May 12, 2002

Further to my Earlier Criticisms
Bob the Builder

Thanks for those who commented on my original criticisms of the FOTR. Here are a few further thoughts in response.

To Kailam: I don’t think there is a simple inverse relationship between the length of a movie and its box office receipts (Titanic, which I thought would never end, is a clear example of this). I would argue that those non-diehard-LOTR-fans who came out of the cinemas complaining that the movie was just one fight sequence after another would actually have enjoyed the movie much more if the character and plot developments had been better handled, even if the movie went three and a half hours. I understand there are issues with the number of sessions you can fit into a day (Spiderman could never have broken the 3 day record if it was 3.5 hours long), but in the long term, if it is a quality long movie, more people will come to see it than if it is a flawed short movie. Anyway, if the powers that be agreed with my idea of a 4 part series (impossible, I know), you could have probably kept each one at around 3 hours.

To Tavra: I grant that the ‘movie should have been longer’ complaint is hardly novel (though I have not heard anyone else suggesting ending movie 1 with the escape from Moria), but I have been surprised at the lack of mention of the single most fundamental change to the books, namely, the corruption of Sauraman. In the book, Sauraman was so susceptible to the powers of the ring (vain, proud, ambitious, etc…) and so obsessed in its study that it corrupted him even from a distance. It corrupted him to the extent that he cared not for his mission of aiding the people of Middle Earth, but instead developed the conceit that he should replace Sauron and become lord of the lands. The movie just makes him into Sauron’s little henchman, a humiliation that the Sauraman would never have endured. And in so doing, it lost an opportunity to impress further on the audience the all-corrupting presence of the Ring.

Lastly, I think this is a perfect forum/outlet for complaining. There’s nothing like a thoughtful complaint to start up a bit of debate.