Lord of the Rings - Misconceptions

"I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."
-Bilbo Baggins

One of the greatest stories of our time, Lord of the Rings, is finally coming to the big screen this December, much to the delight of J.R.R. Tolkien fans across the globe. With the book being one of the most read novels today; and with the preview trailer setting the record as the most downloaded trailer in the history of the Internet, you'd think movie viewers everywhere would be waiting eagerly to be the first in line for what surely will be the most anticipated movie of this year.

Think again.

There's a small population out there of movie viewers who remain unconvinced of the Lord of the Rings ; and perhaps that can be understandable. There are questions about the first of three films: How faithful to Tolkien's books will the movies remain? Will the actors involved give performances worthy of the legendary epic? These are certainly valid questions, but for the answers, we will have to wait until December 19. I have no problems with the people who will wait until the arrival of the first film to decide whether or not the story set forth by J.R.R. Tolkien is worthy of the hype it currently is receiving.

The people I do have problems with are the people who've already decided that the Lord of the Rings is just another movie. Can there not be more a miscalculation as far as movies go? The trilogy of books that comprise the Tolkien saga: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King, have reaped countless awards, most recently labeled by some as the Book of the Century. Have these people read a single page from any of these three books? Not only are they not likely to have witnessed the carefully crafted story that Tolkien has so meticulously woven, these persons will have a disdain for reading in general.

My comment? How unfortunate.

I'm not about to get into a lecture here on how reading in general is the key means by which we humans learn. But I will say that by not reading any of the works of our history's selection of great authors, you are doing yourself a great disservice. And by judging beforehand, without having even read the epic adventures of Middle Earth, I have to call into question your decision making abilities.

"Do not meddle in the affairs of Wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger."
-Gildor Inglorion

Why is the world of Middle Earth such an intriguing place to begin with? Tolkien took great liberties to craft a tale that would be our answer to the mythologies of the past. Entire histories were mapped out, numerous characters plotted carefully into this detailed history, actual languages designed exclusively for the book, along with a basic theme very familiar to our human nature: Good versus Evil. Tolkien was a literary genius, using his extensive knowledge of languages to help add authenticity to his story. By developing a careful history to his imaginary world, he created an universe by which a reader could immerse himself in. Another term you could use here, my friends, is imagination. Tolkien allowed one's imagination to roam free in Middle Earth. What can be said of the imagination of those who despise such an attention to detail? The only words I can offer is that luckily, our past culture hasn't been dominated by these close minded thinkers, otherwise, we may have never escaped the clutches of the Dark Ages.

"Dangerous!" cried Gandalf. "And so am I, very dangerous: more dangerous than anything you will ever meet, unless you are brought alive before the seat of the Dark Lord."
-Gandalf

The Lord of the Rings saga has deeply affected the way of thinking we have of the world of fantasy. Tolkien's strongly developed characters set the standards by which we today view such things as elves and evil dragons. Sure, they existed before Tolkien's time, but Tolkien took these elements, shaped him into his image of what he thought they should be, and along the way, he built the template by which future fantasy adventures would undoubtedly follow. Do the good people who so undeservingly bash Tolkien and his works know this? I seriously doubt so. These persons suffer from some outrageous phobia of the culture created by the onset of the wave of popularity from the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. I can only explain this mysterious prejudice by either the person disinclined to give respect to the many forms of role-playing out today due to their unwillingness (or inability) to use their mind in a creative fashion ... or perhaps they fell victim to a spell cast by Johnny the Magician back in middle school? Sarcasm aside, media's played its part, as well as religious zealots, and given Dungeons and Dragons a bad name in the past, so I suppose some people just can't seem to see through the hype.

"The Nazgul they were; the Ringwraiths, the Enemy's most terrible servants; darkness went with them and they cried with the voices of death"
-J.R.R. Tolkien, Silmarillion

Of course, its important to point out the fact that many ideas in the Dungeon & Dragons settings are derived from the Lord of the Rings. But by simply lumping the Lord of the Rings along with the likes of D&D and generic fantasy in general, you couldn't be more wrong. Tolkien's works served to inspire the generation of fantasy writers that followed him, shaping the way we view Fantasy today. Now that inspiration will be translated to the big screen in a phenomenon that could perhaps even overtake Star Wars. It's too bad that a small portion of people out there won't allow themselves to be a part of movie history due to their preconceived notions of Lord of the Rings. Then again, these people might also find themselves alone on December 19, when everyone else is watching one of the greatest stories ever told come to life at movie theaters all across the nation.

-Now that you've read something, he's written. Wouldn't you like to find out more about Nemesis? His bio will appear soon!