Not to restate the coldest take in modern history, but Peter Jackson’sLord of the Ringstrilogy is very good. People regularly set aside almost half of a calendar day to watch the complete extended editions and find new things to enjoy with each viewing. It’s also no earthshattering proclamation to suggest that the other adaptations pale in comparison. It’s very difficult to make anything half-decent when the closest point of comparison is among the most celebrated cinematic movements of the new millennium. Given the circumstances, it’s hard to imagine anything recapturing the original trilogy’s magic, but that doesn’t mean they’ll stop trying.
No media property can ever rest inthe modern cinematic landscape. It’s a bit silly to obsess over adaptations of great works. The original text is still there, as are the excellent interpretations that people enjoy. A bad take on beloved source material does nothing but disappoint those who have the displeasure of watching it. It’s also unreasonable to hold certainty that the best version of a work of art is in the past, when that kind of attitude applied to any earlier era would likely have killed the original.
The Lord of the Ringswas very hard to get right
It took a lot of very talented people an absurd amount of time, effort, money, and luck to bringThe Lord of the Ringsto the big screen. Several beloved and successful filmmakers attempted to start the process before immediately backing away.None other than Stanley Kubrickdeclared it to be unfilmable as he gave up his opportunity. The version that fans fell in love with from 2001 to 2003 started production in 1997. There were infinite points of potential failure in the production, which had to break new ground time and time again. Similar projects had fallen apart before, and the level of ambition on display was tantamount to tempting fate. The result would still be a wonder if all three films had been strong sixes out of ten. As it stands, they’re all excellent, and that level of creative success is extraordinarily rare. Fansoften take that miracle for granted, but it’s a critical part of the struggle every new adaptation faces.
Why are the otherLord of the Ringsadaptations struggling?
Rings of Powermade headlines as the most expensive TV series ever made. As a new horizon for Amazon’s TV efforts, the series was supposed to represent the incredible heights achievable in the modern streaming era. Instead, it became one of the mostcontroversial programs of all time. A lot of people enjoyed aspects of the series, but many fans turned away from the material for a variety of reasons. Some of those justifications were more reasonable than others, but there were legitimate complaints worth registering. There are also a lot of mitigating factors to consider.
The source material is part of the problem
For all the trouble Peter Jackson and his army of co-creators had withLord of the Rings, their source material was rock solid. They knew what to include and what to exclude. Now that those stories are done, the rest of the franchise is left to pick through Tolkien’s other material. There are a million great stories throughout theFirst and Second Ages of Middle-earth, but they’re all far less well-known than the tales of the Third Age.The Silmarillionhas a negative reputation among casual fans. Many recall their friends falling asleep while trying to learn the earlier stories.Unfinished Talesand the various appendices are even less popular. This presents a natural handicap to any new attempt to tell the story. It’s far from insurmountable, but it’s an early issue.
Even Peter Jackson couldn’t make lightning strike twice
The Hobbitmovies are oddly absent from many of the conversations surroundingRings of Power. Many aggrieved viewers speak in hyperbole, unfairly erasing the flaws of that trilogy while denigrating the new series. It’s not unlikeStar Warsfans praising the prequels to hurl insults at the franchise’s Disney era.The Hobbitbears a shocking numberof similarities with those prequels, oddly enough. They both fall back on lazier and less interesting creative techniques rather than going through the impressive work that brought the earlier films to life. Stretching the classic book across three films was bad enough, but there are a thousand half-formed decisions in that trilogy that distance it from Jackson’s earlier glory. Those who attack the new creators should recognize that even the old masters struggle.
CouldTheWar of the Rohirrimturn things around?
The upcoming anime film is still using Jackson’s trilogy to sell itself. The first trailer starts with a ton of nostalgic flashes of familiar material. After that slightly pandering tease, the trailer launches into the one thing that might shake things up in the franchise.War of the Rohirrimis a genuinely new takeon the material. It’s a new style that wholly distances itself from the stuff that came before it. It’s that level of ambition that likely pushed the studio to force in a bunch of old footage, just to keep their perceived audience on their side. IfWar of the Rohirrimworks out, it could usher in a new era of unique takes on the original works. Only by allowing creators toexperiment and break new groundcan anyone find anything close to the magic Peter Jackson achieved.
The only way to recapture the feeling that Peter Jackson managed to create with his trilogy is to stop chasing the signifiers of that success and start chasing the spark that brought it to life. That will require a ton of risks, many of which might not pay off. A ton of attempts fizzled out beforePeter Jackson took the reins, and a ton will fall after he’s done. The only way to do what Peter Jackson did is to allow new creators to take the chances Peter Jackson took.
