Killer Joe
New member
So, it's NOT the worst movie adaptation in your opinion or it is? hmmmmmm,....!?! 
Killer Joe
New member
oh, "would be,.." is what I missed. My bad.
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Nightstalkers
Guest
Okay, howabout Firefly?
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BigBlue
Guest
I enjoyed the LotR movies immensely... I fully understand the compaints, except that the love interest was in the books - it was just one sided and not as prominent.
I also enjoyed the books immensely... I think given the material, he did a fair adaptation - yeah, he took some liberties with the story... From the books, the things I missed most were Tom Bombadil and the burning of the Shire. I thought it made things easier to follow the way he didn't stick to the books order and made a close timeline... I listened to the Commentary for the first one a few weeks ago, and I was not overly surprised to hear he watched the Bakshi film and made a sort of homage to it in the party scene with "Proudfeet"... it's the exact same angle and shot...
I also enjoyed the books immensely... I think given the material, he did a fair adaptation - yeah, he took some liberties with the story... From the books, the things I missed most were Tom Bombadil and the burning of the Shire. I thought it made things easier to follow the way he didn't stick to the books order and made a close timeline... I listened to the Commentary for the first one a few weeks ago, and I was not overly surprised to hear he watched the Bakshi film and made a sort of homage to it in the party scene with "Proudfeet"... it's the exact same angle and shot...
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Nightstalkers
Guest
Firefly was good... but the Serenity movie just felt a bit too rushed.
Oversoul
The Tentacled One
That point was made in other parts of the books as well. And really, the whole section of the book with Tom Bombadil seemed completely insignificant to me. He's a mysterious, and apparently superpowerful entity that does essentially nothing but talk to the main characters for a while. I got nothing out of it.Mooseman said:
Tag Guard
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EricBess
Guest
I agree with Oversoul here. I've talked to people who really like Tom Bombadil and really wanted to see him in the movies, but he really didn't add that much to the story.
As for the movies and whether or not they were good adaptations, I think those here who have expressed disappointment are largely in the minority, probably because they care about the books more than the typical viewer. Still, anytime you adapt a book to a movie, there are going to be composite characters, missing scenes and/or things that aren't in the book. Most books are simply too complex to make a good movie if you try to include everything in the book. The Lord of the Rings are particularly involved and I personally think Jackson did a fairly decent job, though there are a few things I wish he had done differently.
As far as the added stuff, I dare say that he did far less Holliwoodization than most and tried to be fairly true to the books. Some of the love interests in the book don't play quite as well if you don't know what people are thinking, so making an unrequited love suddenly reciprocated may not be true to the story, but probably makes it play better on screen...
As for the movies and whether or not they were good adaptations, I think those here who have expressed disappointment are largely in the minority, probably because they care about the books more than the typical viewer. Still, anytime you adapt a book to a movie, there are going to be composite characters, missing scenes and/or things that aren't in the book. Most books are simply too complex to make a good movie if you try to include everything in the book. The Lord of the Rings are particularly involved and I personally think Jackson did a fairly decent job, though there are a few things I wish he had done differently.
As far as the added stuff, I dare say that he did far less Holliwoodization than most and tried to be fairly true to the books. Some of the love interests in the book don't play quite as well if you don't know what people are thinking, so making an unrequited love suddenly reciprocated may not be true to the story, but probably makes it play better on screen...
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Nightstalkers
Guest
Whatabout them Harry Potter films?
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EricBess
Guest
The Harry Potter films are acceptable in my estimation. Not spectacular, but true enough to the books to keep fans happy.
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BigBlue
Guest
As far as Bombadil goes...
For me, he was one of my favorite characters in the books, yes it is admittedly a very small part of a large story... but, not only does he save them in the barrows, he rescues them from the willows... And it's been a long time since I read, but doesn't his wife give some insight into things to them as well? I think part of my attraction is also the fact that the hobbits like him as well - even though he played a small part, it was important to them... I mean, if you want to start taking scenes out, there are a lot of them which aren't integral to the story on their own... but together they all provide insight. All this said, I don't mind that he was taken out too much... I'm just glad that I read the books and met him there. because all those people who'll never read the trilogy now since they have the movies will never know him...
I sort of like bit parts though, because I like Beorn(may be wrong with name) from the Hobbit as well... not a huge part of the story... But, Bilbo enjoys him immensely... enough to visit him on the return trip as I recall...
If I had to criticize the LotR movies... Bombadil wouldn't make my top 5 complaints... in no order...
Entjuice - they drink it (in the extended version), but it doesn't appear to have much affect while in the books Merry & Pippin end up practically human sized as I recall. Which is why they become much more prominent during the war...
Love Triangle - Probably the worst transgression... but as mentioned, could have been made way worse - and with poetic license could be extrapolated out of the books.
Death of Saruman - This is another of the "worst" transgressions imho... He isn't supposed to die that way...
Burning of the Shire - This was supposed to show the growth of those who left - and how it changed them all.... but also is in part due to above mentioned early death...
Faromir - simply let them go... no escort/prisoner/whatever... He recognized the ring as an ill which must be destroyed, unlike his brother.
In listening to the director's commentary... one of the things they battled was timeline... and condensed them immensely... Odd remainder to me was "Old Bill"... they never had all the turmoil they did before Weathertop in the movie which was where they acquired Old Bill... so it doesn't make sense to acknowledge him when they release him before entering Moria... of course the other side is they met up with him again on their journey back to the Shire (if I recall correctly)...
For me, he was one of my favorite characters in the books, yes it is admittedly a very small part of a large story... but, not only does he save them in the barrows, he rescues them from the willows... And it's been a long time since I read, but doesn't his wife give some insight into things to them as well? I think part of my attraction is also the fact that the hobbits like him as well - even though he played a small part, it was important to them... I mean, if you want to start taking scenes out, there are a lot of them which aren't integral to the story on their own... but together they all provide insight. All this said, I don't mind that he was taken out too much... I'm just glad that I read the books and met him there. because all those people who'll never read the trilogy now since they have the movies will never know him...
I sort of like bit parts though, because I like Beorn(may be wrong with name) from the Hobbit as well... not a huge part of the story... But, Bilbo enjoys him immensely... enough to visit him on the return trip as I recall...
If I had to criticize the LotR movies... Bombadil wouldn't make my top 5 complaints... in no order...
Entjuice - they drink it (in the extended version), but it doesn't appear to have much affect while in the books Merry & Pippin end up practically human sized as I recall. Which is why they become much more prominent during the war...
Love Triangle - Probably the worst transgression... but as mentioned, could have been made way worse - and with poetic license could be extrapolated out of the books.
Death of Saruman - This is another of the "worst" transgressions imho... He isn't supposed to die that way...
Burning of the Shire - This was supposed to show the growth of those who left - and how it changed them all.... but also is in part due to above mentioned early death...
Faromir - simply let them go... no escort/prisoner/whatever... He recognized the ring as an ill which must be destroyed, unlike his brother.
In listening to the director's commentary... one of the things they battled was timeline... and condensed them immensely... Odd remainder to me was "Old Bill"... they never had all the turmoil they did before Weathertop in the movie which was where they acquired Old Bill... so it doesn't make sense to acknowledge him when they release him before entering Moria... of course the other side is they met up with him again on their journey back to the Shire (if I recall correctly)...