At least the movie avoided this. They let events be funny without anything be ridiculous, which detracts from the overall feeling of seriousness the quest deserves.
I think that Merry and Pippen were portrayed as bumbling idiots. They served no purpose in the movie as their characters lacked any development at all.
Actually, Tolkien himself states that Bombadil was the name of a toy of his children, that he put in the book for a cameo because he thought they'd like it, not because it helped the story.
But Tom Bombadillo did help the story. He was part of the hobbits first experiences outside the Shire. He helped them realize that there are things in their world they couldn't hope to understand.
If we're going to cut important parts out I don't understand why it was necessary to shoot the scenes at the Prancing Pony, or Rivendell, or in Moria. These parts were left filmed because they were important to the story. I think Peter Jackson has shown that he could give a damn about character development, which is after all subordinate to plot.
I am still angry that Peter Jackson took it upon himself to modify the story. I know he thinks he did it for the good of mankind, but many important themes and characters were removed or butchered for the transition to the screen.
The LotR did not have to be modified for the cinema. Jackson took more "creative freedom" than he should have and ruined a wonderful novel. I would have liked more scenes of them walking and talking.
That being said, I'll probably get both DVDs as well. I'm such a consumer whore.
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At least the movie avoided this. They let events be funny without anything be ridiculous, which detracts from the overall feeling of seriousness the quest deserves.
I think that Merry and Pippen were portrayed as bumbling idiots. They served no purpose in the movie as their characters lacked any development at all.
Actually, Tolkien himself states that Bombadil was the name of a toy of his children, that he put in the book for a cameo because he thought they'd like it, not because it helped the story.
But Tom Bombadillo did help the story. He was part of the hobbits first experiences outside the Shire. He helped them realize that there are things in their world they couldn't hope to understand.
If we're going to cut important parts out I don't understand why it was necessary to shoot the scenes at the Prancing Pony, or Rivendell, or in Moria. These parts were left filmed because they were important to the story. I think Peter Jackson has shown that he could give a damn about character development, which is after all subordinate to plot.
Right? =/
I am still angry that Peter Jackson took it upon himself to modify the story. I know he thinks he did it for the good of mankind, but many important themes and characters were removed or butchered for the transition to the screen.
The LotR did not have to be modified for the cinema. Jackson took more "creative freedom" than he should have and ruined a wonderful novel. I would have liked more scenes of them walking and talking.
That being said, I'll probably get both DVDs as well. I'm such a consumer whore.