[Lyra Greenleaf]

I go through phases- sometimes I mind the changes, sometimes I don't. Usually I have to say when I'm watching the film I fall into the world and everything seems real, believable and perfect... Well, everything except the hatchet job on Faramir, that came in for lots of gnashing teeth. It's only afterwards that things start to niggle. <P>Maybe it's because I wasn't a long time fan of the books. The first time I saw FOTR I was half way through ROTK (the book), so as you can imagine my impressions, ideas and thoughts weren't too settled. This means that although I can claim to be a book first person (just about), when I think about it most of my visions of people and places are pretty much impossible to disconnect from the film. By the time TTT came out, I'd read the books 5 times (I think) so I was more able to snipe at little things... Perhaps that's why I can never think of bad things to say about FOTR. Well, apart from Arwen, warrior princess.<P>I think I can understand anger coming from people who have had a fixed idea of what things should be, but the problem is that everyone's will be different and you couldn't please everyone even if you stayed strict to Tolkien. I mean people would start arguing about Legolas' hair or the Balrog wings again! <P>In the end, there's a simple solution if you hate the film: don't watch it. Or if you like the film, like the book but can't see how they fit together- try not to think of them together. Think of them as two different versions of a similar story. Try looking at the film as a certain interpretation and analysing whether it's good or bad on it's own terms. I have to say- I think it's great!