Fans Versus Fanatics; LTOR, Hunger Games, Game Of Thrones

Cafe Society
1

What is the tipping point between fan and fanatic?

I have seen all of the LOTR films, I saw Hunger Games and I have been watching Game of Thrones since the first episode. I had read LOTR several times before seeing the films, but have not read any of the Hunger Games books, nor any of the Game of Thrones books.

In reading threads about these three sets of books to film versions, I am noticing there are some people like me who take the film(s) for what they are and discuss them for what is portrayed on the screen.

But there are others who are avid fans of the books and expect the films to cover every single nuance, have an on-screen presence of every single character and expect every battle to be exact down to the position of the sun and footwear the characters are wearing.

I fully understand when people are upset when something major is missing - for instance, from what I have been reading about Hunger Games, the character of Rue was far more fleshed-out in the book and not so much in the film. That would be a valid complaint.

What I don’t understand are the people who will be upset when the third paragraph on page 247 of the book specifically stated that Rogelesis winked at Zambolina and in the film he only smiled instead of winked. How dare they ruin the book like that!?!?

Having read all of the LOTR books, several times, I was aware of bits and pieces missing and some parts of the book glossed over quickly. However, I thought the three films did a fantastic job of portraying the essence of the books. Even if the films had been 62 hours long, they still would not have been able to include every miniscule detail.
*
There is absolutely nothing wrong with comparing a book to the movie version* - this is studied in colleges and entire research papers have been done about just that comparative subject of books vs movies for generations. This is a good thing.

But at what tipping point does appreciation of a film hinge upon minor nitpicks?
At what point does a fan become a fanatic when discussing the filmed version?

2

I appreciate the art.

You are a fan of the book, series, movies, etc.

He is a fanatic and has an unhealthy obsession with it…

3

I try to be careful NOT to compare. At least, not judgementally.* They’re different mediums. Books can tell you what a character is thinking; movies can show you what they’re doing. I don’t try to compare the musical version of LES MISERABLES with the Victor Hugo book, I don’t try to compare Rossini’s opera OTELLO with Shakespeare’s play. Nor Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream with Shakespeare’s ditto. They’re different mediums, and each work deserves to be considered on its own merits. And I think the works I’ve named are all excellent in their own formats.

  • Obviously, “compare and contrast” for the purpose of intellectual discussion, analysis, etc can be interesting. But you’re not talking about that, you’re talking about fans who are unable to distinguish between different artistic forms of expression.
4

You become a fanatic when you lose sight of the fact that it’s all just entertainment and doesn’t have any actual impact on your life, other than providing a few hours of enjoyment. It can be fun to discuss, and even argue about, popular works of entertainment. But when it stops being fun and starts to really matter to you, you’re tipping over into fanaticism.

I was once a fanatic in a certain fandom. I cared desperately about what happened to the characters and how they were portrayed. How things were going in the fandom was as important to me as the rest of my life – my health, my job, my friends. It was not healthy.

Fortunately, I moved on from that fandom and haven’t reached that point since.

5

Thing is, the line isn’t just right at the point where you get angry at the adaptation. I think there sometimes are good reasons to be upset at an adaptation, even if said adaptation is okay on its own. But it’s not small details that cause this, but large changes in tone or mangling the message.