Board Thread:General Mod Discussion/@comment-25987328-20160413230109/@comment-26078371-20160426200412

"Were the movies trash?"

That's a very subjective question. What sort of standards are you supposed to judge the movies being "trash" off of? Is it how closely they followed the books to the letter? Then yeah, they would be considered trash, since they weren't carbon copies of the books, nevermind that doing so would make for a terrible movie. Or perhaps we should judge them off of their entertainment value for viewers? Yes they angered a lot of hardcore "book" fans, but it's hard to argue that they had little entertainment value for the masses. Just look at how many suggestions pop up on the wiki that are based solely off the movies. Were they perfect? Absolutely not.

They had their strong points and weak points, just like any other movie. For instance, I thought Sam's character was done exceptionally well in the LOTR movies. And this is coming from a guy who has Sam as his favorite character out of all of Tolkien's works.

Conversely, Faramir (who is number two for my favorite characters) was absolutely butchered in the films. For a character who resisted the temptation of the ring, knowing full well what it was, was described as:

"...one with an air of high nobility such as Aragorn at times revealed, less high perhaps, yet also less incalculable and remote: one of the Kings of Men born into a later time, but touched with the wisdom and sadness of the Eldar Race. He knew now why Beregond spoke his name with love. He was a captain that men would follow, that he would follow, even under the shadow of the black wings. "

and was considered important enough by Sauron to send the Nazgul to personally hunt, he definitely does not come off as such in the movie. Especially since he initially fails to resist the Ring, and intends to take Frodo and Sam to Minas Tirith and to use the Ring against Mordor. I mean seriously, think how much better it could have been if instead the movie would have used this quote:

" But fear no more! I would not take this thing, if it lay by the highway. Not were Minas Tirith falling in ruin and I alone could save her, so, using the weapon of the Dark Lord for her good and my glory. No, I do not wish for such triumphs, Frodo son of Drogo. "

with some of Howard Shore's exceptional music in the background. :(