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ChocolateFrogs

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So here's the thing: I haven't read Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers or The Return of the King.

 

I'll wait for all of you to recover from the state of shock.

 

I'm currently working on Towers, but it's hard with all my schoolwork and stuff.

 

Also, I haven't seen those two movies, because I'm picky like that.

 

Now, my friends say they are going to force me to sit down and watch the movies this semester whether or not I finish the books.

 

Regardless of if I finish the books, what if I really, really like the movies? I mean, they're epics, the third one won one of those big awards (imagine that, a fantasy movie winning an award!) and the soundtracks are constantly talked up. Sounds like there is little reason for me not to like them. Now, as soon as I realize the movie's awesomeness, my friends are never going to let me live it down. Just wait, they'll be talking about how good the movies are, and I'll pipe in my agreement, and then they'll suddenly turn on me saying how it took me a billion years to read/see them. Then what?

 

It's a lose-lose situation. I was better off saying I hadn't seen the movies because I couldn't trudge through the books.

 

Granted, this is all hypothetical. Maybe I should just give them all a slap in the face (literally or verbally, or both) and it'll never happen again. Maybe they'll be nice.

 

.....

 

Maybe part of me just wants to watch the movies, not have to pick up the books (which stop to examine every passing flower in detail, ug) and get on with other things I want to read. But that's not how I roll. Especially someone like me who likes to read, and wants more time to do so, it would sound silly to say, "I really liked the movies but never finished the books." (Granted, I know people do that for Harry Potter, but that's not as respectable a series overall.)

 

-CF :kakama:

Cool quote from Aragorn (one of the coolest characters IMO) while reading early in The Two Towers: "There are some things that it is better to begin than to refuse, even though the end may be dark."

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do what you want to do. i read the books a billion times when I was a kid, because i'm weird and lame like that. it made me enjoy the movies a lot more, even with their differences. if you're not enjoying the books, that's fine. just watch the movies--which imo are amazing, especially since good fantasy movies are a rarity

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It's ok. I haven't read any of the books.

 

Or seen the movies.

 

Except for like an hour of the second one when I was 13.

 

-Nukaya

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Man you are missing out on so much. The movies are fantastic! And if you can handle the length of the books, they're pretty darn good too. Things really start to pick up in the second and third books... more action. By the time I got to the third one I was so hooked that I couldn't put it down. Granted, the first one did take forever to get through.

 

But really, while the movies are fairly loyal to the book, there's still quite a big difference between the two as far as minor plotline go, so it's like you're getting the same basic story told two different ways. So it wouldn't be horrible if you watched the movie before reading the books.

 

But as soon as you watch the movies than I can start sharing all the great quotes and references with you... so watch them! :D

 

:music:

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do what you want to do. i read the books a billion times when I was a kid, because i'm weird and lame like that. it made me enjoy the movies a lot more, even with their differences. if you're not enjoying the books, that's fine. just watch the movies--which imo are amazing, especially since good fantasy movies are a rarity

 

You are neither weird nor lame for that. Reading them that often is decidedly awesome. Christopher Lee reads them every summer, every year. It's great.

 

Like Jason said, you are really missing out on something here. Some parts of the books are very demandind IMO, especially the ones where Tolkien puts in songs or a character recounting a tale of heroes long gone, but it is totally worth it.

 

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Man, you think those were tough? The Silmarillion was tough. I usually read 500 page books in two-three days, but that one took me a month the first time.

Back to the topic at hand, read the darn book and watch the darn movies. Who cares what people think? You'll have experienced one of the greatest works of fantasy of the last century in both visual and typographic form!

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Man, you think those were tough? The Silmarillion was tough. I usually read 500 page books in two-three days, but that one took me a month the first time.

Back to the topic at hand, read the darn book and watch the darn movies. Who cares what people think? You'll have experienced one of the greatest works of fantasy of the last century in both visual and typographic form!

ah yes, the silmarillion...wonderful book, but it will just make your mind asplode. i had to read it twice before i fully got it.

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Man, you think those were tough? The Silmarillion was tough. I usually read 500 page books in two-three days, but that one took me a month the first time.

Back to the topic at hand, read the darn book and watch the darn movies. Who cares what people think? You'll have experienced one of the greatest works of fantasy of the last century in both visual and typographic form!

These are my roommates. The key is the read and watch the series and appreciate it while at the same time hoping they then don't bring up and complain about how long it took me to do so.

 

Right now it looks like I'll finish Two Towers in time, but not King. Thing is, once I see the movie, will I have the motivation to read the book over the summer?

 

-CF

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The movies are amazing, the books are even better. I suggest you read first, watch later, and enjoy on your own time. Who cares what your roommates think.

 

Then again, I reread the series once a year for three years in advance of each movie, so I may be a little biased.

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