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Downloads and Dragons: Look what they've done to Fantasy, ma - Page 6

© Michael Martinez

By contrast, the greatest complaint about Peter Jackson's as-yet uncut, unseen "Lord of the Rings" is that it departs from the book. The whole story is laid out, fairly clearly, and all the characters are already named in a very sensible fashion. No one drinks Gimli, he doesn't get drunk on ale, and he doesn't go around kicking in doors. People would be upset if he turned out to be like a DnD dwarf. But DnD players, at least, should feel comfortable if their dwarf is a sot in-between deadly battles with Orcs and Goblins. Nor are there any thieves in "The Lord of the Rings". Gaming thieves don't have to be hobbits, but they do have to run into traps, poisons, and various deceptive mazes which are intended to foil anyone who can't make their die rolls. The closest thing to a maze in Tolkien is Moria, and Gandalf leads the way. It wouldn't be much fun if the author dwelt on all the false turns the party made, or had them halt and listen to every door, or had a giant boar come bursting out of some wizard's bedroom (leaving the room inexplicably clean and neat upon its departure). So, it should be obvious that the "Dungeons and Dragons" trilogy will be very different kinds of films from "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Both movies must cater to stereotypes (Jackson went with pointed ears on his Elves, for example, even though Tolkien didn't). And both movies must follow a blueprint. But Jackson's blueprint is a story written 50 years ago, and Corey Solomon only has to bring together predetermined races, professions, and creatures (the trailer even shows what appears to be a Beholder looking on as two soldiers pass the time). "Dungeons and Dragons" will be forgiven if people don't like the storyline, but "The Lord of the Rings" won't be if people feel the storyline is too unfamiliar. What this means is that these movies are not really competing with each other, not if the audience understands them for what they are. And, yes, there will be some people who don't understand them -- especially among the very loud, brash, and arrogant self-appointed masters of criticism who are bound to tell the world everything they find wrong in the movies. "Dungeons and Dragons" is going to open the door for pseudo-spontaneous adventure movies (no script is spontaneous). "The Lord of the Rings" is going to send the film industry scrambling for literary veins to mine. I hate to say it, but I've got this dreadful feeling that "The Sword of Shannara" is only a few years away. Maybe if it were done as a Saturday Night Live skit it might do well.

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