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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sir Whiskers" data-source="post: 1308321" data-attributes="member: 6941">You know, this comment finally cleared up for me why we seem to disagree on the importance of the changes. To me, the attraction of the novels is not the plot: it's the history, the grand sweep, and most of all, the characters. That's the true magic of the novels.You're absolutely right. Boiled down to its most basic elements, PJ changed virtually nothing important in the plot. The Ring is in the hands of a hobbit. Said hobbit takes the Ring into Morder, which results in the destruction of the Ring and the fall of Sauron. Exactly the same in both versions of the story.But for those (for example, me) who are more focused on the characters and the grand story of Middle-Earth (not just the Ring), the changes in the movies are sometimes jarring. Many of the changes I find completely incomprehensible because (IMO) they detract from so many of those very characters I fell in love with while reading the novels. Worse yet, many of the changes actually took up more time in the movies than the novels (for instance, in the novels, Aragorn never seems to die before the battle of Helm's Deep, only to miraculously appear just before the battle). I can more easily understand and excuse that changes were made because the movies could only be so long, but making changes which add time to the movies, leaving less time for Tolkien's version? These are some of the changes I most disagree with.To summarize, I agree that PJ only changed the narrative, if by narrative we mean characters, specific scenes and motivations, and certain visual elements. But for me those very changes touch on some of the most compelling aspects of the novels, hence my vague disatisfaction with the movies, even while I enjoyed the many parts PJ did so well.-----------------------------PS - I won't bother using specific quotes, but to all posters who feel the need to use such terms as "fanboy", "purist", "extreme", etc., please desist. Such name-calling, besides being inaccurate, can be rude and inappropriate. I've gained some insight from reading the views of others in this thread who fundamentally disagree with me, and I hope a few have gained some from my own meanderings. But whether or no, showing respect for others' opinions - most especially those we disagree with - should not be optional.</blockquote>

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