LOTR: Just too violent for our delicate tastes.

[mollyringle]

Okay. Found in my email today a serious comment from one of my relatives, about why she didn't entirely like the FOTR movie.

She had read the books, including The Hobbit, years ago, and finally saw the film upon my persistent prodding. Now she says she liked The Hobbit better, because "they were creative in their means of escape or venturing on," whereas in LOTR, "the solution was too often fighting." So, basically, she's saying "Why does it have to be so violent?"

To which I can only answer: Umm, hello? It's about a WAR. Yes, a war. While detaining your enemy for a chat and a riddle game may have worked with Gollum, I somehow don't think it would've stopped the Ringwraiths. I can just see the hobbits and Strider trying that one: "Aw, come on, scary Black Riders, let's just talk it out. No? Still coming at me with a sword? Well, shucks...I don't want to have to do anything violent...please just stop. Please? Okay? 'Cause I don't want to have to fight or anything."

I mean, really. Duh.
Just had to get that off my chest.

Comments

[bluegreen17]

yeah,that is a weird attitude. and the story just gets MORE violent,so i don't think she's gonna like two towers.
interesting point about the hobbit...never thought about it that way.
i must say that i like star trek next generation because captain picard sometimes did use diplamacy and i'm really big on the potential of diplomacy over violence in these times that we live in and this was the future...we were supposed to have EVOLVED and to me that means less violence.

as i mentioned recently,i'm a pacifist. however,i was not offended by the violence in braveheart,for instance,because that is the way the world was back then. and it didn't even cross my mind that there was too much violence in fotr.i don't like movies where violence is what it's ALL about,but lotr has so many different things going on,it's not just a shoot 'em up,in a manner of speaking.

heck,on of the bits that gets me the most is when bilbo nearly attacks frodo for the ring and then is immediately repentent as well as feeling extremely guilty for everything and he starts crying. (ian holm is great!) i can relate to that because sometimes i feel like everything wrong in the world is my fault,even though it's not true.

some people also said tolkein didn't write good characters. hello? one of the things i like best about a good movie or book is the characters. i read the books 30 years ago and i forgot tons of the plot points,but i never forgot gandalf,frodo,legolas (had a crush on him when i read the book) and sam and i loved merry and pippin!
oh,how i do go on!

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

Yeah, there's going to be even more of that nasty fighting in the 2nd and 3rd installments, so I guess she'll be displeased with the end result. Really, it's all about the characters. It's not like I watch FOTR over and over just to see Aragorn cut off Lurtz's head.

And it's just as Faramir said (and I apply this to life as well as to LOTR films): "War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend..." A good fellow, Faramir. Looking forward to meeting him in the second film.