Kevin's Watch

i let this guy i work with borrow the first movie...he said he got through the first disc and was so lost he didnt want to even bother with the second disc...

i was kidna disappointed, as i know he would thoroughly enjoy the series...but he had so many questions...

now, this may just be the movies themselves, as books tend to explain alot more than movies do...or they do in more/other ways...

i was talking to this other guy i work with and he had never read the books, but he understood everything and could keep up with what was going on...he liked em...



whats your opinion?


i may be a little biased as ive read the books and im really into the fantasy genre...


this other guy, the first guy, is really into sci-fi, so i figured hed like LOTR...not exactly sci-fi, but sci-fi geeks and fantasy geeks have always shared a somewhat common ground, imo...

Hard to say also having read the books, but I reckon the movies should be understandable enough even in that scenario.

That's odd because the films are so simplified. Maybe your friend had his attention elsewhere.

My wife and children have no problem following the story, and none of them have read the books.

I don't think it has much to do with complication. It may have more to do with the individual's interests and experience. If all you care about is NASCAR and fishing you may think LOTR is stupid. If you think its foolishness then you might have trouble paying enough attention to follow the story. That is just an opinion of course.

I can understand why it might be confusing. I've read Fellowship several times, so that's not a problem, but I really couldn't tell you what happened in the Two Towers film... Some people fought some ugly things... [quote="SHATTERSTAR"]If you think its foolishness then you might have trouble paying enough attention to follow the story[quote]This is actually a very good point. I have always found LOTR dull, so this could very well contribute to not really keeping up with events...

Me..

Never read the books, no problem understanding. Frodo has to deliver the ring to the bad guy cos if he doesn't the bad guy will get really mad and destroy the earth. But there are other bad guys that want it so they have to avoid them. it gets a bit difficult so Frodo's friends create a distraction to lure the bad guys so that Frodo can get to the main bad guy... right?

Ps. that was a joke.

Despiser, your first friend, the sci-fi fan, does he like just Star Wars, or is he into heavier stuff like Dune, Night's Dawn, Hyperion, etc.?

Because if can understand those books, he could certainly follow LotR.

The first time I saw the movie (I've never read the books) I was lost with some of the terminology and place names - and I had alot of questions which my friend helped me sort out. When I watch the DVD, I turn the subtitles on to help with the weird verbage. But otherwise, I have no trouble with the movies.

My wife is not a fan of fantasy, and has of course never read LOTR. She got a little confused with the names [Eomer/Eowyn/Arwen/Eoman and Boromir/Faramir can sound similar if you've never heard them] and the places, but what really sucked her in were the Hobbits who had to leave their happy little homes and fight for What's Right.

Of course, having a fantasy vet like me as a treasure-trove of trivia to terselessly throw out tidbits really helped her / totally annoyed her...

DukkhaWaynhim
[Weird, warped, and TupperWarg]

My children and I are Tolkien fanatics (I think my 11 year old has read LOTR and the Hobbit about twenty times each and has read the Sil and some of the HOME books and some Tolkien references we have and the 15 year old has read LOTR, Hobbit, and Sil at least a couple of times each) -- and none of us had a bit of trouble with the movie.
A better test is my husband, who enjoys science fiction, but not fantasy, and has never read anything by Tolkien. He certainly seemed to be able to follow the first two movies (he hasn't seen the third one yet) with very few questions. He actually had a lot more problems with the Matrix movies, where his questions drove me nuts (I will have to hook him up with Fist at Elohimfest in hopes that Fist can set him straight better than I have been able to)...

the guy i was talking about doesnt read really, except stuff relating to tools or welding or that sort of thing...hes into sci-fi movies, and hes seen alot of good ones, but to my knowledge he has read much in the genre...he doesnt watch much tv though, so maybe it was just restlessness at having to sit still for so long...

My problem with Fellowship was less understandin and more boredom. I sware if there were any more 'and this is the fellowship walking from one randomplce to another' scenes, I would have lost my mind. Maybe your friend had a similar problem, and so gave up paying attention.

Sum sui generis
Vs

But you of all persons should appreciate the extra member of the Fellowship, that being Middle Earth as played by the various climes in New Zealand!

DW
[Weird, warped, and now wanting to visit NZ]

I never had a problem with the Fellowship walking around scenes you mention, because it was usually accompanied with some of the most stirring music in the entire trilogy.

In fact, I don't think the soundtracks of these films are praised enough. Each and every one is superb, with numerous great themes and variations on them, and they actually seem to fit the various scenes they portray, unlike a lot of soundtracks.

And I would highly recommend viewers stick around for the credits of Return of the King. That Annie Lennox song at the end is incredibly beautiful and heart-rending, completely summing up the emotional impact of the departure of the Elves from Middle-Earth.

I personally go through an annual reading of Tolkien and Donaldson and other authors to keep it fresh, so following the Fellowship and the others weren't a problem. I went with a (ex-jock) friend to see the Fellowship. He walked out of the theater totally scratching his head but after talking and explaining the basics and screaming at him to read the books!! read the books!! (which he still hasn't) he got it enough to go see TTT and then was up to (relative) speed for ROTK. Now he's gotten the expanded version of the Fellowship and plans to do the same with the other two.

Some folks WILL get it, others might get it even if you hold them by the hand and lead them through, and others will go... (ala Butthead/Beavis) This sucks!

It gives me hope that perhaps TCTC made into a film will be understood by "regular-folk"...

By the way MC TO ALL