03-01-2004, 09:51 PM
Surely no one is favorably comparing the LOTR Abortion with Ben Hur? The mark of a truly great movie is when it wins 11 academy awards that are more than superficial "effects" awards. Ben Hur (although not quite as historically accurate as we would have liked), won several actor categories, including "best", as did Gladiator. LOTR was not even considered in these categories for it was nothing more than an "effects" movie, little more than a 'cartoon', really. Now this isn't to say it wasn't a good "effects" movie. I will shamefully admit to seeing ROTK twice, not because of the pathetic Tolkien story, but because of the great special effects, many of which had nothing to do with the real Tolkien story, and perhaps he is "spinning in his grave" the way Jackson warped his tale. The very dragon-like Fell Beasts were visually stunning, snatching up and hurling men, horses and catapults, but this is no part of the original story. Tolkien's beasts were beaked monster birds, clearly less imposing and capable. The fifty foot tall mastadons were great too, but in Tolkien's story, they were only regular sized elephants. Fantasy as it was, I doubt Tolkien ever imagined the absurdity of Rohan endowed with 9th century technology and Gondor in the 15th century. More Peter Jackson manipulation. Yes, all of his 'additions' probably made it 'better', but what people are lauding is not even the real Tolkien story. Like a little kid with a new toy, Jackson used the millions at his disposal to truly make an 'eyeful' for the ignorant maasses, using every possible effect he could think of and certainly succeeded in overaweing them.<br>
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Now how can any historical, ancient epic compete with this, where their real elephants are quarter scale to LOTR's 'oliphants', and there ares no talking trees, wizard's magic or trebuchet-tossing dragons? They probably cannot. The popularity of this film to the ignorant masses everywhere may mean that fewer and fewer historical epics will be made, in favor of 'eyewash', gratuitous special effects, fantasy nonsense (however momentarily entertaining they might be). I am sure that many of the Roman enthusiasts on RAT, first became interested in ancient Rome through the historical epics of the 50's and 60's. How many children from now, and into the future will become interested in ancient history if all the new films of seemingly ancient and medieval times, take place in fantasy never-never lands? Like those past times when those earlier Germanic Barbarian hordes descended on the civilized world, gleefully burning the repositories of history and knowledge, so too, perhaps this fascination for the "history of nothing" (which is fantasy), will herald a new 'dark ages' of historical ignorance among the great majority of the world's population who are resigned to learn most of what they know of history through the medium of motion pictures.<br>
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Dan<br>
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Now how can any historical, ancient epic compete with this, where their real elephants are quarter scale to LOTR's 'oliphants', and there ares no talking trees, wizard's magic or trebuchet-tossing dragons? They probably cannot. The popularity of this film to the ignorant masses everywhere may mean that fewer and fewer historical epics will be made, in favor of 'eyewash', gratuitous special effects, fantasy nonsense (however momentarily entertaining they might be). I am sure that many of the Roman enthusiasts on RAT, first became interested in ancient Rome through the historical epics of the 50's and 60's. How many children from now, and into the future will become interested in ancient history if all the new films of seemingly ancient and medieval times, take place in fantasy never-never lands? Like those past times when those earlier Germanic Barbarian hordes descended on the civilized world, gleefully burning the repositories of history and knowledge, so too, perhaps this fascination for the "history of nothing" (which is fantasy), will herald a new 'dark ages' of historical ignorance among the great majority of the world's population who are resigned to learn most of what they know of history through the medium of motion pictures.<br>
<br>
Dan<br>
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