*Disclaimer* – I fully realize that the Lord of the Rings is a series so the title should be Why the Lord of the Rings are the best Books/Movies: but I group them together because to me they are one story!
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” – Gandalf (J.R.R. Tolkien) This is perhaps my favorite quote from any book, movie, celebrity, etc. As many who are reading this blog know, Lord of the Rings is my favorite everything. As I’m writing this post I am sitting here listing to my LOTR playlist on my iTunes (yes, I know that I am a nerd.) So, one could easily come to the conclusion that I am obsessed…and I would have to strongly agree.
If you have never read the books, or at the very least seen the movies then you need to figure your life out! I'm just kidding, but on a real note, everyone should take part in this wonderful piece of fiction. And don’t worry if you have never seen or read this story I will be posting as little spoilers as possible.
There are many reasons why LOTR is my favorite, and we will dive into that later, but that does not mean that this story is without its flaws. While amazing, there are some things that are left to be desired between the films and books. Let's break this down based on format. I will talk about the pro and cons of each form (books and films), then we will compare and contrast them against each other.
The Books
First, lets talk about the books. The Lord of the Rings is a book series that was written and broken up into three volumes or separate books in 1954 and 1955; these are Part 1: The Fellowship of the Ring, Part 2: The Two Towers, and Part 3: The Return of the King. One can purchase each of these books separately, but most often you will se these books as a collection, where you would receive all 3. However, there is also other options like the 50th anniversary edition and the deluxe collector's slipcase edition where all three books are compiled into one massive novel. (the 3 examples below are parts of my personal collection)
These books primarily follow the story of Frodo Baggins. Now I say primarily because while yes, Frodo is the chief character, it also follows many other prominent figures such as Aragorn son of Arathorn, Samwise Gamgee, and Gandalf. I am not going to go into depth about the story, simply because it would take ages, but simply put, this is a story about the forces of good versus evil. This in itself is a wonderful story. We all long for the stories about the heroic knight or king, or a story of a great adventure. Well, this is all of that but in this tale, the heroic knight is but the smallest of creatures…a hobbit.
For me, this makes the story better in every way. It shows that no matter how small one might be, we all have a part play in the world and our actions can truly affect others. Another reason that I love this book is that we can see Christian symbolism throughout. For example, there are three characters who portray a “Christ-like” figure in the story. We see in Frodo, the one who carries the burden of the ring, just as Christ carried our burden of sin. We then see Aragorn, the rightful king who is coming to bring peace to the land, who always does what is right, and is the ultimate symbol of honor and courage. And finally, we see Gandalf, who represents purity, love, and wisdom. There are countless other examples of symbolism and Christian ideals, but once again, there are just to many to discuss within this blog. But as I said earlier these books are not without their shortcomings.
The books, as great as they are do fall short in a few areas. One example of this is that they make many references to Tolkien’s other books. Now let me explain; some of you reading this may be thinking “duh, why would they not?” My answer to this is simple. I love all of Tolkien’s writings. At the point of writing, I have only read the Hobbit and LOTR (almost finished with my 4th time through.) However, I have since acquired many of his other writings such as The Silmarillion, Children of Húrin, The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, and Unfinished Tales; and I am excited to read all of them. But not everyone will feel the same way. Some will want to read the LOTR and not understand or have the desire to understand the references. However, I realize that this is such a small detail that most will not be bothered by it.
Understandably, another area that most people will complain about the LOTR is the length of the story. One of the versions that I have is 1179 pages. (appendices included) Not everyone will want to invest the time that it takes to read the story, but those of us who have read this story would agree that it is well worth it. The detail that Tolkien has put into his novel helps to immerse the reader and transport them to the land of Middle Earth.
The Movies
OH MY GOSH, do I love these movies. I have to watch them at least twice a year or I feel like a failure but that is a conversation for another time. If you have made it this far you know that I love LOTR, but just as the books the movies have their pros and cons. Let us begin with the pros.
I, like many others, saw the movies before I read the books. I remember growing up with these movies seeing as The Fellowship of the Ring came out on December 19, 2001 when I was just 7 years old, and the 2nd and 3rd movies coming out over the following two years. I instantly fell in love with Sam, Aragorn, Gandalf, and Legolas…yes, I went as Legolas one year for Halloween. However, like most movies, we see when we are kids, we don’t fully understand all that is going on. Yes, my mind was in awe and wonder at what I was seeing, but it was not until years later that I truly fell in love with the movies and the story that they portray. And that is where I want to make my first point.
These movies can help those who don’t like the occasional read enjoy the story. Peter Jackson did such an amazing job with movies. Part of what makes these movies worth the watch is the effort that was put into making them. For example; upon signing for the roles of the characters, the cast was required to sign a 3-year contract that would lead them to New Zealand for filming. Another example is the orcs: I watched a documentary once that said it took 14 hours to put on each of the extras make up who played and orc. (and even longer to take off) When you watch these movies you can truly see the heart that goes into making it. Tolkien himself would be proud.
Another wonderful thing that the movies bring to the story is the amazing soundtrack and score written by Howard Shore. The Breaking of the Fellowship is my absolute favorite song from any soundtrack ever. Every time I listen to it I get chills…and yes, I mean literal chills. This soundtrack is so wonderfully put together that it helps the viewer to fell every emotion with more intensity than before.
Like I stated earlier, just like the books, the movies have their downsides as well. The biggest downfall of the movies is simple, they don’t stay entirely faithful to the books. One of the biggest examples of this is Tom Bombadil. While not a super prominent figure in the books, he does have a very important role in the Fellowship of the Ring, yet he is nowhere to be found in the movie. While this is just a small example, there are many just like it throughout the movies.
Another thing about the movies that some (not myself) would say is a downside to the movies, like the books, is the length. If you want to watch all three of them be prepared to spend over 9 hours doing nothing else… and that's just the standard version, the extended will take you just shy of 12 hours to complete. Like I said, to me, this is not a downfall though. I love being able to immerse myself in the world and story.
Conclusion
I have said it once, I have said it twice, and I have said it multiple time throughout this post…I LOVE LOTR!! I’m not going to lie, even though there are things that people complain about between the books and films, I think that they are absolutely perfect. I have seen the movies so many time that I have lost track, and as I said earlier am almost done with my fourth time through the books. These movies have impacted my life in such a way that find myself often thinking about and pondering the story. One thing that is absolutely crazy to me is how J.R.R. Tolkien was able to create this world that has thousands and thousands of years of history and tales to tell. The amount of detail that was put into this story is beyond comparison to me.
So if you have never been able to read the books, or see the films, I strongly urge you to do it. J.R.R. Tolkien has created this masterpiece, and it is worth every second that you will spend investing your time into.
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