What did the movies do for you?

[Boromir88]

This is kind of one of those reflective discussions, on what the movies did for you? Or perhaps what lessons/morals you learned from them? Did they serve as entertainment, seeing large scale battles or the story unfold between your eyes?

Well, for me personally, you might say it restored my passion for LOTR. This is probably the biggest reason why I have loved the movies so much. I had first read the books when I was younger (still in highschool), my dad got me 'em for Christmas and my birthday. I read them, and like most other books I read...read them once and stuck them on this wooden shelf that I had made. Of course, they passed out of all knowledge into I hear there are movies made on them.

I get the new edition that came out with all three books combined in one and read them over again...and now I'm sure you can all see the rest of the story? Basically, I got hooked. It got me wondering whether other people had a "restored love" for the books when the movies came out or not? Or perhaps it got you to read and experience JRR Tolkien's books?

Then there's what did you learn from the movies? This comes from my recently viewing Kingdom of Heaven, which besides the lack of a leading actor (:cough:Orlando Bloom:cough, was a pretty good movie that had important lessons behind it. (I don't wish to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it). So, that got me thinking of what did you learn from the movies? Was it something that's similar to what Tolkien's morals were that even the smallest people can change the course of the world? Or did they get you to understand the books better?

Because, when I first read the books, and read them after learning about the movies, or even watched the movies Boromir really wasn't my favorite character. I was a Gandalf/Gimli guy. Then Boromir (and the wonderful performance by Sean Bean), kind of grew on me and I began to notice all these other reasons why to like Boromir then just for his fault in being tempted by the Ring.

So, again...what did the movies do for you? What did you learn, any important lessons? How did it help you understand the book better? All that reflective stuff that we all love.

[Morsul the Dark]

I read the Hobbit about 8 years ago...Good book

then forgot about Tolkien saw the Fellowship because of one simple Line

Gandalf "It wants to be found" I had to see the movie anyway watching it Im like the whole movie...Bilbo? why do I know that name as soon as I left i remembered been hooked since read the books once and the first 4 chapter about 70(i keep trying to read the books again but theyre so long)

anyway....I use lessons from LOTR all the time its all i do is preach the word as told by tolkien

[Bergil]

the movies dispelled my terrible pre-film mental imiges. I'd been trying unsuccesfully to do that each time I read the book since I formed them.

Edit: don't laugh, but I also didn't realise that they fought in Helms Deep City (as opossed to in the canyon on the way there untill I saw the film.

[Elladan and Elrohir]

The movies . . . well, it's difficult to say what they did. I think they put Tolkien's world onto the screen. Yes, there were lots of changes, some minor, some major, but in the final analysis, it's just Lord of the Rings. You know?

As far as what they did for me on an emotional level, Sam's "There's some good in this world" line totally inspired me. I'm not a person who cries, at movies or at most anything else, but I wanted to cry in ROTK when Aragorn and the Gondorians bow to the hobbits and Howard Shore has the Shire theme going. It was beautiful. For all the complaints we have about the dumb jokes and inappropriate humor in the movies, in the end I think watching them is an emotional experience. It's majestic, it's glorious, it's wrenching, it's epic. It doesn't touch the book, but it's still an unbelievable accomplishment.

It's also difficult to put into words what these films have been to the film industry. I mean, you've got Hollywood churning out dumb flick after dumb flick, and even most of the serious ones aren't great, and then you've got something like this. Three three-hour films, no language or sex, and they're all telling this incredible epic story. What PJ and Co. did was audacious, really. And as we all know, these are three of the most successful films ever. And even though Hollywood continues to pump up the same trash, there have been a few bright spots since then. People are realizing, hey, you can make a good film, with a good message, without all the immorality.

And, shameless plug. If you want to see the biggest beneficiary of the LOTR phenomenon, show up at the theater on December 9 for "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." Yeah baby. Movies based on books by Oxford dons are the hottest thing on the market right now.

[Ellewen]

Corny as this may sound it changed my life... It got me interested in fantasy, it got me into archery where I have met the best friends I could ever ask for. They also got me started on my own "carreer" as an author. It has done more for me than I can put into words, that is all I can really say.

[Azaelia of Willowbottom]

For me, the movies were a completely new experience. I was nearly 14 when the first movie came out, and while I was an avid fantasy reader, LOTR was my first brush with this type of movie (and the only fantasy movie since that I have enjoyed).

I'd already read the books, so it was great to see them put onscreen. I did have a few problems here and there, but over all, I came away pleased from every single one.

There was something more important...At one point, I remember walking up the stairs at school, and just thinking about the movies when it hit me. I remember it so vividly because it was so important. I realized, That's what I want to do! . I wanted to be an actress. Not for fame or anything like that, but because I wanted to make people feel what I felt watching the movie. I'd known that I loved to act, but the realization that it was what I wanted to do with my life is something I attribute strongly to the LOTR movies. I'm 18 now, and still chasing that dream as I head towards college next year.

Originally Posted by Elladan and Elrohir

As far as what they did for me on an emotional level, Sam's "There's some good in this world" line totally inspired me. I'm not a person who cries, at movies or at most anything else, but I wanted to cry in ROTK when Aragorn and the Gondorians bow to the hobbits and Howard Shore has the Shire theme going. It was beautiful. For all the complaints we have about the dumb jokes and inappropriate humor in the movies, in the end I think watching them is an emotional experience. It's majestic, it's glorious, it's wrenching, it's epic. It doesn't touch the book, but it's still an unbelievable accomplishment.

That pretty much summed up what I felt, watching the movies (though I do tend to cry more frequently). It really is an achievement. Going into the theater for the first time, I had never felt the kind of sheer power that these movies have. Since then, I have seen precious few movies that have that special something. There is so much power and beauty and emotional truth in these movies that I think some people overlook because they focus on all the little things that might not be so perfect. I'm just incredibly happy with what we got: a truth to the spirit, if not to the letter, of the books.

Originally Posted by Elladan and Elrohir

The movies . . . well, it's difficult to say what they did. I think they put Tolkien's world onto the screen. Yes, there were lots of changes, some minor, some major, but in the final analysis, it's just Lord of the Rings. You know?

As far as what they did for me on an emotional level, Sam's "There's some good in this world" line totally inspired me. I'm not a person who cries, at movies or at most anything else, but I wanted to cry in ROTK when Aragorn and the Gondorians bow to the hobbits and Howard Shore has the Shire theme going. It was beautiful. For all the complaints we have about the dumb jokes and inappropriate humor in the movies, in the end I think watching them is an emotional experience. It's majestic, it's glorious, it's wrenching, it's epic. It doesn't touch the book, but it's still an unbelievable accomplishment.

It's also difficult to put into words what these films have been to the film industry. I mean, you've got Hollywood churning out dumb flick after dumb flick, and even most of the serious ones aren't great, and then you've got something like this. Three three-hour films, no language or sex, and they're all telling this incredible epic story. What PJ and Co. did was audacious, really. And as we all know, these are three of the most successful films ever. And even though Hollywood continues to pump up the same trash, there have been a few bright spots since then. People are realizing, hey, you can make a good film, with a good message, without all the immorality.

And, shameless plug. If you want to see the biggest beneficiary of the LOTR phenomenon, show up at the theater on December 9 for "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." Yeah baby. Movies based on books by Oxford dons are the hottest thing on the market right now.

Spot on; especially the bit about Hollywood churning out dumb flick after dumb flick. Their most 'original' ideas right now are to create re-makes of old movies or of comic classics, and like Poseidon, most of them are pure shyte.

LOTR was as close to movie perfection as can be (and few others touch it - A Beautiful Mind is another movie that was very touching).

Also, for example, comparing Poseidon or Superman to Lord of the Rings - LOTR generally only uses CGI when it needs to, and doesn't over do it.

It gave me some hope in Hollywood again, but that's again diminished after they kept churning out crap after crap yet again.

The movies were touching though - especially Howard Shore's soundtrack, something that obviously isn't in the book - but it's as fitting a music track as I've ever seen for a movie.

[Alchisiel]

I came late in life to LOTR, I think I was 29 or 30. I didn't even know about the books until I first saw FotR. I was talking to some co-workers about the movie and they told me about the books, so I went to Barnes and Noble that same day and bought the Hobbit, a co-worker lent me her LOTR book and I now own my own set of LOTR and Hobbit books, The Silm, and Unfinished Tales. So I guess you could say that the movies brought me into the wonderful world of the books and to you great people!

I remember when I first saw Theoden's death scene-I cried my eyes out!! I've only cried at two other death scenes-Greta Garbo's death scene in Camille, and Bette Davis' death scene in Dark Victory (I'm an old movie buff). They were such good death scenes that I could feel the emotions that the actors were trying to portray. Now when I read the books, I always cry at Theoden's death even though it's different in the movie. It also made me realize that I am a Hobbit!!! I sleep late, like to eat, I enjoy a good pint, and I too have a tendancy to be round in the middle!!

[the.landlord]

Originally Posted by Elladan and Elrohir

As far as what they did for me on an emotional level, Sam's "There's some good in this world" line totally inspired me.

i loved that line, too... but one the other hand i hated the scene. i will later explain why.

and i loved something which was written on the german movie posters. i hope i can translate that right:

"despite despair people always went on... because there was something they believed in."
"but what do we believe in? what do we hold on?"
"each other"

that was so beautiful! but i think it was said neither in the book nor in the movies, just on the posters.

i also liked the fact that there was more room for the realtionship sam/rosie in the movie... reading the book i always thought: "eh? why is sam gonna marry rosie? he hardly knows her!"

the were also scenes in the movie i really disdained... for example frodo offering the ring to the nazgul. frodo (book frodo) never would have done that.... and by the way it is not really logical. if frodo allready offered the ring to the nazgul... why the heck does sauron still not know where it is?

... and i do not like the fact that frodo and sam never touch in the movies. still the same scene. frodo wants to kill sam... after that he lies on the ground and is devasted... and what does sam do? does he hug him or try to comfort him? no, he holds a speach! to my mind book sam would not have done that.

[the.landlord]

i just saw, that i sort of missed the point. you were talking about moralic lessons.
well, i learned my moralic lessons allready from the books. i learned about the worth of friendship and about love for nature.
i valued friendship before and loved nature before... but because of the book those things may have become even a little bit more important for me.

[ninja91]

The movies are what first got me interested in Tolkien's world.

[Rikae]

In many ways, the movies were the fulfillment of a dream I carried with me for about 16 years. I'd relived the books hundreds of times n my mind, done countless drawings and paintings inspired by them, and longed to really see middle earth since I was a little girl. Amazingly there were more scenes and characters in the movies that coincided with what I had imagined than differed. Gandalf, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Gollum, Eowyn & Saruman could have walked straight out of my mind, so it was immensely satisfying to actually see these "old friends". Those that didn't match my expectations, notably Aragorn & Frodo, were a bit of a disappointment but outweighed by the rest. It was a letdown not to see Tom Bombadil or the Scouring of the Shire, but ultimately I was more grateful for what was good than upset about what was not so good or absent.

[Alcarin]

Originally Posted by Rikae

In many ways, the movies were the fulfillment of a dream I carried with me for about 16 years. I'd relived the books hundreds of times n my mind, done countless drawings and paintings inspired by them, and longed to really see middle earth since I was a little girl. Amazingly there were more scenes and characters in the movies that coincided with what I had imagined than differed. Gandalf, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Gollum, Eowyn & Saruman could have walked straight out of my mind, so it was immensely satisfying to actually see these "old friends". Those that didn't match my expectations, notably Aragorn & Frodo, were a bit of a disappointment but outweighed by the rest. It was a letdown not to see Tom Bombadil or the Scouring of the Shire, but ultimately I was more grateful for what was good than upset about what was not so good or absent.

U read my mind...only im a guy

The movies made X'Mas special for me, that's what they did. X'Mas for me used to be lonely and kinda depressing at times, but when LOTR came out, X'Mas was special.. and something to look forward to. *SIGH* Too bad its over

[ninja91]

Originally Posted by HelenHui

The movies made X'Mas special for me, that's what they did. X'Mas for me used to be lonely and kinda depressing at times, but when LOTR came out, X'Mas was special.. and something to look forward to. *SIGH* Too bad its over

Who said its over? Look at this forum! It has only just gotten started...

[Knight of Gondor]

For my part, the movies actually sparked my reading of the books. I'd already read Narnia at a young age, but I don't know how knowledge of Tolkien's books escaped me until the movie scuttlebutt came about.

I quickly immersed myself, and have since become a fan of both.

I think the movies reinvigorated a new generation to be interested, and obviously the interest had other implications. (IE, the Narnia and Harry Potter movies.)

As for their usefulness to the books, I think the movies helped fill out the books. I know there were additions, subtractions and omissions that bothered Tolkien purists, but I immensely enjoyed seeing the events unfold on the screen. I don't think the movies limited the imagination at all. The tenor of the book differs enough from the movie so that, while you can draw comparisons between book and movie, or imagine certain scenes according to Peter Jackson, I can still imagine independently.

[mark12_30]

The movies landed me on the Downs. Heh. Made some good friends, wrote some books, played some games.

Ain't been quite the same since.

[The Might]

the films definitely increased my interest in LOTR, and probably where the main reasons why I joined some sites
If there would have been no movies LOTR would have probably remained a nice book, but nothing more, and I doubt I would have ever been interested in more in-depth subjects if the movies hadn't been created

they also helped me picture myself the characters better, and except a few not portrayed in the movies I tend to imagine the characters in the books as those in the movies...it isn't easy to do it else