Stirring the pot... Debate time

[BEX (PSP)]

I want to know your views in LOTR, do you class yourself as a fan because you read the book when you was 2, and look down on people because their first taste of LOTR was in the movies. OR do you think it doesn't matter, we all love it for what ever reason, (mainly because of the male cast i think).

 

I think there is a lot of snobbery reguarding this. I personally have read some of the best books in the world, and i can say i read on average, 2 books a week. But i have always found LOTR boring, hard to get in to and i still cannot read it now.

 

Personally i think what Peter Jackson has done is so fantastic, when i heard he was making the films, i was not in the slightest bit interested. I was amazed when i was dragged kicking and screaming to watch FOTR, and in a way it has changed my life, for the better i may add.

 

Bieng 30 it really pi**ed me off, when someone said i could not be a fan having not read the book. But i think that may be an advantage, from the small amount i have read, i think i would have been let down. As with every other film i have watched after reading the book, for example, Harry Potter, The Beach, any John Grisham or Stephen King film based on a book is a major let down.

 

I love LOTR the movies (esp the men). Let me know what you think...

Edited January 29, 2004 by pippinssweatypants

[Narago]

I dont think it matters if you are a fan of the books or film or both!!

I have read the books a few times and you are right they are quite difficult. For some ppl the films will have made reading them easier I would think. There may also be ppl who have now read the books because of seeing the films.

 

The men in the cast are very nice but its the whole thing that really works for me.

 

I think a LOTR fan is a fan regardless of if they have read the books or not

[jenny]

well, i only read the books after i saw fotr. (i was 14 then, hadnt got round to it yet) but now ive read them 3 times. there quite hard for me to get through and i make sure ive got enough time 2 read a chapter or two whenever i sit down with them. anyway, i love both the movies and the books. both are brilliant in their own rights. and its so easy to get totally engrossed in everything to do with lotr. (have been ever since fotr) anway. i dont really judge people on whether they read the book or havent or whatever, we're all fans of the same concept so thats what unites us.

ooooh. prob none of that made sense. but lets post it anyway...

[wyrdsister]

I read the book many years before the movie came out, and I didn't find it that hard to read, although being foreign, I had some trouble with the words I didn't know...so I did need a dictionary the first time I read it in English.

 

From the point of view of reading the book now after the film, well, it's a matter of opinion I feel that anyone can get a lot of enjoyment out of them still, as Jackso's adaptation, though pretty thorough, lacks some nice details and events ( scouring of the shire and the end of Saruman for exemple) that add to the understanding of the work.

 

This said, the movies stand very much on their own as a masterpiece on celluloid and the books are no longer a must read unless you wish to experience what sparked the imagination of Jackson, Lee and the creators of these films.

 

As for who the real fans are? Well, they're the ones who love the Lord of the Rings.

[RainbowDisney]

I found it hard to read the book at first, but that was because i tried reading the complete set in ONE book, rather than the split version i have and love now. I dont think it matters whether you have read the books or not as to whether you can be called a fan.

 

Especially with the younger fans today, the book may not make sense to them, so i dont see whats wrong with seeing the films , loving them and then calling yourself a fan.

 

 

Andy

[hobbitslut]

Well some people may say that in order to be a true Lord of the Rings fan you have to have read the book and seen the film. But I say its either and or. lol. Anways I think a true Lord of the Rings fan doesnt love the films just cos of gorgeous actors.Yes they are gorgeous but I love the films so much not just cos of them, the costume, the music everything. I could go on bout it for hours..... I think if your more of a fan of the actor/s then youre not necessarly a fan of Lord of the Rings. Then you could say that the other way around too.

Anyways I know people who have seen the film without the books and they still love em. Its made me want to read the book. I will be able to when I get some time lol.

Charlotte

[Wyn]

it doesn't matter i only read the books after seeing TTT i've now read the lord of the rings twice i prefer the film in some ways the book in others

 

It's funny there's only two things that bug me about the films Faramir trying to take the ring (cause i love book faramir) and Denthor jumping off the walls of Minas Tirith

 

But then i prefer the film in some ways

 

i def prefer the extended versions and i think(or hope) that i'll love return of the king even more as at the mo the book of return of the king is def my fav (i need the houses of healing lol)

 

So yeah you get some tolkien fans who are so obsessed it's scary but most fans even of the book first don't hate people who haven't.

[TishTosh]

Im more of a fan of the films really...Only read them after id seen all the films. I preferred the way the films did some things. I felt the relationship between most of the characters was stronger in the films too. Thats my opinion...People are fans in different ways.

[BEX (PSP)]

mmm got you all thinking. Hobbit slut missed one of the best things about the films HUMOUR. Wonder why that is??? By the way whilst you thinking about the Humour and why you have such a wonderfull name, esp on this site where a lot of young peeps log on. Maybe you can get off your high horse. as i am at a guess 10 years older than you, i don't need someone telling me that i only like the films cause of the men, HUMOUR, remember.

Yes the films are fantastic for many reasons, this is what i was trying to get across to you, the fact that it has opened up a new world, for people who either could not or had not read the books.

[Kilteus]

Books, movies or both? What the hell. LOTR just all-round rocks.

 

Thanks for getting us all thinking, pippinssweatypants (love the forum name by the way!)

[pippinweasley]

I do class my self as a fan. I did try and read the books just after FOTR came out, but then I decided that i didn't want to until the end of the trilogy, because I didn't want to know what happens

 

There are different kinds of fans aren't there?

 

There are the fans who read the books over and over and over because they simply kick ass.

 

There are the fans who go to random places and queue from ridiculous hours in the morning like 3 or 4 to meet our idols from the film, to see the stars at premieres and get tickets to the FIRST showing of the films in their cinemas.

 

There are fans who do both.

 

There are also fans who like the books and have read them once or twice, seen the film a few times and own it on DVD or VHS.

 

I don't think it matters what you do, and because the next person does a little more, it doesn't make the first person less of a fan.

 

I believe that we're all fans because we come on here and talk passionately about it. Someone who goes to the premiere at 4pm and pushes in front of people who've been there since 3am because they fancy Orlando, who's not even gonna show is not a fan. They're just rude.

 

 

luv me x x x

Edited January 26, 2004 by pippinweasley

[hobbitslut]

Awww I wuv the humour. I love EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Junelilly]

It's good to see that people are open-minded on this. I don't think it really matters whether or not you have read the books, you can still be a fan of LotR. I made my best attempt at reading the books after I saw FotR, but I am dyslexic and find reading hard at the best of times. It annoys me when people say I can't be a true fan just becasue I haven't completed reading the books. I know what I like and I like LotR, in all it's forms! So *pffftt* to all you literary snobs out there! Thats not aimed at anyone who's commented on this topic so far. Just thought I'd point that out.

[Eogwyn]

It's good to see that people are open-minded on this. I don't think it really matters whether or not you have read the books, you can still be a fan of LotR. I made my best attempt at reading the books after I saw FotR, but I am dyslexic and find reading hard at the best of times. It annoys me when people say I can't be a true fan just becasue I haven't completed reading the books. I know what I like and I like LotR, in all it's forms! So *pffftt* to all you literary snobs out there! Thats not aimed at anyone who's commented on this topic so far. Just thought I'd point that out.

That's what I love about these films - they've brought Tolkien to people who wouldn't or couldn't read the books. So of course you're a fan I've read the books so many times but the films have added a new layer to them and have increased my enjoyment of them even more - which I would never have believed possible before they came out

[jenny]

Someone who goes to the premiere at 4pm and pushes in front of people who've been there since 3am because they fancy Orlando, who's not even gonna show is not a fan. They're just rude.

my sentiments entirely! happened to all of us i think!

[wiccawise21]

this is such a good topic to discuss.... hope i dont ramble to much!........

 

i dont think it matters whether you have read the books or not. like pippinweasley said... there are different types of fans.

 

i must admit that i sometimes get a little upset with people who consider them selves fans just because they think that a person is hot. its not to say that they arent a fan... it just.... upsets me.

 

lord of the rings is just indescribable! i cant begin to say how it makes me feel. some people look at it and think "yer great.. moving on now..." but i cant do that. there is sooo much more to it than that.

 

i must admit that its the films that have had the most impact... the power of the media and all. but i love the books too.. and yes! i have read them more than once!

 

i guess what i am trying to say is ... i consider myself a fan of lotr becasue it means sooo much to me. i really admire everyone involved in it... and i dont just mean the good looking actors. i mean right down to the swords master or orc number 135!! they were part of something so... so... unbelievable. never before have i seen a film made with so much love and passion. i look at the way the cast talk about forming thier own fellowship and my heart wells up inside... very soppy i know. but through lotr i have come to realise that there are some amazing people out there... i have made incredible friends that i know i wouldnt have made without lotr!

 

so ok.. yes i do get up at 4 in the morning to meet cast members... but is it to meet one of the hot guys? ..... not for me it isnt. i take away soo much more from meeting these people. and i want to tell them that. i want to make them feel appreciated for the effect they have had. they are such an inspiration! especially sean astin! that guy is beyond words!

 

i know that if i could give back to someone what has been given to me through lotr i would die a very happy and fulfilled person.... and is that because ive read the books? is that because ive seen the films? ....... no! its because of what i have taken away from it. and i truely believe we all take away something different. that is to say... different but amazing!

[BEX (PSP)]

OK,OK,OK,OK.....MY GOD!!!!

I know i said the actors were hot, but Blimey, i'm not that shallow, me thinks i'm one of the only ones that doesn't actually go on and on about them.

No i do not get up at 4am to meet no one, no i haven't been to the premiers, yes i did go to the excib at the science museam. I was just trying to get you all involved, i only actually fancy Billy and Viggo, and i can't stand Orlando. You must admit most of the conversation on this section is about the cast, Male in perticular.

Yes i do love the music, special effects, costumes and everything, so please stop saying i only like the blokes, it was me trying and failing miserably to be humourous.

 

Anyway glad to see your views, nice to know we don't all think we are better than each other, well nearly all of us anyway....

I live on a posh estate, and don't really comform to the rules. I don't give a s**t if no one likes the way i dress. Yes i'm 30, does that mean i'm not supposed to laugh, have fun, and be intitled to my own opinion.

I think that is why i started this topic, i'm sick of peeps looking down their nose at me. But then again, who cares, life goes on, god i am rambling.....