books into movies - LOTR

With the clock counting down the moments until Harry Potter takes the world by storm for the last time in theatres, thus closing a chapter of what has been ten years of films, and seven enormous books (largely credited with getting kids excited about reading again), I find myself thinking, wow they could have screwed this one up royally. This could have been a disaster.

(ala City of Ember although the trailer looks far more interesting than the book... sorry for that.)



But Harry Potter didn't drop the ball. Yes there were moments of what were they thinking, or complaining about what was left out of the films (Order of the Phoenix especially, but so many other times....), or things not in the books that showed up on screen (the I Killed Sirius Black! Scene in Half Blood Prince) But for the most part, they did a really great job.

(Aside from the whole movie where EVERYONE needed a hair cut - movie four if you're interested.)

This could easily go the way of what was in the movies, and not in the books, and all of that. but I'm going to restrain myself. I promise.

Rather I got to thinking about what books have made the film adaptation jump and managed to live to tell the tale, and what other ones have fallen flat on their faces.


Of course we have Harry Potter...


Lord of the Rings

Fellowship of the Ring




The Two Towers



Return of the King



But really, what about this moment. When Helm's Deep is about to fall. Completely fall. It's just this one group of men who are going to go up against the baddest of bad@$$es, and they're all waiting to die. Brave but scared witless. And a horn sounds. and suddenly, out of nowhere, come the elves - the impossible neutral elves, (like Switzerland or Belgium). But exceptional archers, fighters, and many of them, easily doubling or tripling the number there at Helm's Deep...

<"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl5tG3fRZhk">

Just what a moment....

Ahh, but do you remember this one?



Really. 1977 The Hobbit. Animated. This thing gave me nightmares. It's because of that movie that I had nightmares of Gollum hissing in the dark at me. People had the bogeyman at night. I had Gollum. (We were literary nerds from a young age.)
Even as I type, I remember this music.

But of course the new Hobbit is coming out in 2012 with Martin Freeman (who plays Watson the BBC Sherlock) as Bilbo. Elijah Wood, Ian McKellan, Cate Blanchett, are all reprising their roles, Evangeline Lily (Kate Austen from LOST) is playing an elf as well. Along with Bennedict Cummerbatch (Sherlock Holmes from the BBC show Sherlock) is playing Smaug. So I have high hopes for it.