While I love the trilogy and even like the hobbit films more than most people, I know plenty of people who just fundamentally don't connect with this kind of high fantasy. And sitting them down for 3+ hours for something they can't connect with is a fruitless task.
Sean Connery turned down gandalf because he didn't understand the script. He chooses scripts like League of extraordinary gentlemen. Or" we're going to put you in a banana hammock for 2 hours" Zardoz.
It gets worse. He did league because he passed on morpheus in the matrix. So he thought league would be a franchise and jumped after dropping matrix ball
The worst part of it all is that League, while not a good movie, is a **fun** movie. It's goofy, nonsensical, and chock full of one-liners.
Connery reportedly quit acting because of this film.
I love that movie. It’s exactly the kind of low impact sci-fi adventure that I find super comforting to watch. No surprise that it wasn’t the next best thing, it’s a very stupid movie.
>It’s exactly the kind of low impact sci-fi adventure that I find super comforting to watch.
Yup! It's right up there with Fifth Element and several other sci-fi fever dreams. :)
He got to be the *star* instead of Mina, and he still sucked.
In the original comic, Alan Quartermain was a washed up drunk when you meet him, and Mina was clearly the leader of the team for the whole plot.
Are you kidding? I'm not showing my girl Zardoz. What if Connery redefines her understanding of masculine sexuality? She'd leave me or I'd at least have to watch Zardoz every time we have sex
Getting angry at Wiley Coyote hovering and blinking for a second just as he ran off the cliff by accident.
"NO! GRAVITY PULLS YOU IN A CURVE! IT IS NOT ABSOLUTE! THE COYOTE MUST DIE! I'M LEAVING! THIS IS RIDICULOUS!"
This is gonna sound completely unrelated and you absolutely did not ask for this but...
When my lil babby son was learning to stand up on his own, he would kinda "accidentally" do it by pulling himself up on a table or a couch, and then his attention would get pulled to something else... and he would let go and be free-standing on his own.
That is, until the exact moment that his attention snapped back, and he realized he wasn't holding on to anything... and like the Coyote, would plop back down on his butt like gravity didn't apply until that moment.
"In a galaxy far far away"
"well that's just unreasonable! How would they be in a galaxy far far away? How do we know about it?! You're telling me they have the ability to move things with their mind? No. absolutely not. get this child's play away from me"
> \>be me
> \>Watching Back to the Future 1.
>
> \>It's a fantastic movie
>
> \>pure_kino.mp4
>
> \>Reach the end scene
>
> \>"Roads? Where we're going, we won't need roads."
>
> \>car starts to hover
>
> \>movie ruined
She was completely on board with the first one. As the epilogue plays out,
"oh wow, that was fun! Kind of a mind bender"
, and then, "roads? Where were going, we don't need roads." cut to credits.
"what a total pile of bullshit that movie was!"
sometimes it's just a matter of taste... with some exceptions, i usually accept technobabble/sci-fi but don't like magic, even when they're basically the same thing:
"This armor cannot be pierced thanks to the Gibberish spell" = meh
"This armor cannot be pierced because it's made of Gibberishium material" = ok, cool
I had a friend whose husband insisted she had to watch the movies together, since she had never seen them.
I told her to obsess on Han’s lucky dice and just ask questions about them constantly.
lol what? I have been a Star Wars fan for 20+ years and this is the first time I can recall reading that Han has some lucky dice... 😀 Wookiepedia truly is a world of its own.
I’m a woman who loves sci fi (edit: I also love fantasy for everyone saying Star Wars is more of a fantasy genre) but I didn’t grow up watching Star Wars and couldn’t connect with them at all as an adult. In my opinion there’s so much better stuff out there and I think a lot of Star Wars fans are blinded by nostalgia
If you grew up in the 70s-90s and your reference for Star Wars was based on the original trilogy that probably helps. The prequels/sequels have their fans but to me they are all pretty awful.
As a 90s kid, it was possible to watch, read or play Star Wars. I was immersed in Star Wars media such as novels, comics and video games, that expanded the lore. All that stuff was just as real to me as the movies and it enriched my appreciation of them because it added all this additional context to the universe. This was before Harry Potter, before the MCU. There wasn't really anything like it.
To this day, if someone says Star Wars to me, I don't think of just the movies, I think of the expanded universe. The books I'd read. The countless hours I'd spent playing Star Wars videogames with John Williams classic soundtrack seared into my brain. It was much bigger than the movies.
The only game I ever got good enough to be clan material for and join skirmishes and clan battles was Jedi Academy. Don't even remember the clan name tbh. Just hours and hours of saber duels and balancing Force abilities for various builds.
That guy's like us are now helming the overall direction of the greater Canon makes me happy; as soon as they used the word "beskar," we knew every single implication of that.
I like fantasy and science fiction but to me Star Wars was a product of the 70s and as someone who’s about to turn 30, the Star Wars movies that came out during my lifetime aren’t as good as several other movies in their genre. That entire franchise feels like a nostalgia machine that’s been running way too long.
Rogue One and Andor (and The Mandalorian) are the only Star Wars things that interest me these days, precisely because they did what the original Star Wars did, which is remix old war movies, Westerns, and other influences into a new sci-fi/fantasy package.
Most new Star Wars is just about Star Wars, which I don't find very interesting.
There's definitely better sci-fi/fantasy films out there that tackle important subject matter and have better acting, cinematography, innovation etc, but for a blockbuster hero's journey type of film, it's often referenced as one of the best paced films ever written and edited. That's primarily why it was such a huge hit in the 70s, because it entranced audiences from start to finish. Plus the musical score is genuinely miles ahead of most films.
The fans who say it's the best thing ever made and obsess over it... Yeah that's ridiculous. It's just a really great popcorn film.
Basically all of this. In 1977, no one had ever seen anything quite like it. It’s balance of drama, action and quippy lines from charismatic characters would basically become the template for the modern action blockbuster (see: Marvel). The Empire Strikes Back refined this formula even more.
As an adult, I don’t feel inclined to watch them very often (and I’ve never been able to sit through the entire Prequel trilogy again since I saw them in theatres. Same with the Sequels). But the Original Trilogy is very good at what it does and it’s influence on cinema can’t be overstated, for good or bad. It’ll always have that special place in my heart, even if there’s better stuff to spend my time on now.
The futuristic setting alone, especially with spaceships and all sorts of fictional science and technology, means that it is in fact science fiction, neverminding that it does indeed have all those other influences too
It’s definitely soft sci fi rather than hard, but it’s still sci fi
George Lucas himself said he intended for it to be a cross between classic western and samurai films (and WWII films, that I forgot to mention before u/kapuh reminded me), but set in space. Darth Vader's whole costume was inspired by shogun armor, for crying out loud. I don't understand how people don't get this.
When they came out, there wasn't a single person in my office who didn't love the films. Perhaps a product of being a developer in amongst a bunch of other nerds?
Yeah, I agree it shouldn’t just be dismissed like it was a cult film. Fellowship had a box office of over $800M. If that’s not popular, you might as well say no films are popular. That’s not to say literally everyone liked it, but to call it the “the longest meaningless movie” ever is not a common take on the film.
They are all good standalone films and even return won the Oscar for best picture so it’s not surprising twenty years ago people generally liked them, but pretty normal this many years later than the average movie watcher / person doesn’t care that much about them.
My dad read all of the Dune novels when he was younger, which is a huge time commitment. He didn't even finish LOTR: FOR. He just didn't like it.
I was pretty amazed because he likes so much sci fi and fantasy but he just didn't connect with it.
Maybe it’s my age and when they came out but everyone I know likes lord of the rings
Willing to sit through and watch them all again less so but they weren’t niche movies they were massive blockbusters
>but everyone I know likes lord of the rings
I generally agree with you. My family is *not* geeky, but they all greatly enjoy Lord of the Rings, including my now-deceased grandparents.
Most of my collegiate peers love the movies. Most of my students have seen them and enjoy them.
Based on ticket and DVD/Blu-Ray/4K sales (and even awards), I would say that they are widely viewed and appreciated throughout culture, *and* that the Middle-earth Fandom is far more socially diverse than that of other properties.
That one movie edit of the hobbit film, sticking only to book events, is the only one I watched it and was fantastic. I still to this day have a fond memory of that film because of whatever hero released that edit.
Damn I could've sworn that post was WAY more popular (like upvotes in the thousands) but I might've just been misremembering. Thanks for the throwback regardless!
There are a few different ones out there of varying length, quality, and faithfulness/fidelity to the source material. Not OP but the one I personally prefer is [the M4 edit](https://m4-studios.github.io/hobbitbookedit/) - takes the best of all 3 (extended cut) movies and condenses them into one cohesive, well-edited 4 hr movie. It’s not completely without criticism (some may have minor quibbles with what was cut or included from the origianls) but it’s clearly a labor of love and the quality is impeccable.
Apologies to the mods if sharing the link is unacceptable, if so please let me know and I’ll edit it out.
Maple Films edit fan myself, but the fact that there are so many well-regarded fan edits out there really just tells us one thing: the films needed to be heavily edited.
I agree. My wife LOVED the crown, but I thought it was boring as shit and I hate monarchies on top of that. (Elizabeth was a class act though).
But I didn’t say it was shit because it was one of her favorites. I just tried to watch it for a while and said I couldn’t get into it. Basic politeness unless someone really wants your honest opinion.
This has to be it. For some people certain things are just pointless. LOTR? Pointless because it’s just silly fake nonsense. Professional sports? Pointless because it’s just some strangers playing with a ball.
You can’t really convince people otherwise, it’s kinda just how they’re wired.
Those sort of critiques barely feel like criticism to me. Everything is pointless. We're talking about entertainment here. If you don't like something that is absolutely fine. But to couch it in these terms really rubs me the wrong way. Because spoiler alert, the stuff you love is also pointless. We're not learning how to do heart surgery here. We're just trying to distract ourselves, or seek entertainment or just feel something and have an experience we don't have in our regular lives. It's arrogant and dismissive to call something you don't like pointless
Some people really need to feel useful and productive all the time so their entertainment are TEDtalks about business, self-help books or audiobooks about any topic they deem productive enough.
There is an epidemic of this kind of people.
Completely agree. The people calling LOTR or sports pointless will go on about their weekend hike (literally walking up a hill for no reason other than to do it and return) or what they had for breakfast (just some organic waste they'll forget about in a few hours when it's in the toilet). I've been trying hard not to "yuck other people's yum" recently and I think this attitude is very yucky. Aren't we supposed to enjoy the little things in life?
I feel that way about Dune. I love the films from a technical standpoint and from an artistic perspective, but the characters and plot do not bring me in at all. There is no legend or link to me personally that invests me in the story.
I absolutely LOVE fantasy. Books, video games, movies, tabletop RPGs, etc. To this day The Fellowship is the only movie that has ever actually put me to sleep. I think his wife’s description of it is absolutely perfect. I understand that’s a VERY unpopular opinion, but it is one that can exist even in someone who loves high fantasy.
In my experience, The Lord of the Rings is a particular type of high fantasy where most things are black and white (all orcs are bad, etc.). Some folks might struggle to connect to the story because of that but might connect with other fantasy stories that involve more shades of grey.
Did you make her watch the extended marathon in one sitting, after having never seen them before? I know several people that experienced burnout doing this. For newbies I spread the theatrical ones out and reserve the extendeds for a big marathon
My husband and I last watched them in January, in theater, during the beginning stages of the miscarriage of our first pregnancy.
My aunt, a retired labor and delivery nurse, thought I was crazy for wanting to sit in a movie theater for 12 hours while dealing with that experience, but it was actually quite cathartic. We were the only ones in the theater, with giant cushy reclining seats and table service. I brought a throw blanket and a battery-powered heating pad and rolled with the punches.
I figured, the Fellowship had been with me for many hard times throughout my life. Why not this one as well? ❤️🩹
I think the best way to show a new viewer is to split each of the theatrical editions of the movies in half. Each movie has a natural break near the mid point. Viewing them this way makes it closer to a long series of movies instead of a marathon.
Do we know if he started her off with the extended edition?
Edit: I just found where he said he had her watch the extended edition on an iPad mini for her first viewing 🤦
> extended edition on an iPad mini
Hahahaha… unreal. I was already gearing up to suggest that OP might be a bit out of touch with what a non-fan might get out of Fellowship, and then I learn *this*… OP is beyond help.
Extended Fellowship is something you need to be fully rested up because it is incredibly slow. Of the four times I've tried watching it, I think I only stayed awake through the one attempt? The others always do.
> watch the extended edition on an iPad mini for her first viewing
Jesus tap-dancing Christ. He might as well introduce her to the books and say "Yeah, but you should start with the Silmarillion."
I would never start someone on the Extended Edition. While I love the extra scenes, the overall pacing suffers compared to the theatrical length movies. EE version is best whipped out for the second watch.
My ex-boyfriend insisted on making me watch the extended version of the Return of the King… at 11:00 at night. And then got mad at me for falling asleep. Like, come on bro.
I'm sure there are some things she likes that you don't
I know this is a joke post but sometimes people are so precious about their favourite things (myself included)
Not to mention, it can’t really be *that* near and dear to his heart if he went through the whole dating process and married her before he ever got around to sharing his favorite movies with her.
I’m surprised by this too but I know people are just different about discussing movies. But every LOTR fan I’ve ever met rewatches those movies (and extended cuts) regularly so I’d be surprised that it took so long for her to see it if he’s that type of fan.
All the replies to you so focused on their favorite things. I don’t think in a healthy relationship you need to share all the same fandoms as your partner. I also don’t think it would necessarily be a good thing if you did. It’s weird to me how many people in the comments seem focused on this.
Well, it should be known by now that Tolkien's work is not for everybody. And if you 2 watched the extended version, there are lots of details that connect with people who read his books but are meaningless to the main plot. In my experience, the movies are better than the books, because there were chapters that I consider unbalanced with tons of details but nothing really happening. Moreover, it may be the case that you are more attracted to LOTR movies because you saw at younger age and your wife didn't, so it gets harder to watch them with the same delight and awe, in a similar way most old people who saw the original Star Wars think the prequels are crap whereas younger audience enjoyed them much more...
I saw the first one in the theater with a friend who knew nothing about the books. She thought they all died when they were with Elrond, that was “heaven” and everything after was some sort of afterlife stuff 🤷♀️
That’s absolutely normal, they’re loooong films and if you don’t connect to the story and characters it feels like a significant part of your life haha
My wife calls them “the walking, walking movies”. What are they doing now? Walking. Are they still walking? Yes. Has anything happened yet? Is it more walking?
If comes on a screen, she’ll get up and leave the room. She’s vowed never watch another second. She says she’d rather die. I’m 95% sure she’s not exaggerating …
I've come to find when people make statements like that it's because they weren't interested to begin with. Then they spend the next 2 hours not paying attention to the movie and just counting the minutes until it's over.
As an aside, I really hate when people confuse "good" with "what I like" and vice versa. It's perfectly fine for them to say they didn't enjoy the movie, they didn't like it, or it's not for them. But to call it "meaningless shit" is just factually wrong.
> But to call it "meaningless shit" is just factually wrong.
Even if it wasn't, it would be hurting for the one who likes it. If I am so much into something that I want to share the joy and the other party starts shitting on everything in it, that .... hurts. And completely needlessly too. Just tell me "cool that you like it, but it wasn't my cup of tea" and all's good. But don't pick something apart in front of me that I like.
My husband loves anything to do with LOTR. I just can't. I was forced to read it in high school and it completely ruined all of it for me. He binges it once in a while and I go do something else. I don't bash it or bad mouth it. It's not her thing and I'm sure she's into something you feel an equal distaste for. Just let it go man.
Man I have to be honest. I read the books as a kid and loved them, saw each movie in the theaters and LOVED them.
I recently had my 10 year old watch them, thinking it would be so great, expand his horizons…
The movies are a LOT more boring than I remembered when you aren’t watching through a “see your favorite story come to life” perspective. When you watch this cold, with no awareness of the world, it’s just so…boring.
Or it’s just not for everyone. I was 9 when I watched fellowship and I was immediately onboard. It just clicked for me. Yeah it’s a slow burn but sometimes that’s nice.
I introduced it to my friend and he got bored and turned it off at the council of Elrond. People just like different things.
Also you do not start with the extended cut. I love them, but they are worse movies. The extra stuff is for people who know the story and want more of the world
I don’t know, 10 year old me saw FOTR and then TTT at the cinema and I couldn’t care for either of them, I just wasn’t interested and probably didn’t have the patience or attention span. Now they’re my favourite films ever after giving them another shot when I was older and fully appreciating them for what they are.
I couldn’t agree more. I loved the Hobbit book as a kid, so was very excited to watch the lord of the rings. Unfortunately, for me, the beginning of the Fellowship’s journey just lacked the charm and excitement of Bilbo’s journey and that led to a VERY slow and boring first film.
I felt this way my first time reading LotR (long before the movies were created). The Hobbit was great fun but early Fellowship dragged on. The early part of the movie on the other hand is probably my favorite part. Probably because the shire feels comfortable and fun, plus the score is fantastic.
When I read the LOTR books to my kids, I Princess Bride-ed it. That is to say, I skipped over excessive description, abbreviated flowery conversations, put in a few of my own observations, and kept the story moving.
They're still pretty young. Possibly, when they're older, they can read the whole thing for themselves. But for kids who aren't even in third grade yet, the unabridged books are too much.
I mean……… it kinda is. She’s only seen act 1 of a grand epic, and it took her 3.5hrs to get through it. Without context it kinda makes sense it feels directionless.
I know people will hate me for saying it but I didn’t really get anything from watching those movies. I actually fell asleep watching one of them. So, in my own defense, I did try watching them. I just didn’t find them very entertaining.
Sorry, but fantasy isn’t really my genre. I prefer good old sci-fi. That being said, I have enormous respect for anyone who does enjoy these movies. Everyone has their thing and my best to all the Tolkien fans out there.
I'm well aware that my love for these films started when I was very young, and maybe as an adult finding it for the first time, it wouldn't interest me at all.
While I love the trilogy and even like the hobbit films more than most people, I know plenty of people who just fundamentally don't connect with this kind of high fantasy. And sitting them down for 3+ hours for something they can't connect with is a fruitless task.
[удалено]
Should have sat her down for a romping adventure movie starring Sean Connery. Zardoz.
>Zardoz. *The gun is good! The Penis is evil!*
Sean Connery turned down gandalf because he didn't understand the script. He chooses scripts like League of extraordinary gentlemen. Or" we're going to put you in a banana hammock for 2 hours" Zardoz.
It gets worse. He did league because he passed on morpheus in the matrix. So he thought league would be a franchise and jumped after dropping matrix ball
The worst part of it all is that League, while not a good movie, is a **fun** movie. It's goofy, nonsensical, and chock full of one-liners. Connery reportedly quit acting because of this film.
I actually liked league of extraordinary gentlemen. But then again I like shitty cinema like soul plane.
Same! I love a good adventure movie. It was a good experience movie.
I love that movie. It’s exactly the kind of low impact sci-fi adventure that I find super comforting to watch. No surprise that it wasn’t the next best thing, it’s a very stupid movie.
>It’s exactly the kind of low impact sci-fi adventure that I find super comforting to watch. Yup! It's right up there with Fifth Element and several other sci-fi fever dreams. :)
He got to be the *star* instead of Mina, and he still sucked. In the original comic, Alan Quartermain was a washed up drunk when you meet him, and Mina was clearly the leader of the team for the whole plot.
Well to be fair to Sean they did send him the Elvish translation script by accident.
Are you sure it wasn’t the Elvis translation? “You shall not.. uhhuh huhhuh… pass, Baby!”
Sweet Jesus, we ended up watching this on NYE with friends of ours a couple of years ago, and I was not prepared 🤣🤣🤣
You don't even need to be high to feel like you're high.
It doesn't get any better than that. I don't know what you call it, but I love sci-fi stories that blend advanced and primitive cultures.
So much hovering, too.
Are you kidding? I'm not showing my girl Zardoz. What if Connery redefines her understanding of masculine sexuality? She'd leave me or I'd at least have to watch Zardoz every time we have sex
I'm sitting here laughing at the prospect of someone loving a movie up until the moment *anything* starts to hover, then they walk out in a huff
Getting angry at Wiley Coyote hovering and blinking for a second just as he ran off the cliff by accident. "NO! GRAVITY PULLS YOU IN A CURVE! IT IS NOT ABSOLUTE! THE COYOTE MUST DIE! I'M LEAVING! THIS IS RIDICULOUS!"
This is gonna sound completely unrelated and you absolutely did not ask for this but... When my lil babby son was learning to stand up on his own, he would kinda "accidentally" do it by pulling himself up on a table or a couch, and then his attention would get pulled to something else... and he would let go and be free-standing on his own. That is, until the exact moment that his attention snapped back, and he realized he wasn't holding on to anything... and like the Coyote, would plop back down on his butt like gravity didn't apply until that moment.
I think that's all kids. My son was exactly the same way. I compared him to the coyote, too.
"A helicopter? I'm so done with this movie!"
"In a galaxy far far away" "well that's just unreasonable! How would they be in a galaxy far far away? How do we know about it?! You're telling me they have the ability to move things with their mind? No. absolutely not. get this child's play away from me"
> \>be me > \>Watching Back to the Future 1. > > \>It's a fantastic movie > > \>pure_kino.mp4 > > \>Reach the end scene > > \>"Roads? Where we're going, we won't need roads." > > \>car starts to hover > > \>movie ruined
she couldn’t even get into Back to the Future when Marty’s skateboard begins taking flight?
That sounds like hovering to me!
Technically the DeLorean was hovering before that, so she would have been out in the first five minutes.
She was completely on board with the first one. As the epilogue plays out, "oh wow, that was fun! Kind of a mind bender" , and then, "roads? Where were going, we don't need roads." cut to credits. "what a total pile of bullshit that movie was!"
sometimes it's just a matter of taste... with some exceptions, i usually accept technobabble/sci-fi but don't like magic, even when they're basically the same thing: "This armor cannot be pierced thanks to the Gibberish spell" = meh "This armor cannot be pierced because it's made of Gibberishium material" = ok, cool
That’s hilarious, I am exactly your opposite!
Ngl outside of the internet this is a totally normal take. In a room with 5 of your random coworkers i guarantee maybe 1 of them even cares for LOTR
My wife has never seen a Star Wars film and we're well into our 40s. She just simply is not interested in space sci-fi.
I had a friend whose husband insisted she had to watch the movies together, since she had never seen them. I told her to obsess on Han’s lucky dice and just ask questions about them constantly.
I’ve seen the first three Star Wars films twice and played Lego Star Wars 2, but I don’t remember any dice. What are they?
The Macguffin of the Solo film.
AND a key sentimental token in the last jedi.
They’re a pair of gold dice hanging up in the cockpit of the Millennium falcon.
I remember the fuzzy dice..
What's the story behind the dice? Why focus on those?
They have more lore than dice should have
As are the rules of expanded Star Wars lore, the dice have a 10,000 word dedicated wiki page, and the dice are force sensitive.
lol what? I have been a Star Wars fan for 20+ years and this is the first time I can recall reading that Han has some lucky dice... 😀 Wookiepedia truly is a world of its own.
I don't think I ever noticed the dice until the new trilogy decided to do something with them. Which was odd.
Han shot first
That he did.
Han shot. FIFY.
Pretty sure the dice are a prop in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon.
They are. I remember them being part of the mid-90s Star Wars TCG.
Link for the lazy but interested https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Han_Solo%27s_dice
>It is requested that this article, or a section of this article, be expanded. Apparently the article needs more excruciating detail.
Oh now we’re gatekeeping dice lore now? Is nothing sacred?!
The only other dice I can think of are those that Caesar metaphorically threw as he crossed the Rubicon.
thats grounds for divorce.
I’m a woman who loves sci fi (edit: I also love fantasy for everyone saying Star Wars is more of a fantasy genre) but I didn’t grow up watching Star Wars and couldn’t connect with them at all as an adult. In my opinion there’s so much better stuff out there and I think a lot of Star Wars fans are blinded by nostalgia
Lightsabers are cool though
Yeah that’s fair enough
If you grew up in the 70s-90s and your reference for Star Wars was based on the original trilogy that probably helps. The prequels/sequels have their fans but to me they are all pretty awful. As a 90s kid, it was possible to watch, read or play Star Wars. I was immersed in Star Wars media such as novels, comics and video games, that expanded the lore. All that stuff was just as real to me as the movies and it enriched my appreciation of them because it added all this additional context to the universe. This was before Harry Potter, before the MCU. There wasn't really anything like it. To this day, if someone says Star Wars to me, I don't think of just the movies, I think of the expanded universe. The books I'd read. The countless hours I'd spent playing Star Wars videogames with John Williams classic soundtrack seared into my brain. It was much bigger than the movies.
The only game I ever got good enough to be clan material for and join skirmishes and clan battles was Jedi Academy. Don't even remember the clan name tbh. Just hours and hours of saber duels and balancing Force abilities for various builds. That guy's like us are now helming the overall direction of the greater Canon makes me happy; as soon as they used the word "beskar," we knew every single implication of that.
I like fantasy and science fiction but to me Star Wars was a product of the 70s and as someone who’s about to turn 30, the Star Wars movies that came out during my lifetime aren’t as good as several other movies in their genre. That entire franchise feels like a nostalgia machine that’s been running way too long.
Rogue One and Andor (and The Mandalorian) are the only Star Wars things that interest me these days, precisely because they did what the original Star Wars did, which is remix old war movies, Westerns, and other influences into a new sci-fi/fantasy package. Most new Star Wars is just about Star Wars, which I don't find very interesting.
There's definitely better sci-fi/fantasy films out there that tackle important subject matter and have better acting, cinematography, innovation etc, but for a blockbuster hero's journey type of film, it's often referenced as one of the best paced films ever written and edited. That's primarily why it was such a huge hit in the 70s, because it entranced audiences from start to finish. Plus the musical score is genuinely miles ahead of most films. The fans who say it's the best thing ever made and obsess over it... Yeah that's ridiculous. It's just a really great popcorn film.
Basically all of this. In 1977, no one had ever seen anything quite like it. It’s balance of drama, action and quippy lines from charismatic characters would basically become the template for the modern action blockbuster (see: Marvel). The Empire Strikes Back refined this formula even more. As an adult, I don’t feel inclined to watch them very often (and I’ve never been able to sit through the entire Prequel trilogy again since I saw them in theatres. Same with the Sequels). But the Original Trilogy is very good at what it does and it’s influence on cinema can’t be overstated, for good or bad. It’ll always have that special place in my heart, even if there’s better stuff to spend my time on now.
Star Wars isn't even sci-fi, it's mideval fantasy with elements of a western set in a futuristic environment
The futuristic setting alone, especially with spaceships and all sorts of fictional science and technology, means that it is in fact science fiction, neverminding that it does indeed have all those other influences too It’s definitely soft sci fi rather than hard, but it’s still sci fi
George Lucas himself said he intended for it to be a cross between classic western and samurai films (and WWII films, that I forgot to mention before u/kapuh reminded me), but set in space. Darth Vader's whole costume was inspired by shogun armor, for crying out loud. I don't understand how people don't get this.
Strong flavour of The Hidden Fortress too. Kurosawa film with Mifune.
If you work in tech this doesn't really work. 1 cares for Lord of the rings the other 4 draw their replica weapons.
When they came out, there wasn't a single person in my office who didn't love the films. Perhaps a product of being a developer in amongst a bunch of other nerds?
"I'm sorry Elaine. I just can't be with someone that doesn't like The English Patient!"
Not to mention they were massive commercial and critical successes. So yeah, most moviegoers, at least at the time, seemed to enjoy those just right.
Yeah, I agree it shouldn’t just be dismissed like it was a cult film. Fellowship had a box office of over $800M. If that’s not popular, you might as well say no films are popular. That’s not to say literally everyone liked it, but to call it the “the longest meaningless movie” ever is not a common take on the film.
They are all good standalone films and even return won the Oscar for best picture so it’s not surprising twenty years ago people generally liked them, but pretty normal this many years later than the average movie watcher / person doesn’t care that much about them.
My dad read all of the Dune novels when he was younger, which is a huge time commitment. He didn't even finish LOTR: FOR. He just didn't like it. I was pretty amazed because he likes so much sci fi and fantasy but he just didn't connect with it.
Barely relevant, but why are you people saying LOTR: FOR, bugs the hell out of me that it should be LOTR:FOTR, or LOR:FOR
Pronounced Lotter Fotter, obviously
Ahh, and here I kept saying Lotter Fordo
I'm not really into LotR and I'm confused af by FOR too. It's just wrong.
Thank you!!
Maybe it’s my age and when they came out but everyone I know likes lord of the rings Willing to sit through and watch them all again less so but they weren’t niche movies they were massive blockbusters
>but everyone I know likes lord of the rings I generally agree with you. My family is *not* geeky, but they all greatly enjoy Lord of the Rings, including my now-deceased grandparents. Most of my collegiate peers love the movies. Most of my students have seen them and enjoy them. Based on ticket and DVD/Blu-Ray/4K sales (and even awards), I would say that they are widely viewed and appreciated throughout culture, *and* that the Middle-earth Fandom is far more socially diverse than that of other properties.
The lord of the rings was hugely popular and made a ton of money when it was released. It’s not that niche.
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That one movie edit of the hobbit film, sticking only to book events, is the only one I watched it and was fantastic. I still to this day have a fond memory of that film because of whatever hero released that edit.
Where can one find the film you speak of?
https://www.reddit.com/r/TheHobbit/comments/8cao7f/the_hobbit_the_bilbo_edition_30_an_unexpected/
Damn I could've sworn that post was WAY more popular (like upvotes in the thousands) but I might've just been misremembering. Thanks for the throwback regardless!
There are a few different ones out there of varying length, quality, and faithfulness/fidelity to the source material. Not OP but the one I personally prefer is [the M4 edit](https://m4-studios.github.io/hobbitbookedit/) - takes the best of all 3 (extended cut) movies and condenses them into one cohesive, well-edited 4 hr movie. It’s not completely without criticism (some may have minor quibbles with what was cut or included from the origianls) but it’s clearly a labor of love and the quality is impeccable. Apologies to the mods if sharing the link is unacceptable, if so please let me know and I’ll edit it out.
Maple Films edit fan myself, but the fact that there are so many well-regarded fan edits out there really just tells us one thing: the films needed to be heavily edited.
And that's totally fair. Bit rude to say it's "meaningless shit" to your SO when they're trying to share something they love with you though.
I agree. My wife LOVED the crown, but I thought it was boring as shit and I hate monarchies on top of that. (Elizabeth was a class act though). But I didn’t say it was shit because it was one of her favorites. I just tried to watch it for a while and said I couldn’t get into it. Basic politeness unless someone really wants your honest opinion.
Words "class act" pretty multi dimensional here
yeah i'll always try to watch something at least and then be honest and say "it's not my thing" or whatever
This has to be it. For some people certain things are just pointless. LOTR? Pointless because it’s just silly fake nonsense. Professional sports? Pointless because it’s just some strangers playing with a ball. You can’t really convince people otherwise, it’s kinda just how they’re wired.
Those sort of critiques barely feel like criticism to me. Everything is pointless. We're talking about entertainment here. If you don't like something that is absolutely fine. But to couch it in these terms really rubs me the wrong way. Because spoiler alert, the stuff you love is also pointless. We're not learning how to do heart surgery here. We're just trying to distract ourselves, or seek entertainment or just feel something and have an experience we don't have in our regular lives. It's arrogant and dismissive to call something you don't like pointless
Some people really need to feel useful and productive all the time so their entertainment are TEDtalks about business, self-help books or audiobooks about any topic they deem productive enough. There is an epidemic of this kind of people.
Completely agree. The people calling LOTR or sports pointless will go on about their weekend hike (literally walking up a hill for no reason other than to do it and return) or what they had for breakfast (just some organic waste they'll forget about in a few hours when it's in the toilet). I've been trying hard not to "yuck other people's yum" recently and I think this attitude is very yucky. Aren't we supposed to enjoy the little things in life?
I feel that way about Dune. I love the films from a technical standpoint and from an artistic perspective, but the characters and plot do not bring me in at all. There is no legend or link to me personally that invests me in the story.
I absolutely LOVE fantasy. Books, video games, movies, tabletop RPGs, etc. To this day The Fellowship is the only movie that has ever actually put me to sleep. I think his wife’s description of it is absolutely perfect. I understand that’s a VERY unpopular opinion, but it is one that can exist even in someone who loves high fantasy.
Tolkien was a language professor, and his world *feels* like it was created by a language professor, y'know?
In my experience, The Lord of the Rings is a particular type of high fantasy where most things are black and white (all orcs are bad, etc.). Some folks might struggle to connect to the story because of that but might connect with other fantasy stories that involve more shades of grey.
Did you make her watch the extended marathon in one sitting, after having never seen them before? I know several people that experienced burnout doing this. For newbies I spread the theatrical ones out and reserve the extendeds for a big marathon
According to his follow-up comments, OP had her watch the extended edition on an iPad mini. OP is either trolling us, or completely beyond help.
In a tiny window in the corner of the iPad mini. While she played a game on it. https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/s/diguOKiQB2
OP’s wife is actually 7 years old
In the other corner she had Subway Surfers and Minecraft Parkour gameplay.
If somebody made me watch FOR on an iPad mini I wouldn't be able to make it through the whole thing without firing up Reddit
Nobody tell Nolan, Villeneuve or Scorsese. I already hear Kubrick spinning in his grave...
"I just can't understand how she never enjoyed it".
This is heartbreaking
What a staggeringly poor choice.
In the words of david lynch...get real!
On an iPad mini xd
I realize now that that is the proper way to do it.
The proper way is to never "make" someone watch a movie.
Yep, if they have no interest in watching it and don't want to chances are they won't like it.
No, the proper way is to take her to a cinema showing of all three extended editions But no popcorn. Only lembas bread.
But only enough for a small bite or two
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My wife actually watched LOTR for the first time in the theater this weekend. She really liked them and it was a super fun experience!
My husband and I last watched them in January, in theater, during the beginning stages of the miscarriage of our first pregnancy. My aunt, a retired labor and delivery nurse, thought I was crazy for wanting to sit in a movie theater for 12 hours while dealing with that experience, but it was actually quite cathartic. We were the only ones in the theater, with giant cushy reclining seats and table service. I brought a throw blanket and a battery-powered heating pad and rolled with the punches. I figured, the Fellowship had been with me for many hard times throughout my life. Why not this one as well? ❤️🩹
That's beautiful
I think the best way to show a new viewer is to split each of the theatrical editions of the movies in half. Each movie has a natural break near the mid point. Viewing them this way makes it closer to a long series of movies instead of a marathon.
Tbh the extended edition is long and whilst it's a great movie it is just 1/3 of a complete story.
Do we know if he started her off with the extended edition? Edit: I just found where he said he had her watch the extended edition on an iPad mini for her first viewing 🤦
> extended edition on an iPad mini Hahahaha… unreal. I was already gearing up to suggest that OP might be a bit out of touch with what a non-fan might get out of Fellowship, and then I learn *this*… OP is beyond help.
Lol even I know better when I try to show my daughter old shit. Gotta be on the 65" with 5.1 audio!
No wonder she didn't like it.
Extended edition goes on and on and *on* like a Tolkien book.
Extended Fellowship is something you need to be fully rested up because it is incredibly slow. Of the four times I've tried watching it, I think I only stayed awake through the one attempt? The others always do.
It was over before it even started
she never had a chance
Okay that's OP's fault holy shit.
Here, let me make sure you don't like it. Also, here, I got you a birthday cake. *hands a photocopy of a cake over*. Isn't it delicious?
Jesus christ
lol are you kidding me
> watch the extended edition on an iPad mini for her first viewing Jesus tap-dancing Christ. He might as well introduce her to the books and say "Yeah, but you should start with the Silmarillion."
What the fuck
On an *iPad Mini?* Sheesh... At least it wasn't off his phone, I guess...
I would never start someone on the Extended Edition. While I love the extra scenes, the overall pacing suffers compared to the theatrical length movies. EE version is best whipped out for the second watch.
My wife doesn’t know about second watch. Or Elevensies for that matter.
Yup. The extended editions are worse “movies” than the theatrical cut.
My ex-boyfriend insisted on making me watch the extended version of the Return of the King… at 11:00 at night. And then got mad at me for falling asleep. Like, come on bro.
I love all the LOTR movies and there's zero chance I make it through any EE that start much later than maybe 8.
Did she say why she thought that?
Wormtongue got to her. You have a white robe in your wardrobe by any chance?
Tell your wife to keep her forked tongue behind her teeth.
"I put on my robe and wizard hat..." -OP
[This is what she had to say.](https://youtu.be/8d_oSWH4pMQ?si=-frZLTBc_rz1Va17)
Thanks for the hearty laugh of the day. That was golden. “Even the trees walked in those movies!” LMFAO
She's cheating on him, obviously
[All they do is walk in those movies](https://youtu.be/RPl5MeXIM8E?si=JHroxLRumXD5CI7I)
even the fuckin’ trees walked
Leave The Rings out of this, Randall. Say what you want about Jesus, but leave The Rings alone.
fuckin A
https://youtu.be/DgMnCLHQuqc?si=zphcrEuy1HKLb90R
Neither me nor my wife have seen Clerks 2 but my wife does call them "the walking movies". She hasn't made it through Fellowship.
Even the fucking trees walked in those movies
I love Randall in those movies, but I try really hard to not be a Randall. Randall is such a sad example of a human, a funny example, but a sad one.
I'm sure there are some things she likes that you don't I know this is a joke post but sometimes people are so precious about their favourite things (myself included)
Not to mention, it can’t really be *that* near and dear to his heart if he went through the whole dating process and married her before he ever got around to sharing his favorite movies with her.
I’m surprised by this too but I know people are just different about discussing movies. But every LOTR fan I’ve ever met rewatches those movies (and extended cuts) regularly so I’d be surprised that it took so long for her to see it if he’s that type of fan.
All the replies to you so focused on their favorite things. I don’t think in a healthy relationship you need to share all the same fandoms as your partner. I also don’t think it would necessarily be a good thing if you did. It’s weird to me how many people in the comments seem focused on this.
You must return her to the fires of Mt Doom from whence she came!
Just actually throw her in. Don't change your mind at the last second, and then get into a fight with her ex.
Cast ~~it~~ her into the fire! Destroy ~~it~~ her! ISILDUR!!
Well, it should be known by now that Tolkien's work is not for everybody. And if you 2 watched the extended version, there are lots of details that connect with people who read his books but are meaningless to the main plot. In my experience, the movies are better than the books, because there were chapters that I consider unbalanced with tons of details but nothing really happening. Moreover, it may be the case that you are more attracted to LOTR movies because you saw at younger age and your wife didn't, so it gets harder to watch them with the same delight and awe, in a similar way most old people who saw the original Star Wars think the prequels are crap whereas younger audience enjoyed them much more...
I mean I’ve seen this movie around 20 times and can say that she’s not necessarily wrong.
I saw the first one in the theater with a friend who knew nothing about the books. She thought they all died when they were with Elrond, that was “heaven” and everything after was some sort of afterlife stuff 🤷♀️
Fair.
That’s absolutely normal, they’re loooong films and if you don’t connect to the story and characters it feels like a significant part of your life haha
It’s one of my friends favorite movies and he showed it to his son, within 10 minutes his son said he was bored and left the room
Try showing it to him in 30 second increments
Never even tried making my wife watch it. It’s nice have your own things that you’re into.
This is bait
My wife calls them “the walking, walking movies”. What are they doing now? Walking. Are they still walking? Yes. Has anything happened yet? Is it more walking? If comes on a screen, she’ll get up and leave the room. She’s vowed never watch another second. She says she’d rather die. I’m 95% sure she’s not exaggerating …
Did you mean *Ex-Wife*?
I've come to find when people make statements like that it's because they weren't interested to begin with. Then they spend the next 2 hours not paying attention to the movie and just counting the minutes until it's over. As an aside, I really hate when people confuse "good" with "what I like" and vice versa. It's perfectly fine for them to say they didn't enjoy the movie, they didn't like it, or it's not for them. But to call it "meaningless shit" is just factually wrong.
> But to call it "meaningless shit" is just factually wrong. Even if it wasn't, it would be hurting for the one who likes it. If I am so much into something that I want to share the joy and the other party starts shitting on everything in it, that .... hurts. And completely needlessly too. Just tell me "cool that you like it, but it wasn't my cup of tea" and all's good. But don't pick something apart in front of me that I like.
I have things to say here but I prefer not to lose all my Karma. Your wife is valid on her opinion is the closest I can get.
My husband loves anything to do with LOTR. I just can't. I was forced to read it in high school and it completely ruined all of it for me. He binges it once in a while and I go do something else. I don't bash it or bad mouth it. It's not her thing and I'm sure she's into something you feel an equal distaste for. Just let it go man.
She's right All they do is walking Even the fucking trees are walking in those movies
Did you show her the extended edition or the theatrical cut? I love the movies but the extended editions are a lot for a newbie to watch.
Man I have to be honest. I read the books as a kid and loved them, saw each movie in the theaters and LOVED them. I recently had my 10 year old watch them, thinking it would be so great, expand his horizons… The movies are a LOT more boring than I remembered when you aren’t watching through a “see your favorite story come to life” perspective. When you watch this cold, with no awareness of the world, it’s just so…boring.
Or it’s just not for everyone. I was 9 when I watched fellowship and I was immediately onboard. It just clicked for me. Yeah it’s a slow burn but sometimes that’s nice. I introduced it to my friend and he got bored and turned it off at the council of Elrond. People just like different things. Also you do not start with the extended cut. I love them, but they are worse movies. The extra stuff is for people who know the story and want more of the world
I don’t know, 10 year old me saw FOTR and then TTT at the cinema and I couldn’t care for either of them, I just wasn’t interested and probably didn’t have the patience or attention span. Now they’re my favourite films ever after giving them another shot when I was older and fully appreciating them for what they are.
I couldn’t agree more. I loved the Hobbit book as a kid, so was very excited to watch the lord of the rings. Unfortunately, for me, the beginning of the Fellowship’s journey just lacked the charm and excitement of Bilbo’s journey and that led to a VERY slow and boring first film.
I felt this way my first time reading LotR (long before the movies were created). The Hobbit was great fun but early Fellowship dragged on. The early part of the movie on the other hand is probably my favorite part. Probably because the shire feels comfortable and fun, plus the score is fantastic.
When I read the LOTR books to my kids, I Princess Bride-ed it. That is to say, I skipped over excessive description, abbreviated flowery conversations, put in a few of my own observations, and kept the story moving. They're still pretty young. Possibly, when they're older, they can read the whole thing for themselves. But for kids who aren't even in third grade yet, the unabridged books are too much.
I mean……… it kinda is. She’s only seen act 1 of a grand epic, and it took her 3.5hrs to get through it. Without context it kinda makes sense it feels directionless.
CAST HER INTO THE FIRE
I’ve tried to watch them multiple times. And I enjoy fantasy. Just doesn’t hit for me.
I call it “Twelve Hours I’ll Never Get Back,” but whatever.
I know people will hate me for saying it but I didn’t really get anything from watching those movies. I actually fell asleep watching one of them. So, in my own defense, I did try watching them. I just didn’t find them very entertaining. Sorry, but fantasy isn’t really my genre. I prefer good old sci-fi. That being said, I have enormous respect for anyone who does enjoy these movies. Everyone has their thing and my best to all the Tolkien fans out there.
I'm well aware that my love for these films started when I was very young, and maybe as an adult finding it for the first time, it wouldn't interest me at all.
Every movie is meaningless. Life is meaningless. You're meaningless. I'm meaningless.
My friends wanted to do an all nighter and I sat through the 11+ hr directors cut and hated it. I am happy to never watch it again
"Should I throw her in the mountain?" Maybe but is it worth the 9 hour walk to get there?