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Old 11-23-2012, 11:00 AM   #1
TheLostPilgrim
Haunting Spirit
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 72
TheLostPilgrim has just left Hobbiton.
Will The Hobbit do damage to the books?

I'm a fan of the Jackson LOTR films, even despite their deviations from the source material; They were overall very well received films and at the time reignited the biggest interest in the books since the '70s. They are generally considered film classics and will have a good reputation in history. But that was ten years ago, now.

The Hobbit, unfortunately, is not only looking to be both very much different from the source material, but also is looking to be a bad film. The overuse of (what looks to be poor quality), the 48FPS controversy CGI, toilet humor, childish jokes, the comedy-adventure film tone, and now the PETA controversy are making it appear like this film might be a flop--both commercially and creatively.

The overuse of CGI is turning off a LOT of film purists, the idea of a "prequel" to the LOTR is being seen as a shallow, George Lucas-esque cash grab by people who aren't aware that The Hobbit existed long before Peter Jackson, the three film idea is being seen as a cash grab by fans of the Jackson films who are also knowledgeable of The Hobbit, the comedic/childish tone is being seen as crappy by mainstream film goers who don't seem to want anything that isn't gritty and realistic; Tolkien purists are upset at the way Jackson is enlarging The Hobbit's story, stretching it beyond it's natural boundaries, and even inserting characters who never existed in the original novel.

You also now have PETA creating a LOT of negative buzz for the films claiming in essence that there was sadistic treatment of animals during the filming. I've seen strong calls by PETA to boycott the films and the negative stories are making waves both in the British and American press VERY CLOSE to the release date.

I'm worried that:

1) This film will be a flop. I've read IMDB and other sites and A LOT of people have made up their minds that this film will be as bad as Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, that Jackson is the new George Lucas, and others who are boycotting it for various reasons (mostly the tone and the three film idea).

2) That the film, if it fails, will hurt the "Tolkien brand", or shy future readers away from The Hobbit. I mean people who are either too young now, or who are simply unaware that The Hobbit was a book written long ago, might have a negative perception of the book and associate it with the poor film based on it, and as such, pass it by. Many filmmgoers are ignorant; as I said, I've seen many who steadfastly believe that Jackson invented "prequels" to The Lord of the Rings to cash grab; Who are totally unaware that The Hobbit existed as a book has been in existence for nearly 80 years. I'm worried that the film, if it fails, and the bad reception, will hurt The Hobbit in the future, and Tolkien in general.

I mean very few modern day readers (of my age; I am 21), for example, have even HEARD of Gone with the Wind, the book; they only know of the film. And they base their perception of the book (it must be great, since the film was great) on the quality and reputation of the film.

I'm worried that as time goes by, The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings and Tolkien in general may be forgotten, consigned to a little niche. Not many of my generation have any clue who George MacDonald was, for example. Right now, because of Jackson's LOTR films, a lot of my generation and those older know those books and love them...But I'm afraid The Hobbit film will do just the opposite with the younger members of my generation and the younger generation (kids now in that 8-12 year old group).
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