[Pukel-Man]

If I had never read the books I would have to say it was a good entertaining movie but....having read the books at least 40 times I had trouble containing my frustration. I nearly screamed obsenities at several points last night during the film. At the end of the film I sat there feeling somewhat cheated like as if I had gone to a store to return an item only to realize that the receipt was missing and I won't be getting my money back. But after sleeping on it I realize that you pretty much have to check your brain at the door and hopefully spend three hours being entertained, And be happy that someone took a shot at making this treasured story into a move for us to see. Think about it, up to this point the only thing we had visually were words, paintings and those "cartoons"- all crap except "The Hobbit". Some in other forums complain that the movies are made for the fans and should hold true the story. Fans of what? Tolkien? or fantasy adventure movies? Or both? If you had never read the books and went saw the movies you would think that both of them were pretty damn good. Although even with that in mind I can't explain the transformation of Gimli as the dour, surly dwarven warrior in LOTR to "The comic of Kahzad-dum" Where the hell did that come from?<BR> I'm sure a number of you have seen "Conan the Barbarian" that was a pretty good movie but how many of you out there have read the original Howard book that the movie was adapted from?-prob. not too many of you. I was pretty annoyed when that movie came out too because it strayed so far from the book. But think about it my fellow obsessors-just how many fantasy films dose Hollywood give us these days? How many good watchable NEW fantasy films have you seen lately? Be thankfull that we don't have to sit through "Beastmaster 3" or something just as unpleasant this time of year.<BR> Whew! sorry about the long-winded commentary. For someone who hardly posts (but is always watching) that was exhausting. Anyway, I must return to the paths of the dead.