. The entire forum has been tainted with the stench of evil.

If this is what the movies are going to do to the books, I hope they burn every single reel.

[Cogito]

This is a Bad Thing, that the movie can do this to the books.

The thing about LOTR, is that the books make the reader create an interal vision of the landscape of the Middle Earth, an image of the characters, their voices, and their appearances -- the look of stubborn anger on a dwarf's face; plump hobbit faces beaming after a big meal; the royal majesty in Aragorn's posture; elven grace and elegance... When you read the books, those are your private, personal creations. And as such, a book will always be superior to a movie, because you create those parts, rather than the movie maker.

A movie needs to be superbly well done to compete with those visions that you can create yourself, because your visions are individually, custom made. For instance, Hobbits are only three feet tall. In my internal vision, they look nothing like what I have seen in the movie. Still, the movie is indeed superbly well done. And it clearly is good enough to compete with those internal, private creations. Those who HAVE read the books, love the movie just as much as those who have not.

But then, the tragedy of the movie may be that it is just too damn good, compared to the books. The books are of course fantastic -- but in a sense, they are fantastic because they set the standard for fantasy. A standard that is still followed today.

So seing the movie before reading the book does rob you of a truly wonderful experience.

[legna]

Cogito, Thats what I was trying to say.
Because I saw the movie first, I was robbed of the chance to make the movie in my own head. Which is probabley why I found the book so dull. There were so many areas where Tolkein had to describe a place when the picture was already formed in my mind.

I am a similar problem when I read "Interview with a Vampire" for the first time. Which I also saw as a movie first.

Edit to say: Hobbit- find your own catch phrase ;)

[Film Hobbit]

No it makes sense. A big part of Tolkien's writing is spent DESCRIBING every detail of where you are and what is going on. Well, if you've seen the movie, you already KNOW what Hobbiton looks like, so you'd be bored to death reading about it.

This is bad. Really bad. Damn that Peter Jackson. I'm going to go out and buy a new copy of LOTR just to spite him.

[Cogito]

Oh yes, Legna, I understand perfectly what you said. It is a good point; a very good point. The movie is fantastic; it is too good -- I know other movies, like The Shining, that are too good, and take away the enjoyment one may have gotten from the books alone. But it is very, very rare, that this happens.

I would not go as far as to say that this first LOTR flick is better than the movie (I've not seen it yet), although I most certainly would say that the Shining flick was better than the book. But I certainly will say, it is a loss, for someone to watch this movie first...

... if that deprives you of having your own, personal image of the event, like you get from reading the books.





Hay hay hey hey hey , what this is the PEN AND QUILL forum -- this oughta be the forum to praise books, above all else, right? And of course the board is about movies. And it's run by a chap known as the Film Hobbit... Good heavens. This forum, above all forums, above all boards, above all elese, oughta be singing the praises of Tolkien's books!

Right?

[Film Hobbit]

Well we shall have to start a disinformation campaign to discredit Legna, then proceed with our own review. :p

The books are 1000 times better than the film. The film leaves out SO MANY important little things that really create the characters you saw in PJ's movie. There is so much more there, so much more depth to the people and places and things... so many more scenes and moments of importance that weren't even considered in the film.

Tolkien creates an amazing and detailed world filled with rich history and backstory unlike any other. His message is pure and powerful.

The movie is good, but it cannot compare.

[Sido Corleone]

Ouch.
I agree with Hobbit. The book is filled with such great drama and character development. The film is filled with alot of cheep action. 1000 times better, at least.
Still loved the film though.

[BrynnA]

I had a VERY hard time reading FOTR. The book just didn't hold my interest. I was going to go back and give it another try to see if I could get through it now that I've seen the movie.

[Film Hobbit]

Where most people get hung up right at the beginning in Hobbiton. It starts slow there with lots of in depth description of every aspect of Bilbo's party. If you can make it past that, to where Frodo actually leaves Hobbiton, you'll be fine. I though that part was slow when I first read it to. But after I read it the first time, I understood it a lot better, now it doesn't seem so. Tolkien wants to make SURE you understand where these Hobbits are coming from, who they are, and what it is they are really fighting for. To do that, he wants you to intimately KNOW what their land is.

That is one thing that I think the film can and does do better. Where Tolkien has to spend an hour describing what the place looks like, PJ can just show it. And what a wonderful job he did. Though even seeing it on the screen you miss out on a lot of the little delightful details.

[MBNorris]

I think the first time you read fantasy books it is hard to get through the beginnings because you have no connection yet with the characters. By the second time, it moves much quicker because you don't have to waste time thinking about "who is this bilbo baggins, or gandalf" etc... I usually enjoy reading these books the second time much better. I just started reading the Hobbit again the other day and I'm half way through. After that, The Fellowship of the Ring is next on my agenda!

Just to annoy Film Hobbit, I've read all 4 Harry Potter's about 4 times. each time picking up something new. For example, when Dumbledore sends Sirius off to round the old gang he mentions the witch Figg. That happens to be the last name of the old lady who lives near the Dursley's who used to watch Harry. Maybe she's the reason Mr. Potter is safe from Voldemort all those years.

Dang, maybe I should write a review of the Harry Potter books. lol

Matt

[BrynnA]

I LOVE the Harry Potter books. Maybe you should. :)

[Film Hobbit]

Contrary to popular belief, I do not hate Harry Potter. Though I do enjoy making Frodo throw books at him.

[legna]

Oh please don't get me wrong, I didn't hate the book- I just had a hard time reading it because I had seen the movie first.
I am attempting now to read the next two BEFORE I see the movies.

[Film Hobbit]

4 stars Legna... 4 stars.

::Hobbit weeps::

[MBNorris]

Frodo is such a great character to me. He doesn't have the strength of Aragorn, the wizardry of Gandalf, the adventurous side of Bilbo; he just knows HE has to do it. His character is much more heroic than all others because he goes on the Fellowship without any special skills. He goes because he knows it is he who can only withstand the effects of the ring. I love the scene in the movie where everyone is arguing over who should take the ring and Frodo stands up without prodding to announce that he will go.


Matt

[Film Hobbit]

I love that scene too. It's perfect. I love how when he stands up, you see Gandalf, even though his back is turned to Frodo and he can't see him, Gandalf winces a bit and looks a little sad. Then Frodo speaks softly at first, then louder... what a great scene.

[Wiggum]

4 stars Legna? :eek

Sorry, this thread was just too awesome not to bump. :)

[Link]

You bumped a thread so old, I think it was originally posted on ezCrap. lol

[Matt]

Yeah There's my old username. LOL great thread bump.

This is top notch.

[garfield hates mondays]

:beer

[masterthes]

I miss Cogs, Brynna, and Sido. *sigh* :(

[Matt]

I miss two out of the three. :lol

Sido is still around as Tick albeit infrequently.