3 ms·

It's probably just a job. Some Amazon executive says, "Hey, can you write us some Lord of the Rings episodes for X dollars?" Writer says, "Sure." I don't think

It's probably just a job. Some Amazon executive says, "Hey, can you write us some Lord of the Rings episodes for X dollars?" Writer says, "Sure." I don't think hubris enters into it, the same way that construction workers don't usually compare their output to the Roman Colosseum. I also don't think that the Tolkien universe is somehow sacrosanct. If the show sucks, then it sucks - it doesn't take away from the original writing. There's plenty of bad media based on the Tolkien books as well as endless merchandise and other cash grabs. There's even a Gandalf Funko POP[1], for goodness sakes. It would be great if the show was good though. We'll see. As others have mentioned, Amazon studios seems to have pretty poor taste and produce a lot of crap. Though Patriot is quite excellent. [1] https://www.amazon.com/Funko-Movies-Gandalf-Action-Figure/dp/B06XGG6PLW https://www.amazon.com/Funko-Movies-Gandalf-Action-Figure/dp...

asdff 4y ago
The problem is that these things don't exist in a vaccuum. The funko pop doesn't really matter, its not taking many resources from other projects. This show potentially is taking resources, talent, money etc. If it sucks, that means chances are there will be a very long dry spell before investors decide to try another Tolkein work. So it does kind of take things away from the fandom if it does end up sucking and burning money without much to show for it.
- usrn 4y ago
  > If it sucks, that means chances are there will be a very long dry spell before investors decide to try another Tolkein work. After seeing the fruits of the investors being involved I think I'm ok with that.
CivBase 4y ago
> If the show sucks, then it sucks - it doesn't take away from the original writing. I disagree. Tolkien's work is not just a story; it is a fictional world. Merchandise exists outside that world, but new stories in that world become an inherent part of that world. Good stories elevate the value of that world. Bad stories damage the value of that world. Keeping with your first example, imagine if a cheap, ugly, concrete, brutalist structure was added onto the Roman Colosseum. The original structure may still be a work of art, but the addition would detract from it. Imagine putting cheap steak sauce on an expertly prepared, high-quality steak. The steak may still be delicious, but its value would be lessened by the added sauce. The same is true for fictional worlds like Tolkien's. All that said, most of my favorite fictional worlds from my childhood have been tarnished by cheap cash grabs, so I have learned to scrape the sauce off the steak and enjoy the original for as much as I can. It's still a great steak, after all. If Amazon's show bombs - which seems likely - I'll do the same for Tolkien's works.
- usrn 4y ago
  Eh. It wouldn't be the first forgotten Lord of The Rings show/movie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubynOv3VKB8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubynOv3VKB8

asdff 4y ago

The problem is that these things don't exist in a vaccuum. The funko pop doesn't really matter, its not taking many resources from other projects. This show potentially is taking resources, talent, money etc. If it sucks, that means chances are there will be a very long dry spell before investors decide to try another Tolkein work. So it does kind of take things away from the fandom if it does end up sucking and burning money without much to show for it.

usrn 4y ago
> If it sucks, that means chances are there will be a very long dry spell before investors decide to try another Tolkein work. After seeing the fruits of the investors being involved I think I'm ok with that.

CivBase 4y ago

> If the show sucks, then it sucks - it doesn't take away from the original writing. I disagree. Tolkien's work is not just a story; it is a fictional world. Merchandise exists outside that world, but new stories in that world become an inherent part of that world. Good stories elevate the value of that world. Bad stories damage the value of that world. Keeping with your first example, imagine if a cheap, ugly, concrete, brutalist structure was added onto the Roman Colosseum. The original structure may still be a work of art, but the addition would detract from it. Imagine putting cheap steak sauce on an expertly prepared, high-quality steak. The steak may still be delicious, but its value would be lessened by the added sauce. The same is true for fictional worlds like Tolkien's. All that said, most of my favorite fictional worlds from my childhood have been tarnished by cheap cash grabs, so I have learned to scrape the sauce off the steak and enjoy the original for as much as I can. It's still a great steak, after all. If Amazon's show bombs - which seems likely - I'll do the same for Tolkien's works.

usrn 4y ago
Eh. It wouldn't be the first forgotten Lord of The Rings show/movie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubynOv3VKB8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubynOv3VKB8