[Child of the 7th Age]

Right after the last movie came out, I raised a question in the books forum:<I> Was Christopher Tolkien Right? </I> Christopher maintained that it was an impossibility for LotR to be successfully adapted to the medium of film. Several posters agreed with that, while others said no.<BR> <BR>Our waiting is almost over. We have nearly eleven months behind us. Many have seen both films multiple times and own the DVDs. Some of us have ordered the extended version of TTT and are eagerly awaiting the November 18th release date.<BR> <BR>But the basic question is still valid, especially with the release of RotK. What are your expectations as you walk into the theater to see the final episodes of PJ's film? Was the content of the first two films such that you now expect to be a little disappointed and in your heart come out believing that no film can ever do justice to Tolkien? Or are you convinced that PJ will hit a homerun out of the park, and that Christopher Tolkien and the family were just dead wrong? Or are you somewhere in the middle?<BR> <BR>For myself, I think that I will be a little more realistic walking into RotK than I was with TTT. I will expect to see differences in plot, timing, and characterization and have schooled myself not to get too hung up on those: to watch and listen and at least wait till after I get out of the theater to begin picking everything apart and analyzing it. <P>My litmus test will be the final scenes with the Ring and Grey Havens. If PJ gets those "right", or at least close to the spirit of the book, I would say to Christopher Tolkien.... <I> No, nothing can recapture Tolkien's written word, or for that matter any really profound book. The leap from one medium to another is fraught with peril. But PJ gave it a good shot and came close enough that I can truly enjoy it. </I> <P>What about you?