Sometimes, I wish that I had not read LOTR until after seeing the movie.
It’s not that I know what’s going to happen - knowing how the story ends does not spoil anything about LOTR. And I’ve never really felt that anything about Fellowship suffered in comparison to the book - I think that all of Peter Jackson’s choices have been either good or at least reasonable (well, okay, Lothlorien disappoints). But the comparisons with the book are still inevitable, and must have an impact on my perception of the film.
So… anybody out there who hasn’t read the book, I want to hear from you. I can’t really ask if the movie is better or worse without knowing the book. But I am interested in knowing: how memorable are the characters? Who is the most memorable, who is implausible? And what part of the movie grabs you the most?
I wouldn’t assume Jackson is ending the third movie the exact same way as the book.
Don’t read if you don’t want to know.
There is no scouring of the shire in the third LOTR movie. Jackson decided not to use that part of the ending because it seemed out of place. He was tipping his hat to it with the mirror scene in Lothlorien.
I first read LOTR in junior high (many years ago). I reread FOTR (and The Hobbit)just before the movie came out. I think it made me not enjoy the movie as much as I might have. Watching the movie on video now–almost a year later–I actually enjoy the movie more now than when it was first released. So I am going to wait until after watching the movie TTT before reading the book again.
I’ve never read the books. I tried to read them on three ocassions, but I absolutely detest that man’s writing. I was very leary of going to see the movie, but my best friend, a lovely sci-fi geek girl, talked me into it. And I was blown away by the movie
As for the OP’s questions: I found most of the characters memorable, and I remembered most of their names throughout the movie, which, to me, is a good sign. I loved Frodo and Legalos, but I found that there was so little time spent on developing the female characters to be slightly disheartening; I know that’s the way the book was written, but it doesn’t make me dislike the fact that there are no strong female characters (who spend more than 15 minutes on the screen, that is) or make it any less disappointing. I’m used to there being at least one woman/girl main character in the fantasy novels I do read, so that threw me a bit.The most memorable(or “grabbing”) scenes of the movie are in the dwarf city- that was a very action packed part. I’m sure the movie does spoil the book, but who cares?
I’m looking forward to seeing the next two movies. But I’m still not wasting another second of my life trying to wade through the books.
This choice would make a lot of sense. What you’re refering to is kind of a different little story after the end of the main one, and totally unecessary for the main plot. It would be somehow anticlimatic to keep it. So, I don’t mind. Actually, like the part about Tom Bombadil, removing it was a rather obvious choice.
However, I hope they have kept the end scene of the book (in the Grey Havens).
I would argue that the book would suffer more, for having already seen the movie, than the other way around. There are a few plot twists and surprises in the book, and while it’s still perfectly readable knowing those spoilers, it’s nice to experience them properly once. And whenever you see a movie before reading the book, the mental imagery suffers somewhat. Several of the characters, places, etc., I have a perfect image of them in my head, which does not correspond to the image in the movie. No offense to Peter Jackson: It’s simply impossible for him to have met everyone’s mental images, and overall, I think he did a reasonable job. But I like mine better, and I probably wouldn’t have been able to form those images if I had seen the movie first.
On the other hand, in many ways the movie is enhanced by having first read the books. You don’t fully appreciate the depth of detail in the movie, without having first read about it. To be fair, this is something that one could look for in a subsequent viewing, after one has read the books.
