I'm Curious...
The Two Towers was on TV here last night. I couldn't help but watch parts of it. The first time I saw this movie was in the theatre, and I loved it, not because I thought it was perfect rendering of the books (which it certainly wasn't) but because it was quite a powerful experience to see how others had visualised at least parts of a story and a world I've been able to wander into most of my life.
After watching the dvds and now this TV version, my intial enthusiam has rather dwindled and turned into annoyance with all the things that were changed, or left out, or even misinterpreted in order to make a sufficiently actionpacked movie. Last night, I did a lot of ironical commentary. It all ran along the lines of 'cool, except it didn't happen like that, now did it?'. So I have some idea what it's like to watch the films after reading the books, though opinions may differ, of course, depending on what it is that you like in the books, or miss there.
Furthermore, as a movie, on its own, without any ties to the books, well the least I'd say is that Jackson's work is grandiose and spectacular. I'm still impressed with the battle scences at Helm's Deep, for instance, though they have very little to do with the way I see the same scene if I read the book.
But what is it like to read the books after having seen the movies? Are you disappointed by the lack of action or is it like finding the best 'Missing Moment' fic of your life? There were lots of new books printed and sold in the wake of the movies, in Sweden even a new, longed-for translation. Did those books become as dear to their owners as my old copies are to me, or do they still stand about, tossed aside after a few pages that were not up to the same standard as the movies?
After watching the dvds and now this TV version, my intial enthusiam has rather dwindled and turned into annoyance with all the things that were changed, or left out, or even misinterpreted in order to make a sufficiently actionpacked movie. Last night, I did a lot of ironical commentary. It all ran along the lines of 'cool, except it didn't happen like that, now did it?'. So I have some idea what it's like to watch the films after reading the books, though opinions may differ, of course, depending on what it is that you like in the books, or miss there.
Furthermore, as a movie, on its own, without any ties to the books, well the least I'd say is that Jackson's work is grandiose and spectacular. I'm still impressed with the battle scences at Helm's Deep, for instance, though they have very little to do with the way I see the same scene if I read the book.
But what is it like to read the books after having seen the movies? Are you disappointed by the lack of action or is it like finding the best 'Missing Moment' fic of your life? There were lots of new books printed and sold in the wake of the movies, in Sweden even a new, longed-for translation. Did those books become as dear to their owners as my old copies are to me, or do they still stand about, tossed aside after a few pages that were not up to the same standard as the movies?