A 'darker' Hobbit

[William Cloud Hicklin]

Originally Posted by Sauron the White

Everyone has a right to their opinion. I truly believe after several years on various JRRT based websites that there are a group of Tolkien book based people who would never ever ever be satisfied with any film adaption of LOTR. Even if someone would take a billion dollars and make 50 hours of film translating every blessed page with every single line and song, they would still find fault with something and that is what they would dwell on in post after post for years to come.

I was about to dismiss this as a strawman (akin as it is to the two different media = blank check argument); but have to agree that there are some who *know* (this is indisputable fact) that no film adaptation can ever do complete justice to any decent book- not even Harry Potter: and further as a matter of personal predeliction prefer that therefore no attempt should ever be made on a book as complex and multi-layered as The Lord of the Rings.

I don't myself fall into that camp. However, that is not nearly the same as claiming that, since no adaptation can ever be completely successful, we thereby must accept any old crap instead. PJ's action-adventure flicks are, again, shallow. There is nothing intellectually challenging, and what little tone of high seriousness to be found is quickly dispersed by the next popcorn-movie moment.

Imagine instead what Kurosawa (may he rest in peace) might have done with this story. Even if he put everyone in kimonos and samurai armor, the result would *still* have been far closer in spirit to the books than PJ's rock 'em sock' em extravaganzas. Imagine Coppola, or Kubrick, or any of a number of *serious* and intelligent directors whose megaphones PJ isn't worthy to polish. Even Ridley Scott would have done a better job, and that's not saying a lot.

The Lord of the Rings is not just a pulp-fantasy adventure story! But that's all PJ gave us. Far better he should have done something like Shannara or the Belgariad than take on an author he can't comprehend.