[+] The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power - SPOILERS ALLOWED

[Hussar]

Heh, really? The Silmarillion or the Lost Tales are some of the most widely read fiction ever? I'm thinking not so much.

 

[reelo]

Can I just say that it’s kinda sad that the first original Middle Earth stories we’ve had are being crucified by book fans who are insisting that the books that largely no one has read must be adhered to?

If you can't create an original story without having to resort to altering that which already exists in order for it to fit, is it really worthwhile doing?

And the fact that fewer people have read the Silmarillion shouldn't be a valid argument. People who know the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings and who want more Middle-Earth should read what's there, first. If they can't be *rs*d to do that and want it handed to them on a platter, they should at least acknowledge the fact that those who have read those books have a right to be passionate about an accurate translation from one medium to another.


I have no problem with the completely made-up parts of the show (the Harfoots and Arondir), only with established characters and situations being altered significantly.

 

[Hussar]

If you can't create an original story without having to resort to altering that which already exists in order for it to fit, is it really worthwhile doing?

And the fact that fewer people have read the Silmarillion shouldn't be a valid argument. People who know the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings and who want more Middle-Earth should read what's there, first. If they can't be *rs*d to do that and want it handed to them on a platter, they should at least acknowledge the fact that those who have read those books have a right to be passionate about an accurate translation from one medium to another.


I have no problem with the completely made-up parts of the show (the Harfoots and Arondir), only with established characters and situations being altered significantly.

Absolutely. Who wants to watch Hamlet for the fifteen thousandth time without trying to recreate, change, or otherwise alter it? We shouldn't ever allow for the various Sherlock Holmes remakes? I guess we absolutely must not allow Lucy Liu to play Watson. Never minding the fantastic Irregulars. How many versions of Spider Man are there? Never minding other super hero stories. Conan should be Howard and only Howard? No one should ever make a different Conan story? Guess twenty or thirty years of Conan comic books can just be thrown away. Two Dune movies, one close to the source material and one that gave us things like Weirding Modules and the fantastic Dune video games.

On and on. That is the primary purpose of all art - to build one each other and take things in new directions.

And the level of gate keeping here is pretty breath taking. People who want more Middle Earth stories "should read what's there first"? No thanks. Some of us read the Silmarillion, or at least tried to, and realized that it was dry, boring and utterly disinteresting to read.

Never minding the Lost Tales.

There is no "should" here. Those "established characters" are just fiction. They have no feelings. Reinvisioning, remaking, rewriting characters is ABSOLUTELY what you should be doing. Simply regurgitating someone else's works just to pander to a vocal, but, ultimately, tiny sliver of fandom who actually cares is the absolute worst thing they could do.

The best thing for any of these properties is to have a giant disclaimer right up front. "HERE BE NEW IDEAS. Warning, warning. If you are against new ideas then do NOT watch this. You will be disappointed."

 

[BRayne]

Absolutely. Who wants to watch Hamlet for the fifteen thousandth time without trying to recreate, change, or otherwise alter it? We shouldn't ever allow for the various Sherlock Holmes remakes? I guess we absolutely must not allow Lucy Liu to play Watson. Never minding the fantastic Irregulars. And the level of gate keeping here is pretty breath taking. People who want more Middle Earth stories "should read what's there first"? No thanks. Some of us read the Silmarillion, or at least tried to, and realized that it was dry, boring and utterly disinteresting to read.

Never minding the Lost Tales.

There is no "should" here. Those "established characters" are just fiction. They have no feelings. Reinvisioning, remaking, rewriting characters is ABSOLUTELY what you should be doing. Simply regurgitating someone else's works just to pander to a vocal, but, ultimately, tiny sliver of fandom who actually cares is the absolute worst thing they could do.

The best thing for any of these properties is to have a giant disclaimer right up front. "HERE BE NEW IDEAS. Warning, warning. If you are against new ideas then do NOT watch this. You will be disappointed."

No, I'm still upset about de Troyes putting his ridiculous Gary Stu self-insert Lancelot into Arthurian stories. If you have no respect for the canon don't write it!

 

[Tonguez]

Some of us read the Silmarillion, or at least tried to, and realized that it was dry, boring and utterly disinteresting to read.

I read the Slmarillion and prefir it over the Lord of the Rings novels.
but yeah I get your point and am enjoying RoP

 

[Hussar]

No, I'm still upset about de Troyes putting his ridiculous Gary Stu self-insert Lancelot into Arthurian stories. If you have no respect for the canon don't write it!

Ok, totally made my day with this.

 

[Hussar]

I read the Slmarillion and prefir it over the Lord of the Rings novels.
but yeah I get your point and am enjoying RoP

Sorry, I did get carried away there. I found it too dry and boring to read. Not that it's badly written or anything like that. I just bounced right off of it and totally could not get into it. Then again, I've read both the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings multiple times and still have not read more than the first two lines of any of the poetry in any of the books. As soon as that indent hits, I'm skipping pages.

I think I was about twenty years old before I actually learned the Appendix was meant to be read.

 

[trappedslider]

I think I was about twenty years old before I actually learned the Appendix was meant to be read.

still haven't read them

 

[reelo]

The best thing for any of these properties is to have a giant disclaimer right up front. "HERE BE NEW IDEAS. Warning, warning. If you are against new ideas then do NOT watch this. You will be disappointed."

I am not against new ideas per se as I have already stated. But when you translate a work from one medium to another, it would be well to do so faithfully first. Then you can start working with it.

Imagine a digital artist announcing that they're gonna colorize an old b/w photography of some famous person. And in doing so, they not only colorize the photo, but also erase moles, soften the skin, and alter the haircut of the person in the photo.
The end result might be stunning. It might be aesthetically pleasing. But you'd still wonder what the original photo would have looked like, colorized. [emoji2369]

I don't hate the new show — nor its fans. But I'm a tad bit disappointed and I feel it is a valid sentiment, both to have and to express. I refuse to be lumped in with trolls and racist that have raged against the show ever since the first character portraits were released. I gave the show the benefit of doubt and find it... lacking. That's all.

 

[reelo]

I still have not read more than the first two lines of any of the poetry in any of the books. As soon as that indent hits, I'm skipping pages.

Ah well. My enjoyment of Tolkien's poetry has led me to reading (and enjoying) his version of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" in Middle-English alliterative verse, as well as his, and other authors' translations of "Beowulf", and trying to learn Old English eventually.

Back when I was studying Sumerian philology we were always told to go back to the originals before going into secondary literature.

YMMV.