Will the LOTR movies fuel a new craze for fantasy films? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Lalwendë · 12-24-2004, 02:47 AM

Firstly, I think LotR was marketed more as an 'epic' than a 'fantasy', and there have certainly been a lot of epics made since, including Troy, King Arthur and Alexander. I do have bad memories of some dreadful fantasy films from the 80s, and as a film, LotR beats them all hands down, as it also does in terms of books. But films do seem to come along in 'batches'. After Trainspotting there was a glut of films about young people indulging in hedonistic behaviour - most of them bad and missing the bleak subtext of the original. Following on from The Matrix we also had a fair amount of films using martial arts style fighting and negative views of the future, again, none of them as good as the original.

I think it's just the nature of marketing that where one 'product' leads, others will follow. One thing I remember from studying economics is 'The Law of Diminishing Returns' - meaning that once we have a product we have enjoyed, we then desire more, but inevitably, none of them are quite as good as our enjoyment of that first product. Think of eating chocolates: one is lovely, two is nice, but once you get to the bottom of the box you feel vaguely ill.

Now, about the HP films - I enjoy both the books and the films. I wouldn't call myself a huge fan, possibly because I know someone who is literally obsessed with the books, in comparison I'd say I just enjoy them! I thought the films did miss out a lot of the details in the books, but I still like them and one of the main reasons is the acting from the adults. I reserve special praise for Alan Rickman, Robert Hardy and David Thewlis. I was pleased that they managed to preserve the sinister aspect of Azkhaban, which was my favourite of the books as it was so dark. What does bother me is that they might lose some of the 'politics' of the later books.

Sanitisation of films is something I always dread. There's always a risk of this when it comes to films that may be popular with children, hence my dread of His Dark Materials being stripped of its interesting theology and science. What many film makers (or rather, the studio management) seem to forget is that children can happily deal with darker entertainment, as most traditional tales are extremely sinister.

Mattius · 12-24-2004, 11:42 AM

Exactly right.

I hate political correctness, children can deal with dark, complicated stories so there is no reason to make everything so nicey nice.

12-24-2004, 02:47 AM	#1
Lalwendë A Mere Boggart Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: under the bed Posts: 4,737	Firstly, I think LotR was marketed more as an 'epic' than a 'fantasy', and there have certainly been a lot of epics made since, including Troy, King Arthur and Alexander. I do have bad memories of some dreadful fantasy films from the 80s, and as a film, LotR beats them all hands down, as it also does in terms of books. But films do seem to come along in 'batches'. After Trainspotting there was a glut of films about young people indulging in hedonistic behaviour - most of them bad and missing the bleak subtext of the original. Following on from The Matrix we also had a fair amount of films using martial arts style fighting and negative views of the future, again, none of them as good as the original. I think it's just the nature of marketing that where one 'product' leads, others will follow. One thing I remember from studying economics is 'The Law of Diminishing Returns' - meaning that once we have a product we have enjoyed, we then desire more, but inevitably, none of them are quite as good as our enjoyment of that first product. Think of eating chocolates: one is lovely, two is nice, but once you get to the bottom of the box you feel vaguely ill. Now, about the HP films - I enjoy both the books and the films. I wouldn't call myself a huge fan, possibly because I know someone who is literally obsessed with the books, in comparison I'd say I just enjoy them! I thought the films did miss out a lot of the details in the books, but I still like them and one of the main reasons is the acting from the adults. I reserve special praise for Alan Rickman, Robert Hardy and David Thewlis. I was pleased that they managed to preserve the sinister aspect of Azkhaban, which was my favourite of the books as it was so dark. What does bother me is that they might lose some of the 'politics' of the later books. Sanitisation of films is something I always dread. There's always a risk of this when it comes to films that may be popular with children, hence my dread of His Dark Materials being stripped of its interesting theology and science. What many film makers (or rather, the studio management) seem to forget is that children can happily deal with darker entertainment, as most traditional tales are extremely sinister. __________________ Gordon's alive!

12-24-2004, 11:42 AM	#2
Mattius Soul of Fire Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: City of Steel Posts: 666	Exactly right. I hate political correctness, children can deal with dark, complicated stories so there is no reason to make everything so nicey nice. __________________ A problem shared is a problem halved, so is your problem really yours or just half of someone else's?