I guess I wasn't coming across clearly. It makes perfect sense to me that you would like the Silmarillion more than LOTR. The two books are written very differently and some like one more and others like the other one more. I was just describing what I consider to be a reason they are written in such different styles.
LOTR: Return of the King.
- Thread starter London Geezer
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Im half way through silmarillion now and its great and could form the basis of a better LOTR style story. Youd have to drop some of the characters tho I can barely keep up with all the characters involved... I can see a film adaptation of it in some form... The creation myth of the LOTR universe is very well laid out.
pax said:
I don't think the Silmarillion would make a good movie at all. Perhaps the tale of Beren and Luthien set against the backdrop of the First Age would make a good film if done right, but any attempt to give even cursory coverage to the entire story of the Silmarils would fail, IMO.
Oh certainly a lot of liberties would have to be taken... Some of the imagery and fanciful descriptions of things and way too many characters... But some outline of the first rebellion of Morgoth where we could see Saurons origin would be cool to see following an intro of the creation myth. The movie unlike the lotr films would have to be radically different from the book for sure tho...
There's no way the entire Silmarillion could ever be made into a "blockbuster" movie for the simple reason that there is no "end" to the book - there are no winners, no happy endings. The Lay of Luthien would require far too much explanation for it to make any sense.
Slightly changing the topic - one fantasy novel that would make a good film is David Gemmell's Legend. I have to confess that I've been working on a screenplay version of it for a while now, although it has been put aside for the most part of this year.
Slightly changing the topic - one fantasy novel that would make a good film is David Gemmell's Legend. I have to confess that I've been working on a screenplay version of it for a while now, although it has been put aside for the most part of this year.
Neeyik said:
First Gemmell book I read over here in the States. Whenever one of his books is published I drop whatever I'm currently reading and start it.
Oh no way you could do the entire book.. but the creation myth outline along with some of the morgoth story and his ending with the sideline of beren and luthien and explorations of some of the origins of the various races ... most of the characters couldnt be used probly... also with help from some stuff from the appendices would make a good prequel I think.
Itd still be much more shakespearian than the lotr movies but I bet theres a market for such a movie...
Like I said the movie would be radically diff from the book... treating it probly merely as source for a reworked tale...
Itd still be much more shakespearian than the lotr movies but I bet theres a market for such a movie...
Like I said the movie would be radically diff from the book... treating it probly merely as source for a reworked tale...
I got to re-read the Simarilion one of these days, its been a couple o' years since my last (and first) time. I still remember the first dozen pages or so were very much like reading a phone book directory because it just lists name, after name, after name. Once past that it was a fascinating glimpse into the history of Middle-Earth and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Picked up a nice hardcover illustrated copy of it last time I was in London, which's been sitting next to my bed ever since, waiting to be picked up one night, heh...
Anyway, gonna take off to town soon, first take care of some business and afterwards to finally see ROTK! Yay!
Anyway, gonna take off to town soon, first take care of some business and afterwards to finally see ROTK! Yay!
Just got back too! 8)
Minor spoiler first: The arrival of Gandalf and Pippin in Minas Tirith has got to be one of the most impressive things I have ever seen in my life!
Since I don't want to spoil any more particular scenes or story parts I won't get into full review mode here, but I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed the film, its one hell off a ride! There are parts I didn't like but the rest more than made up for that. This time around there have also been very few liberties or changes to the books, the whole chronology of events actually feels more correct in some ways. If I had to say one last thing, it'd be the same thing many have said about the books: it is too short!
The extended version of this one can't come soon enough! 3 hours and 20 minutes and several parts still feel rushed. Thankfully most parts have just the right pacing though and the ending really wraps up the whole trilogy nicely. The Fellowship has gone full circle...
Minor spoiler first: The arrival of Gandalf and Pippin in Minas Tirith has got to be one of the most impressive things I have ever seen in my life!
Since I don't want to spoil any more particular scenes or story parts I won't get into full review mode here, but I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed the film, its one hell off a ride! There are parts I didn't like but the rest more than made up for that. This time around there have also been very few liberties or changes to the books, the whole chronology of events actually feels more correct in some ways. If I had to say one last thing, it'd be the same thing many have said about the books: it is too short!
The extended version of this one can't come soon enough! 3 hours and 20 minutes and several parts still feel rushed. Thankfully most parts have just the right pacing though and the ending really wraps up the whole trilogy nicely. The Fellowship has gone full circle...
Gollum said:
Errr, everything but the end felt rushed. The end could have ended in about 5 minutes, instead of the 20 it took.
If anything keeps it from being an oscar quality film, it's the denuemont.
Maybe it was just cause I had to pee really bad at that point, but (I think) the theatrical release could have ended with the fly-over of Minas Tirith, or maybe the finishing of the book in the shire (to end full circle with the opening of the first movie). We didn't need the lovefest of the boatride sendoff, or arriving home in the shire, or the marriage, or the bar. Jackson could have left all those goodies for the extended edition and, in my opinion, it would have been a better movie for the public.
And the battle of Minas Tirith put the Matrix dock scene to shame.
I can't wait until the extended version makes it out and I can watch it without the idiot with the baby behind me.
(Oh yeah, and I felt Jackson skimped a bit on the orcs. Too many of them in the marching scenes that used people looked like men painted gray)
MuFu said:Just got back too. The composition was a bit ropey at times and there were too many endings. It's a shame more of the leading characters didn't die and there are only so many times you can hear that friggin' title motif!
MuFu.
I think they were limited by who died in the books-- if they were trying to be at all faithful they can't kill off too many who were supposed to live.
Man the theater was sold out and let me tell you that in northern maine you dont see that too often. Im used (and spoiled) to see premieres with maybe 30 people on friday nights. Such was the case for Last Samurai... saw M&C with 4 people 2 weeks after opening...
I have to see this movie again. I thought most of the major fx shots were a bit short cept for ther mumakil sequence... I know the EE for this one will make more sense tho.
There is one major flaw I think cant be fixed with the EE. The 3 others probably can tho. I heard the original cut was 4 hrs 15 min ... I really hope thats the EE ver...
Right now id give 3-4*... about same as TT when it came out theatrical. First movie is still the best I think.
I have to see this movie again. I thought most of the major fx shots were a bit short cept for ther mumakil sequence... I know the EE for this one will make more sense tho.
There is one major flaw I think cant be fixed with the EE. The 3 others probably can tho. I heard the original cut was 4 hrs 15 min ... I really hope thats the EE ver...
Right now id give 3-4*... about same as TT when it came out theatrical. First movie is still the best I think.
RussSchultz said:
And I'd rather they lengthened it another 20+ to have put in the Scouring.
RotK indeed suffered from noticable editing and time paradox, though. Stands to reason since they shaved off 70 minutes or so, though. They'd have been better off slicing some of the extraneous pointlessness from Two Towers (like the warg-rider battle leading to Aragorn's falling off a cliff) to get more of the Sam and Frodo journey covered there as it was supposed to be. They'd have had more time to smooth out RotK and really bring it together since it IS the finale and all.
