So I promised that the master would appear on this blog
eventually. :) This is the second of my World posts and I intend to talk about
both the books of Middle Earth and the movie adaptations, including a couple of
parodies. I will, as much as possible, do a book from the Middle Earth cannon
that I have actually read and then do a movie adaptation. So let us begin:
The Silmarillion
Published posthumously by Tolkien's son Christopher this is
the history of Middle Earth prior to a hobbit named Bilbo and the One Ring.
Many fans don't like this book because it reads like a history book instead of
the story book we have come to love in the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
Since I love history, I love this book. The Silmarillion details the creation
of Middle Earth by Illuvater and the Ainer. It then talks about how some of the
Ainer came down to earth and became the Valar, or the gods of this world.
Beginning with that creation, and tells many historical details up until the
War of the Ring. Many fans are clamoring for a movie adaptation of this book. I
think it would make a better TV show, there's a lot going on in this book.
The Hobbit (1977)
Done by Rankin/Bass of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer fame,
this is actually a fairly accurate adaptation of the book. There are certainly
some odd choices of animation, for instance Gollum looks like a giant frog and
I'm really not sure what they're doing with the Elven King, but for what it's
worth it captures the style and tone of the book much better than Peter
Jackson's trilogy nearly 30 years later. Worth a watch if nothing else.
The Hobbit
And this, my friends, is where it really began, at least for
the public. With a boring day grading papers and a hobbit in a hole. The story
tells the tale of Bilbo Baggins, a respectable hobbit of the Shire who goes on
a quest to help thirteen dwarves defeat a dragon that has stolen their gold.
The story is fun and light, although with some darker elements that really make
you feel a part of the world that Tolkien creates. A great introduction to the
World for younger readers.
The Hobbit Trilogy
(The Unexpected Journey, The Desolation of Smaug, The Battle of the Five
Armies)
Peter Jackson's trilogy is a lot more grown up then
Rankin/Bass' original version of the tale. It takes a lot of liberties with the
text and is certainly weaker than his Lord of the Rings Trilogy 10 years prior.
But for what it's worth, I don't think the movies are that bad. I knew great
liberties would be taken with the text when they told me that they would be
adapting a shorter children's book into 3 movies, so I went into the theater
expecting to be entertained and not really find a faithful adaptation. I think
that they stuck pretty close to the spirit of Middle Earth and this beloved
classic, so I walked out happy. Do I think that Jackson spent way too much time
on CGI this time around? Yes. Do I think that Battle is certainly the weakest
of the 6 movies in Jackson's cinematic world here with too much time spent with
crazy Thorin and Albert? Yes. But the thing that bothers most people the most,
the relationship between Kili and Tauriel didn't bother me. Hey, if Kili showed
up at my door, I'd snap him up in a heartbeat myself. :) If you go in expecting
a fun romp in Middle Earth, you will not be disappointed.
The Lord of the Rings
Tolkien's publisher wanted a sequel to the Hobbit and they
got the Lord of the Rings. A project that took Tolkien nearly twenty years and
is much darker than its lighter prequel. This story tells the tale of Bilbo's
nephew, Frodo who has to take the evil One Ring to the heart of Mt. Doom and
throw it into the fire. This story has a lot of darker overtones and you see
more of Middle Earth than was ever mentioned in The Hobbit. We have the heroic
Aragorn, the heir to the throne of Gondor, Legolas, the Elf King's son, and
Gimli, the son of one of Bilbo's original companions plus 3 more hobbits,
Borimor, and the wizard Gandalf. The story is the pinnacle of literary fantasy
and showed the world that adults would read fantasy and it should not be
regulated to the annals of childhood.
The Lord of the Rings
(1978)
I guess the main problem I have with this movie is that they
tried to cram both the Fellowship of the Ring and the Two Towers into one 2
hour movie. It feels very rushed and I don't feel that people have a full
exposure to the wonderful richness of the story. I also feel that new
innovative technology they tried to use in this cartoon just looked dumb, but hey
with what it had to work with this isn't completely bad. Frodo at least is
braver than he'd later be portrayed by Jackson. :)
The Adventures of Tom
Bombadil
Tom Bombadil is an interesting character met by the four
hobbits in the Old Forest. No one really knows where he came from or what he
really is. These short stories really explore Tom's power over his little realm
and the world around him. In the first story, everything tries to kill him, but
Tom conquers because he's Tom Bombadil. That's just what he does.
The Return of the
King (1980)
The last of the cartoon movies, this one is also made by
Rankin/Bass. Again, for what it's worth it's not a bad movie. It concentrates
far more on Frodo and Sam's quest, but since this was the heart of the whole
trilogy, that's not a bad thing. We talk briefly about the other characters,
but there's not as many battles here to try to illustrate. I actually kind of
like this movie.
Bored of the Rings by
National Lampoon
A clever, if slightly vulgar, parody of the Masterpiece. All
of the elements are there as Frito has to take the evil ring to the Heart of
Mordor. It makes lots of references to other pop culture icons like an
"old dwarf song" that begins with "High-Ho, High Ho." If
you can get past the vulgarity, the story is fun to read in the spirit in which
it was written.
The Lord of the Rings
Movie Trilogy
This movie trilogy was nominated for several Oscars and the
Return of the King won Best Picture which is rare for a fantasy movie. This
movie is awesome. It is the pinnacle of all fantasy movies before or since.
Jackson in this trilogy stayed very close to the books and it's just wonderful.
Nothing more to say.
Lord of the Rings:
Let it Go
The parody group Hillywood Song did a wonderful adaptation
of Let it Go from Frozen with Lord of the Rings lyrics. It's featured below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wNnbMCrtZg&index=1&list=PLZeM6nlJE1qVlOy-PYmLafeitLAaE28CN
Lord of the Beans
(2005)
This Veggie Tale video is all about using your gifts. Toto
Baggypants sets out with Earocorn, Legolam, Grumpy, Randolf, and Legolam's
cousin who had nothing else to do that day to discover what to do with the
mysterious bean he's inherited from his uncle Billboy. He must travel to the
land of Woe to find out what he needs to do. It has a great message to it and
is a fun parody of the Lord of the Rings.
The River Sings
Valerio Ottaviani on YouTube did this awesome
fan video to Enya's the River Sings. It has aspects of Jackson's Fellowship and
Two Towers.
