[Zigûr]

Apologies for the long post. Incidentally, I don't actually care about the change of title.

Originally Posted by tom the eldest

I wonder what the reaction of tolkien community when the movie is released......

I imagine on places like this there'll be a majority feeling of disapproval with some who enjoy it, on places like theonering.net there will be adulation like it's the nectar of the gods, and a lot of people will get annoyed with each other's views.

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

Don't see why. It is a better title and a Tolkien title and so trivial compared to what he had already done.

Is it worth mentioning that "An Unexpected Journey" seems to be derived from one of Bilbo's scratched-out titles from his book in The Lord of the Rings? "My Unexpected Journey."

Now time for me to get to grips with this article.

But, these action scenes are nothing new to Jackson’s films or Tolkien’s books: ‘A Knife in the Dark’, ‘The Bridge of Khazad-dûm’, ‘The Breaking of the Fellowship’, the Battle of the Hornburg, ‘The Battle of the Pelennor Fields’ (including the powerful Ride of the Rohirrim) and the Battle of the Black Gate all feature prominently as key events in both The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and the book.

The problem is that Professor Tolkien thought violence was horrible and tried to convey it as such. Peter Jackson (and his target audience) think simulated violence is "cool" and treat it as spectacle, not horror.

‘The Battle of the Five Armies’ much better captures the focus of the film but also more accurately channels the essence of the story. The Battle of the Five Armies isn’t just simply a gratuitous fight scene, it’s about the dwarves, men and elves (with some eagles, Beorn, Gandalf, and a hobbit) coming together to fight the combined forces of the orcs and wargs. In the book, the battle is the catalyst for the reconciliation of the groups in the defeat of evil – I expect the same will be true of the film.

Yet there's a reason Bilbo gets knocked out and wakes up when it's all over: it's the consequences of the battle, and not the battle itself, which is important. But of course we will inevitably see every moment in excruciating detail.

Just because the film is named ‘The Battle of the Five Armies’ does not mean that it is just a battle... let’s not become too worried that buying a ticket to The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is paying to see a three-hour-long battle sequence.

Yet who is willing to bet that it goes for forty five minutes to an hour?

Jackson is a creative and a massive fan of Tolkien’s works – this change is the right decision for the film and the right decision to honour J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary classic.

I'm a "massive fan of Tolkien's works" too - and arguably have far more knowledge of the text than Peter Jackson even if I have none of his filmmaking experience. I don't agree with his decisions. Based on this argument, who's to say which of us is "right"?
This reeks of sheer apologism to me. Yet what purpose does it serve to be an apologist for the corporate decision making of Warner Bros.? This is not an issue of artistic integrity, as the article itself admits: "I have no doubt that executives at the studio would not have agreed to the decision unless they did believe it would boost the film’s popularity and, therefore, its box office takings."

If more people will see the final film as a result of this change I think that is emphatically a good thing. I want people to experience Tolkien’s works and if they do come to the books via the films then that is surely good news all round.

The films are symptoms of the general illness of our culture, not cures for it.