It was incredibly rushed due to studio deadline and a lot of it was improvised. They were basically choreographing battle scenes while filming, and thus a lot of it was developed digitally so as not to take time to coordinate with actual human beings. Obviously didn't come close to the original trilogy, but hobbit movies were much better than the usual schlock that Hollywood shits out on yearly basis.
Smaug they got right, as well as the music (Dwarves singing their Erebor song). Everything else was terrible, especially CGI. Movies should have been a movie, singular.
Went thru a wiki binge since Two Towers was on TNT and Tolkien amazes all the time. I can't even comprehend a single person creating this expansive universe and its languages. http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Timeline_of_Arda
Not technically an LOTR bit, but stumbled across this doing research for a class. Great advice from the master.
I'm hoping it's for a Silmarillion (and anything pre-Hobbit) adaptation. Christopher Tolkien must be on his death bed if the family is shopping this around.
The movies were done so well. They hold up well. There is no need to make an episodic show based on the trilogy. As for the other material out there, I don't think that anything else is worthy of being made into a show. The Silmarillion would be weird in a show format. It would be like 3-5 episode arcs, with none of the arcs really relating to each other. The audience would have an impossible time trying to follow it. It was hard enough to follow in the book. If you try and connect the stories in any way, then you'll be relying on show writers to do it, do you really trust anyone to do it right?
The Amazon release says they will explore “new” storylines. Let’s hope that doesn’t mean brand new stuff some writers come up with. Absolutely not a fan of adding to Tolkien’s work.
The two LotR related video games have been pretty good and take some pretty large liberties with Tolkien's work.
If they took one or two of the storylines in the Silmarillion and adapted them to a television series, that would be awesome. Children of Hurin would be perfect, as would Beren and Luthien. I do have real concern about them corrupting the source material, not just for accuracy, but for tone. Game Of Thrones is awesome, but GRRM's work had horrific shit in it. Shock value was part of what makes it so great. Tolkien had none of that, on purpose, and I'm worried that a modern HBO/Amazon/Netflix audience would expect that level of gratuitous sex and violence. It's not what Tolkien was about.
the two shadows of mordor games are both awesome and the story is pretty cool in both of them i could see something like that being really effective
Spoiler: Fingolfin challenges Morgoth Now news came to Hithlum that Dorthonion was lost and the sons of Finarfin overthrown, and that the sons of Fëanor were driven from their lands. Then Fingolfin beheld... the utter ruin of the Noldor, and the defeat beyond redress of all their houses; and filled with wrath and despair he mounted upon Rochallor his great horse and rode forth alone, and none might restrain him. He passed over Dor-nu-Fauglith like a wind amid the dust, and all that beheld his onset fled in amaze, thinking that Oromë himself was come: for a great madness of rage was upon him, so that his eyes shone like the eyes of the Valar. Thus he came alone to Angband's gates, and he sounded his horn, and smote once more upon the brazen doors, and challenged Morgoth to come forth to single combat. And Morgoth came. That was the last time in those wars that he passed the doors of his stronghold, and it is said that he took not the challenge willingly; for... alone of the Valar he knew fear. But he could not now deny the challenge before the face of his captains; for... Fingolfin named Morgoth craven.... Therefore Morgoth... issued forth clad in black armour; and he stood before the King like a tower, iron-crowned, and his vast shield, sable unblazoned, cast a shadow over him like a stormcloud. But Fingolfin gleamed beneath it as a star; for his mail was overlaid with silver, and his blue shield was set with crystals; and he drew his sword Ringil, that glittered like ice. Then Morgoth hurled aloft Grond, the Hammer of the Underworld, and swung it down like a bolt of thunder. But Fingolfin sprang aside, and Grond rent a mighty pit in the earth.... Many times Morgoth essayed to smite him, and each time Fingolfin leaped away...; and he wounded Morgoth with seven wounds, and seven times Morgoth gave a cry of anguish, whereat the hosts of Angband fell upon their faces in dismay, and the cries echoed in the Northlands. But at the last the King grew weary, and Morgoth bore down his shield upon him. Thrice he was crushed to his knees, and thrice arose again and bore up his broken shield and stricken helm. But the earth was all... pitted about him, and he stumbled and fell backward before the feet of Morgoth; and Morgoth set his left foot upon his neck.... Yet with his last and desperate stroke Fingolfin hewed the foot with Ringil, and the blood gushed forth black and smoking and filled the pits of Grond. Thus died Fingolfin, High King of the Noldor, most proud and valiant of the Elven-kings of old. The Orcs made no boast of that duel at the gate; neither do the Elves sing of it, for their sorrow is too deep. Yet the tale of it is remembered still, for Thorondor King of Eagles brought the tidings to Gondolin, and to Hithlum afar off. And Morgoth took the body of the Elven-king and broke it, and would cast it to his wolves; but Thorondor came hasting from his eyrie among the peaks of the Crissaegrim, and he stooped upon Morgoth and marred his face. The rushing of the wings of Thorondor was like the noise of the winds of Manwë, and he seized the body in his mighty talons, and soaring suddenly above the darts of the Orcs he bore the King away. And he laid him upon a mountain-top that looked from the north upon the hidden valley of Gondolin; and Turgon coming built a high cairn over his father. No Orc dared ever after to pass over the mound of Fingolfin or draw nigh his tomb, until the doom of Gondolin was come and treachery was born among his kin. Morgoth went ever halt of one foot after that day, and the pain of his wounds could not be healed; and in his face was the scar that Thorondor made. Great was the lamentation in Hithlum when the fall of Fingolfin became known....
Dang it Heavy Mental now Im going to have to read the whole thing again. Tolkien is the absolute master
One of my favorite little stories about Tolkien is that he did the crossword puzzle every morning and routinely finished it in 30 minutes or less, even in the twilight of his life.
Apparently Christopher is no longer involved. Maybe now we'll get some sort of adaptation of The Silmarillion now.