P1
Learners investigate a range of media industry adaptations of pre-existing products, including:
a) original product compared to its adaptation
i) Medium
The first 6 Star Wars Movies (A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones & Revenge of the Sith) all shortened into one Video Game called Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga.
The Complete Saga was released in November of 2007 on the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and the Nintendo DS and later on PC, iOS and Android.
The Complete Saga was released in November of 2007 on the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and the Nintendo DS and later on PC, iOS and Android.
Movies -> Video Game
(1977) Star Wars: A New Hope starts a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away with Princess Leia, a member of the Rebel Alliance stealing the Death Star plans that reveal its fatal flaw. she places the plans inside the droid, R2D2, before she is captured by Darth Vader. R2-D2 and his friend C-3PO escape to a planet called Tatooine where the fall into the possession of Luke Skywalker. R2D2 also has a message from Princess Leia, requesting for Obi Wan to take C-3PO, R2D2 and the plans inside him to the Planet Alderaan. During a scuffle with some locals, Luke is saved by Obi Wan. after Luke's parents die at the hands of Darth Vader and the Galactic empire, Luke decides to join Obi Wan on his mission to Alderaan. The force is a magical power surrounding everyone, though there are few that can harness it and use it. These people who use the force for good, Like Obi Wan, are called Jedi. Those who use it for bad, Like Darth Vader, are known as the Sith. Obi Wan senses that Luke is more than an ordinary man and begins Luke's Jedi Training and gives Luke his father's lightsaber as he too was a Jedi before his death. On Tatooine, they pay a smuggler and his co-pilot, Han Solo and Chewbacca, to transport them and their droids to Alderaan. At the same time, to show their power, Darth Vader and Gran Moff Tarkin choose to destroy the planet Alderaan completely with their new space weapon, the Death Star. They also announce their plans to execute Princess Leia. When Luke and co. arrive at Alderaan, the planet is completely non existent, the only thing around is the Death Star which sends out a tractor beam that pulls them inwards. On the space station, Luke, Han & Chewbacca save Princess Leia while Obi Wan turns off the tractor beam. During their final escape, Obi Wan sacrifices himself in a lightsaber duel with Darth Vader. Now having the plans to the Death Star, The Rebel Alliance returns to destroy the space station. Outnumbered, most of the fighter pilots are beaten in this suicide run but Luke proves that the force is with him by making a one in a Million shot without using the guidance system to destroy the Death Star. After the Destruction of the Death Star.
(1980)Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back begins with Galactic Empire fleets still chasing the Rebel Alliance even after the Destruction of the Death Star. The Rebellion sets up on the ice and snow covered planet of Hoth. The Rebels are forced to evacuate due to an invasion from Darth Vader. Luke Journeys to the planet Dagobah to train with Jedi Master Yoda as Obi Wan's ghost instructed him to do. Han, Chewbacca and Leia are pursued by Imperial troops and are eventually caught at Cloud City on the planet Bespin, a Mining Facility owned by Han Solo's friend called Lando Calrissian. On Dagobah, Luke continues his training until he senses that his friends are in danger. Darth Vader lures young Skywalker into a trap in the city of clouds. There, Han is frozen in Carbonite and taken by the Bounty Hunter called Boba Fett to deliver as debt payment. At the same time, during a fierce Lightsaber Duel with the Sith Lord, Luke faces the startling realisation that the Evil Vader is his father. Through the fight, Luke loses his hand and barely escapes with his life as Leia, Chewbacca and Lando save him.
(1983)Star Wars: Return of the Jedi has Luke, Lando, Leia, Chewbacca, R2-D2 and C-3PO infiltrate Jabba's Palace on Tatooine in an attempt to rescue Han Solo. After the events of the previous film, Boba Fett took Han Solo to Jabba the Hutt and received reward for doing so. Han Solo owed Jabba the Hutt a lot of money and had been a wanted man throughout the Galaxy. Leia releases Han from his Carbonite Prison but is captured and enslaved before Luke arrived afterwards. Right after a tense standoff, he is captured as Jabba the Hutt sentences them all to death. Just prior to their execution, Luke frees himself and battles Jabba's guards. At the same time, Leia Strangles Jabba to death while Luke destroys Jabba's Sale Barge as they all escape. Luke returns to Dagobah a stronger Jedi than before but finds that Yoda is dying. Yoda and the Ghost of Obi Wan tell Luke that he must fight Darth Vader to defeat the Empire and truly become a Jedi. The Rebel Alliance learns that the Galactic Empire have been constructing a new Death Star under the supervision of Vader's master, the Emperor Palpatine. A strike team of Han, Luke and Leia travel to the forest Moon of Endor to destroy an energy shield that protects the new Death Star before Luke Surrenders and is taken to the Death Star. With the help from some local build-a-bears called Ewoks, the Strike Team is successful in taking down the shield. On the Death Star, The Emperor pits Luke and his father against each other in an attempt to harness Luke's anger and force to turn himself to the dark side of the force, into a Sith. After this is unsuccessful, the Emperor tortures Luke before his fathers eyes. Vader makes a monumentous choice and destroys the Emperor and saves his Son. The Jedi in Darth Vader is redeemed. After having some difficulty at first, Lando leads a group of Rebel Fighters into the Death Star's core and destroys the main Reactor to set off a huge explosion, destroying the Death Star entirely. Planets across the galaxy celebrate the Rebels victory.
(1999)Star Wars: The Phantom Menace is set 40 Years before the events of the original Star Wars trilogy and the new trilogy act as Prequels that finish 19 years before the first star Wars trilogy. Two members of the Jedi Order, Obi Wan Kenobi and his master Qui Gon Ginn go to save Queen Amidala from the planet Naboo and an impending droid invasion started by the Trade Federation and the Separatists. After rescuing her, their ship is damaged and they have to stop on a nearby planet Tatooine for repairs. There, the Jedi discover a 9 year old called Anakin Skywalker, a young slave who is very strong with the force. Anakin wins a huge Pod Race and gains his freedom and the parts needed to repair the rescue ship. they then go to the capital planet of Coruscant and attempt to get help for Naboo. The Galactic Senate is slow to make any decisions and won't help them. The heroes them return to Naboo where Anakin and the Queen face massive invasion forces while the two Jedi duel with a deadly foe called Darth Maul. The queen, with the help of some locals, defeat the droid army in the battle on the ground as Anakin helps win the battle in space. This invasion is merely the first step in the scheme by the re-emerging Sith. Qui Gon Ginn is defeated by Darth Maul before Obi Wan avenges his master. With his final breath, Qui Gon instructed Obi Wan to train Anakin to become a Jedi.
(2002)Star Wars: Attack of the Clones takes place 10 years later and Anakin is now being trained by Obi Wan. Multiple assassination attempts are made on Senator Padme Amidala, the former queen of Naboo. Anakin Skywalker is assigned to protect her. In the course of his mission Anakin discovers his love for Padme, as well as his own darker side. During this time, Obi Wan travels to Kamino and discovers a massive clone army that mysteriously appeared to have been ordered by the Galactic republic. The Galaxy is in trouble and on the brink of a civil war. Obi Wan then travels to Geonosis where he learns that the renegade Jedi, Count Dooku, is leading thousands of solar systems who are threatening to break away from the Galactic Republic. Obi Wan is captured so Anakin and Padme attempt to come rescue him before they too are captured. Count Dooku tries to publicly execute them all but a large group of Jedi, now with the support of a clone army, arrive to free the three prisoners. A large battle erupts between the republic's clone forces and the separatists droid army. Count Dooku attempts to escape but Obi Wan and Anakin track him down to a hanger. After Dooku defeats both of the Jedi, Grand Master Yoda arrives to save both their lives but Dooku flees. The Clone Wars have officially begun, after which, Anakin and Padme get married in secrecy
(2005)Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith starts near the end of the Clone Wars, three years after Attack of the Clones. Chancellor Palpatine, the leader of the republic, is captured by the Separatist commander General Grievous and Count Dooku. Obi Wan and Anakin, now comrades, rescue the chancellor and defeat Count Dooku but Grievous escapes. Towards the end of the fight with Dooku, Obi Wan is knocked away but Skywalker gets Dooku on his knees without his lightsaber. Chancellor Palpatine encourages Anakin to execute Dooku and Anakin does so after some resistance. On their return, Padme reveals to Anakin that she is pregnant. Over time, Palpatine and Anakin become better friends. Obi Wan is sent to Utapau where he engages and kills General Grievous. Palpatine reveals himself to Anakin as the Sith Lord, Darth Sidious, who has been controlling both the Republic and Separatists movements. Anakin tells the powerful Master Mace Windu and the Jedi attempt to arrest Darth Sidious but are unsuccessful when Anakin helps the Sith Lord. Anakin is seduced by the dark side of the force to become Palpatine's new apprentice known as Darth Vader. Then, the sinister Sith reveals a thousand year old plot to rule the galaxy. The Republic crumbles as the clone troopers turn on their Jedi Generals thanks to order 66 is executed by Sidious. The Jedi are decimated and almost entirely wiped out. Never the less, Yoda and Obi Wan attempt once and for all to defeat the Sith. Yoda fails at conquering Darth Sidious but Obi Wan manages to defeat his former Padawan and friend, Anakin on the Lava planet Mustafar. Darth Sidious finds Anakin, burnt badly but, alive. Anakin is put into a full suit of black armour that will allow him to survive his injuries. As this happens, Padme gives birth to twins, called Luke and Leia, in secrecy. The two children are separated to different foster parents. Obi Wan lives next to Luke on Tatooine and Yoda is forced into hiding on Dagobah. The new Empire rises and begins to develop a massive Space Station.
(1977) Star Wars: A New Hope starts a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away with Princess Leia, a member of the Rebel Alliance stealing the Death Star plans that reveal its fatal flaw. she places the plans inside the droid, R2D2, before she is captured by Darth Vader. R2-D2 and his friend C-3PO escape to a planet called Tatooine where the fall into the possession of Luke Skywalker. R2D2 also has a message from Princess Leia, requesting for Obi Wan to take C-3PO, R2D2 and the plans inside him to the Planet Alderaan. During a scuffle with some locals, Luke is saved by Obi Wan. after Luke's parents die at the hands of Darth Vader and the Galactic empire, Luke decides to join Obi Wan on his mission to Alderaan. The force is a magical power surrounding everyone, though there are few that can harness it and use it. These people who use the force for good, Like Obi Wan, are called Jedi. Those who use it for bad, Like Darth Vader, are known as the Sith. Obi Wan senses that Luke is more than an ordinary man and begins Luke's Jedi Training and gives Luke his father's lightsaber as he too was a Jedi before his death. On Tatooine, they pay a smuggler and his co-pilot, Han Solo and Chewbacca, to transport them and their droids to Alderaan. At the same time, to show their power, Darth Vader and Gran Moff Tarkin choose to destroy the planet Alderaan completely with their new space weapon, the Death Star. They also announce their plans to execute Princess Leia. When Luke and co. arrive at Alderaan, the planet is completely non existent, the only thing around is the Death Star which sends out a tractor beam that pulls them inwards. On the space station, Luke, Han & Chewbacca save Princess Leia while Obi Wan turns off the tractor beam. During their final escape, Obi Wan sacrifices himself in a lightsaber duel with Darth Vader. Now having the plans to the Death Star, The Rebel Alliance returns to destroy the space station. Outnumbered, most of the fighter pilots are beaten in this suicide run but Luke proves that the force is with him by making a one in a Million shot without using the guidance system to destroy the Death Star. After the Destruction of the Death Star.
(1980)Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back begins with Galactic Empire fleets still chasing the Rebel Alliance even after the Destruction of the Death Star. The Rebellion sets up on the ice and snow covered planet of Hoth. The Rebels are forced to evacuate due to an invasion from Darth Vader. Luke Journeys to the planet Dagobah to train with Jedi Master Yoda as Obi Wan's ghost instructed him to do. Han, Chewbacca and Leia are pursued by Imperial troops and are eventually caught at Cloud City on the planet Bespin, a Mining Facility owned by Han Solo's friend called Lando Calrissian. On Dagobah, Luke continues his training until he senses that his friends are in danger. Darth Vader lures young Skywalker into a trap in the city of clouds. There, Han is frozen in Carbonite and taken by the Bounty Hunter called Boba Fett to deliver as debt payment. At the same time, during a fierce Lightsaber Duel with the Sith Lord, Luke faces the startling realisation that the Evil Vader is his father. Through the fight, Luke loses his hand and barely escapes with his life as Leia, Chewbacca and Lando save him.
(1983)Star Wars: Return of the Jedi has Luke, Lando, Leia, Chewbacca, R2-D2 and C-3PO infiltrate Jabba's Palace on Tatooine in an attempt to rescue Han Solo. After the events of the previous film, Boba Fett took Han Solo to Jabba the Hutt and received reward for doing so. Han Solo owed Jabba the Hutt a lot of money and had been a wanted man throughout the Galaxy. Leia releases Han from his Carbonite Prison but is captured and enslaved before Luke arrived afterwards. Right after a tense standoff, he is captured as Jabba the Hutt sentences them all to death. Just prior to their execution, Luke frees himself and battles Jabba's guards. At the same time, Leia Strangles Jabba to death while Luke destroys Jabba's Sale Barge as they all escape. Luke returns to Dagobah a stronger Jedi than before but finds that Yoda is dying. Yoda and the Ghost of Obi Wan tell Luke that he must fight Darth Vader to defeat the Empire and truly become a Jedi. The Rebel Alliance learns that the Galactic Empire have been constructing a new Death Star under the supervision of Vader's master, the Emperor Palpatine. A strike team of Han, Luke and Leia travel to the forest Moon of Endor to destroy an energy shield that protects the new Death Star before Luke Surrenders and is taken to the Death Star. With the help from some local build-a-bears called Ewoks, the Strike Team is successful in taking down the shield. On the Death Star, The Emperor pits Luke and his father against each other in an attempt to harness Luke's anger and force to turn himself to the dark side of the force, into a Sith. After this is unsuccessful, the Emperor tortures Luke before his fathers eyes. Vader makes a monumentous choice and destroys the Emperor and saves his Son. The Jedi in Darth Vader is redeemed. After having some difficulty at first, Lando leads a group of Rebel Fighters into the Death Star's core and destroys the main Reactor to set off a huge explosion, destroying the Death Star entirely. Planets across the galaxy celebrate the Rebels victory.
(1999)Star Wars: The Phantom Menace is set 40 Years before the events of the original Star Wars trilogy and the new trilogy act as Prequels that finish 19 years before the first star Wars trilogy. Two members of the Jedi Order, Obi Wan Kenobi and his master Qui Gon Ginn go to save Queen Amidala from the planet Naboo and an impending droid invasion started by the Trade Federation and the Separatists. After rescuing her, their ship is damaged and they have to stop on a nearby planet Tatooine for repairs. There, the Jedi discover a 9 year old called Anakin Skywalker, a young slave who is very strong with the force. Anakin wins a huge Pod Race and gains his freedom and the parts needed to repair the rescue ship. they then go to the capital planet of Coruscant and attempt to get help for Naboo. The Galactic Senate is slow to make any decisions and won't help them. The heroes them return to Naboo where Anakin and the Queen face massive invasion forces while the two Jedi duel with a deadly foe called Darth Maul. The queen, with the help of some locals, defeat the droid army in the battle on the ground as Anakin helps win the battle in space. This invasion is merely the first step in the scheme by the re-emerging Sith. Qui Gon Ginn is defeated by Darth Maul before Obi Wan avenges his master. With his final breath, Qui Gon instructed Obi Wan to train Anakin to become a Jedi.
(2002)Star Wars: Attack of the Clones takes place 10 years later and Anakin is now being trained by Obi Wan. Multiple assassination attempts are made on Senator Padme Amidala, the former queen of Naboo. Anakin Skywalker is assigned to protect her. In the course of his mission Anakin discovers his love for Padme, as well as his own darker side. During this time, Obi Wan travels to Kamino and discovers a massive clone army that mysteriously appeared to have been ordered by the Galactic republic. The Galaxy is in trouble and on the brink of a civil war. Obi Wan then travels to Geonosis where he learns that the renegade Jedi, Count Dooku, is leading thousands of solar systems who are threatening to break away from the Galactic Republic. Obi Wan is captured so Anakin and Padme attempt to come rescue him before they too are captured. Count Dooku tries to publicly execute them all but a large group of Jedi, now with the support of a clone army, arrive to free the three prisoners. A large battle erupts between the republic's clone forces and the separatists droid army. Count Dooku attempts to escape but Obi Wan and Anakin track him down to a hanger. After Dooku defeats both of the Jedi, Grand Master Yoda arrives to save both their lives but Dooku flees. The Clone Wars have officially begun, after which, Anakin and Padme get married in secrecy
(2005)Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith starts near the end of the Clone Wars, three years after Attack of the Clones. Chancellor Palpatine, the leader of the republic, is captured by the Separatist commander General Grievous and Count Dooku. Obi Wan and Anakin, now comrades, rescue the chancellor and defeat Count Dooku but Grievous escapes. Towards the end of the fight with Dooku, Obi Wan is knocked away but Skywalker gets Dooku on his knees without his lightsaber. Chancellor Palpatine encourages Anakin to execute Dooku and Anakin does so after some resistance. On their return, Padme reveals to Anakin that she is pregnant. Over time, Palpatine and Anakin become better friends. Obi Wan is sent to Utapau where he engages and kills General Grievous. Palpatine reveals himself to Anakin as the Sith Lord, Darth Sidious, who has been controlling both the Republic and Separatists movements. Anakin tells the powerful Master Mace Windu and the Jedi attempt to arrest Darth Sidious but are unsuccessful when Anakin helps the Sith Lord. Anakin is seduced by the dark side of the force to become Palpatine's new apprentice known as Darth Vader. Then, the sinister Sith reveals a thousand year old plot to rule the galaxy. The Republic crumbles as the clone troopers turn on their Jedi Generals thanks to order 66 is executed by Sidious. The Jedi are decimated and almost entirely wiped out. Never the less, Yoda and Obi Wan attempt once and for all to defeat the Sith. Yoda fails at conquering Darth Sidious but Obi Wan manages to defeat his former Padawan and friend, Anakin on the Lava planet Mustafar. Darth Sidious finds Anakin, burnt badly but, alive. Anakin is put into a full suit of black armour that will allow him to survive his injuries. As this happens, Padme gives birth to twins, called Luke and Leia, in secrecy. The two children are separated to different foster parents. Obi Wan lives next to Luke on Tatooine and Yoda is forced into hiding on Dagobah. The new Empire rises and begins to develop a massive Space Station.
ii) Changes from Original
In order to reach the younger audience that Creators Traveller's Tales wanted, they simplified the plot of the first 6 movies and added bits of humour to change the pace. The total time of the cutscenes in the Video Game only amount to 50 minutes. The average Star Wars film had an average run time of just under 2 hours and 15 minutes and 13 hours all in total. Obviously there is a big gap in that time due to gameplay being added in the video game to make up for time.
Traveller's Tales had the issue of dividing the movies into easy chapters for easy level selection.
This meant that some major plot points from the Movies had been emitted from the Video Games. The main example of this is Anakin Skywalker's mother being completely absent throughout the film.
iii) Success of Adaptation
On Rotten Tomatoes, the first 6 Star Wars films have an average score of 78/100. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga has an average score of 79/100 on Metacritic.
Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga sold a little over 3,400,000 copies and given that their average retail price was $40, we can assume that the revenue of the game was around $136,000,000 and a far cry from what the films made. However, it was never expected to make anything near to the amount of money as the movies did. The Lego Star Wars games actually exceeded expectations. Each of the first Star Wars films had an average revenue of $650,000,000 with a grand total of $3,907,000,000 of revenue in total.
iv) Legal and Ethical
Traveller's Tales were given the rights to use the Original Star Wars score and soundtrack in their game. The fact that they had legal permission to use the sounds meant that there wasn't really a problem but, as seen is later Movie to Lego Video Game adaptations, the license can expire and leave the game empty and without any music.
Traveller's Tales were given the rights to use the Original Star Wars score and soundtrack in their game. The fact that they had legal permission to use the sounds meant that there wasn't really a problem but, as seen is later Movie to Lego Video Game adaptations, the license can expire and leave the game empty and without any music.
Something very interesting in the first Star Wars film is that the lead female character, Princess Leia Organa is set up by the trailers to be an average damsel in distress. The movie subserved expectations as Carrie Fischer took the role and played a character who was bossy and innovative. The Lego Video Games have no dialogue and this stood as an issue for TT by reducing her to that stereotypical role.
i) Medium
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Comic Book turned into a movie.
Bryan Lee O'Malley is a comic book series spanning 6 issues about a boy called Scott Pilgrim, a girl he loves, and the 7 evil
To summarise the comic books:
Somewhere in Toronto, Canada, Scott Pilgrim is dating a high-schooler called Knives Chau. He's on the rebound after he was dumped by his ex girlfriend. Scott sees a girl in his dream and starts obsessing over her before spotting her at a party. After some sleuthing, Scott finds that she is Ramona Flowers and works for Amazon's delivery service. Since he ordered a book from Amazon, Scott finds Ramona outside his home and asks her on a date. Scott invites Ramona to watch him and his band (they're terrible) compete in the Toronto International Battle of the Bands (TIBB). When Sex Bob-Omb plays in a battle of the bands sponsored by record executive Gideon Graves, Scott is attacked by Ramona's ex-boyfriend Matthew Patel. Scott defeats Patel and learns that, in order to date Ramona, he must defeat the remaining six evil exes.
Scott finally breaks up with Knives, who blames Ramona and swears to win him back. Meanwhile, Scott proceeds to get attacked by, yet defeat, the next three of Ramona's exes: Hollywood actor and skateboarder Lucas Lee, super-powered vegan Todd Ingram, and lesbian ninja Roxy Richter. However, Scott grows frustrated during the process, and after an outburst regarding Ramona's dating history, she breaks up with him.
At the next battle of the bands, Sex Bob-Omb defeats Ramona's fifth and sixth evil exes, twins Kyle and Ken Katayanagi, earning Scott an extra life. Despite this, Ramona appears to get back with her seventh evil ex, Gideon. Sex Bob-Omb accepts Gideon's record deal, except for Scott, who quits the band in protest. Gideon invites Scott to his venue, the Chaos Theater, where Sex Bob-Omb is playing. Resolving to win Ramona back, Scott challenges Gideon to a fight for her affections, earning the "Power of Love" sword. Knives interrupts the battle, attacking Ramona, and Scott is forced to reveal that he cheated on both of them. Gideon kills Scott and Ramona visits him in limbo to reveal that Gideon has implanted her with a mind control device.
Scott uses his 1-up and re-enters the Chaos Theater. He makes peace with his friends and challenges Gideon again, this time for himself, gaining the "Power of Self-Respect" sword. After apologising to Ramona and Knives for cheating on them, and accepting his own faults, Scott and Knives join forces to defeat Gideon.
Free from Gideon's control, Ramona prepares to leave. Knives accepts that her relationship with Scott is over and, at her encouragement, he leaves with Ramona to "try again."
ii) Changes from Original
Not many things changed as Scott Pilgrim went to the big screen as the Comic Book creator, Bryan Lee o'Malley, was on set with the films director, Edgar Wright, to help with the script and the general movie plot so the both of them could make a faithful adaptation.
There are a few missing characters that feature in the Comic Books who don't make an appearance in the movie but the first difference is that the movie takes just a couple of weeks from start to finish while the book lasts a year.
When Scott fights the Katayanagi Twins, Edgar Wright wanted something different instead of another hand to hand fight like in the comics so during their music battle, their music spawns their own respective creature to fight instead. With Sex Bob-Omb's Yeti defeating the Katayanagi's two Dragons, Scott effectively defeats the evil exes.
The Katayanagi twins were originally engineers in the comics, creating robots to fight their battles against Scott for them. This was omitted from the film because the creators felt that there were already too many Robot themed films out at the time.
Scott's high school ex girlfriend, Knives Chau, had a father who hunted Pilgrim throughout the books as revenge for breaking his daughters heart.
After Scott Pilgrim defeats Ramona's 7th evil ex, he has to fight a ghostly and spiritually version of himself called Nega Scott. This was seen as a bit too much for the movie adaptation so the final climax was left at Gideon's defeat instead. Scott and his Nega version walk out of the theater, discussing their plans for brunch in the near future.
iii) Success of Adaptation
Scott Pilgrim vs the World absolutely bombed at the box office, only earning $48,000,000 when the budget was $85,000,000. Finishing 5th in for their opening weekend, Scott Pilgrim had to face films like The Expendables and Eat, Pray, Love.
The financial failure of the film meant that it flew under the radar for many cinema goers. It has, however, gained a cult following as many praise the direction and story telling of the adaptation. A middling critic reception of 69/100 on Metacritic opposed by the user score of 8.3/10 and 1018/1174 of all user reviews are listed as positive.
iv) Legal and Ethical
One issue that people had with Scott Pilgrim vs the World was that some found Scott to be unlikable. The protagonist chases a girl despite already being in a relationship with a high schooler 5 years younger than him. Scott is too self absorbed to even realise that he's cheating on the both of them and hurting them in the process. Some have brought up a theory that Scott Pilgrim defeating Ramona's evil exes is a metaphor for Scott getting over the fact that Ramona has dated people before.
When it comes to legal issues, the video game made as a movie tie in was taken down from all Digital Download stores due to licensing issues leading to their license expiring altogether. Nothing has been confirmed but all we know is that the video game is no longer available to buy from a 1st party seller. This means that consoles with the game already installed are selling on 3rd party websites for inflated prices.
i) Medium
The Lord of the Rings is a trilogy of books created and written by J. R. R. Tolkien, a now well known fantasy writer, before his death in 1973. Originally planned to be released as one single book, the Lord of the Rings was published as a trilogy of books for financial reasons from July 1954 to October 1955.
The Lord of the Rings has had two notable adaptations. The first is a fairly unnotable movie adaptation from 1978 that was planned to be released in two parts but never got the financial backing for a sequel to be made.
The second famous adaptation of the book was released as three films in 2001, 2002 and 2003. These films, directed by Peter Jackson, were released in three instalments just like the books. Sharing the names of the novels, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Twin Towers, and The Lord of Rings: The Return of the King.
To Summarise:
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
In the Second Age of Middle-earth, the lords of Elves, Dwarves, and Men are given Rings of Power. Unbeknownst to them, the Dark Lord Sauron forges the One Ring in Mount Doom, installing into it a great part of his power to dominate the other Rings, so he might conquer Middle-earth. A final alliance of men and elves battles Sauron's forces in Mordor, where Prince Isildur of Gondor severs Sauron's finger, and the Ring with it, thereby destroying his physical form. With Sauron's first defeat, the Third Age of Middle-earth begins. Unfortunately, the Ring's influence corrupts Isildur, who takes it for himself. Isildur is later killed by Orcs, and the Ring is lost for 2,500 years, until it is found by Gollum, who owns it for five centuries. The Ring is then found by a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins, who turns invisible when he puts it on, but is unaware of its history.
Sixty years later, Bilbo celebrates his 111th birthday in the Shire, reuniting with his old friend, Gandalf the Grey. Bilbo reveals that he intends to leave the Shire for one last adventure, and he leaves his inheritance, including the Ring, to his nephew, Frodo. Although Bilbo has begun to become corrupted by the Ring and tries to keep it for himself, Gandalf intervenes. Gandalf, suspicious of the Ring, tells Frodo to keep it secret and to keep it safe. Gandalf then investigates the Ring, discovers its true nature, and returns to warn Frodo. Gandalf also learns that Gollum was captured and tortured by Orcs, and that Gollum uttered two words during his interrogation: "Shire" and "Baggins." Gandalf instructs Frodo to leave the Shire, accompanied by his friend Samwise Gamgee. Gandalf rides to Isengard to meet with fellow wizard Saruman the White, but learns that he has joined forces with Sauron, who has dispatched his nine undead Nazgûl servants to find Frodo. After a brief battle, Saruman imprisons Gandalf.
Frodo and Sam are joined by fellow hobbits Merry and Pippin, and they evade the Nazgûl, arriving in Bree, where they are meant to meet Gandalf. However, Gandalf never arrives, and they are instead aided by a ranger named Strider, a friend of Gandalf's, who promises to escort them to Rivendell. The hobbits are ambushed by the Nazgûl on Weathertop, and their leader, the Witch-King, stabs Frodo with a cursed Morgul blade. Arwen, an elf and Strider's betrothed, locates Aragorn and the Hobbits and aiding Frodo, rescuing him and incapacitating the Nazgûl. She takes him to Rivendell, where he is healed. Frodo meets Gandalf, who escaped Isengard with help from Gwaihir, a giant eagle. That night, Aragorn reunites with Arwen in Rivendell, where they confirm their love and commitment for each other. Arwen's father, Lord Elrond, holds a council that decides the Ring must be destroyed in Mount Doom. While the members argue, Frodo volunteers to take the Ring, accompanied by Gandalf, Sam, Merry, Pippin, elf Legolas, dwarf Gimli, Boromir of Gondor, and Strider, who is revealed to be Aragorn, Isildur's heir and the rightful King of Gondor. Bilbo gives Frodo his sword, Sting. The Fellowship of the Ring sets off, but Saruman's magic forces them to travel through the Mines of Moria, much to Gandalf's displeasure.
The Fellowship discovers that the dwarves within Moria have been slain, and they are attacked by Orcs and a cave troll. They defeat them, but are confronted by Durin's Bane, a Balrog residing within the mines. Gandalf casts the Balrog into a vast chasm, but it drags Gandalf down into the darkness with it. The rest of the Fellowship, now led by Aragorn, reaches Lothlórien, home to elves Galadriel and Celeborn. Galadriel privately informs Frodo that only he can complete the quest, and that one of his friends will try to take the Ring. Meanwhile, Saruman creates an army of Uruk-hai to track down and kill the Fellowship.
The Fellowship leaves Lothlórien by river to Parth Galen. Frodo wanders off and is confronted by Boromir, who tries to take the Ring in desperation. Afraid of the Ring corrupting his friends, Frodo decides to travel to Mordor alone. The Fellowship is then ambushed by the Uruk-hai. Merry and Pippin are taken captive, and Boromir is mortally wounded by the Uruk chieftain, Lurtz. Aragorn arrives and slays Lurtz, and watches Boromir die peacefully. Sam follows Frodo, accompanying him to keep his promise to Gandalf to protect Frodo, while Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli go to rescue Merry and Pippin.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Awakening from a dream of Gandalf the Grey battling the Balrog, Frodo Baggins and his friend Samwise Gamgee find themselves lost in the Emyn Muil near Mordor and soon become aware that they are being stalked by Gollum, the former owner of the One Ring. After capturing him, a sympathetic Frodo decides to use Gollum as a guide to Mordor, despite Sam's objections.
Meanwhile, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli pursue the Uruk-hai to save their companions Merry and Pippin. The Uruk-hai are ambushed by a group of Rohirrim, while the two Hobbits escape into Fangorn Forest and encounter Treebeard, an Ent. Aragorn's group later meets the Rohirrim and their leader Éomer, who reveals that they have been exiled by their king Théoden who is being manipulated by Saruman and his servant Gríma Wormtongue into turning a blind eye to Saruman's forces running rampant in Rohan. While searching for the Hobbits in Fangorn, Aragorn's group encounters Gandalf, who, after succumbing to his injuries while killing the Balrog in Moria, has been resurrected as Gandalf the White to help save Middle-earth.
Aragorn's group travels to Rohan's capital city Edoras, where Gandalf releases Théoden from Saruman's influence and Wormtongue is banished. After learning of Saruman's plans to wipe out Rohan with his Uruk-hai army, Théoden decides to evacuate his citizens to Helm's Deep, an ancient fortress that has provided refuge to Rohan's people in times past, while Gandalf departs to acquire the aid of Éomer's army. Aragorn establishes a friendship with Théoden's niece, Éowyn, who quickly becomes infatuated with him. That night, Aragorn experiences a dream of him meeting with Arwen who then tells him that he must depart with Frodo and reassures him when he doesn't feel confident enough that his path is set for him. When the refugees comes under attack by Warg-riding Orcs sent by Saruman, Aragorn falls off a cliff and is presumed dead. However, he is awoken by his horse Brego and rides to Helm's Deep. That same night, Arwen is told by her father Elrond that Aragorn will not be returning. He tells her that if she remains in Middle-Earth, only death and destruction await her, even if Aragorn were to survive and become King of Gondor, and if Sauron is defeated again, she will die alone. This convinces her to reluctantly depart for Valinor. The defenders at Helm's Deep are joined by a detachment of Elves from Lothlórien. The Uruk-hai army arrives at Helm's Deep that night and a night-long battle ensues. The Uruk-hai breach the outer wall using gunpowder-like explosives and force the remaining defenders to retreat into the inner castle.
Merry and Pippin, having convinced Treebeard that they were allies, are brought to an Ent Council in Fangorn where the Ents decide not to assist in the war. Pippin then tells Treebeard to take them in the direction of Isengard, where they witness the devastation caused to the forest by Saruman's war efforts. An enraged Treebeard summons the Ents and they storm Isengard, drowning the orcs by breaking their river dam and stranding Saruman in Orthanc.
At Helm's Deep, Aragorn convinces a despairing Théoden to ride out and meet the Uruks in one last charge. Gandalf and Éomer's horsemen arrive at sunrise, turning the tide of the battle. The Uruk-hai flee into Fangorn forest, which has moved closer to the battle at the urging of Treebeard, where they are destroyed. Gandalf warns that Sauron's retaliation will be terrible and swift.
Meanwhile, Gollum leads Frodo and Sam through the Dead Marshes to the Black Gate but convinces them to enter Mordor by an alternative route. Frodo and Sam are captured by the Rangers of Ithilien led by Faramir, brother of the late Boromir. Frodo helps Faramir catch Gollum to save him from being killed and Faramir learns of the One Ring and takes his captives with him to Gondor to win his father's respect. While passing through the besieged Gondorian city of Osgiliath, Sam reveals that Boromir was driven mad by the Ring and tried to take it. An attacking Nazgûl nearly captures Frodo, who momentarily attacks Sam before coming to his senses, forcing Sam to remind him that they are fighting for the good still left in Middle-earth. Faramir is impressed by Frodo and releases them along with Gollum. While leading the hobbits once more, Gollum decides to take revenge on Frodo and reclaim the Ring by leading the group to "Her" upon arriving at Cirith Ungol.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Two Hobbits, Sméagol and Déagol, are fishing when Déagol discovers the One Ring in the river. Sméagol is ensnared by the Ring, and kills his friend for it. He retreats into the Misty Mountains as the Ring twists his body and mind, until he becomes the creature Gollum.
Centuries later, during the War of the Ring, Gandalf leads Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and King Théoden to Isengard, where they reunite with Merry and Pippin. Gandalf retrieves the defeated Saruman's palantír. Pippin later looks into the seeing-stone and is telepathically attacked by Sauron. From Pippin's description of his visions, Gandalf surmises that Sauron will attack Gondor's capital Minas Tirith. He rides there to warn Gondor's steward Denethor, taking Pippin with him.
Gollum leads Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee to Minas Morgul, where they watch the Witch-king, leader of the nine Nazgûl, lead an army of Orcs towards Gondor. The hobbits begin climbing a stair carved in the cliff face that will take them into Mordor via a "secret way," unaware that Gollum plans to kill them and take the Ring. The Witch-king and his forces strike and overwhelm Osgiliath, forcing Faramir and his garrison to retreat to Minas Tirith.
Gollum disposes of the Hobbits' food, blaming Sam. Believing that Sam desires the Ring, Frodo tells him to go home before he and Gollum continue to the tunnel leading to Mordor. Gollum tricks him into venturing into the lair of the giant spider Shelob. Frodo narrowly escapes and confronts Gollum, telling him that he must destroy the Ring for both their sakes. Gollum attacks Frodo but falls down a chasm. Frodo continues on, but Shelob discovers, paralyses, and binds him. However, Sam returns and injures Shelob, driving her away. Sam hides as Orcs appear and take Frodo with them. The Orcs start a fight because of ownership of Frodo's mithril vest, allowing Sam to escape with Frodo and continue their journey.
Aragorn learns from Elrond that Arwen's strength is fading, having refused to leave and wishing to stay in Middle Earth, reunite with Aragorn, start a family, and willingly become mortal, after seeing a vision of her son with Aragorn. Arwen convinces a reluctant Elrond to accept her choice of staying in Middle Earth and to arm Aragorn with Andúril, a sword recreated by Rivendell blacksmiths on Elrond's orders from the shards of Isildur's sword, Narsil, so he can reclaim his birthright while gaining reinforcements from the Dead Men of Dunharrow. Joined by Legolas and Gimli, Aragorn travels to the Paths of the Dead, recruiting the Army of the Dead by pledging to release them from the curse Isildur put on them.
Faramir is gravely wounded after a futile effort to retake Osgiliath; believing his son to be dead, Denethor falls into madness. Gandalf is left to defend the city against the Orc army, led by Gothmog. As Gothmog's army forces its way into the city, Denethor attempts to kill himself and Faramir on a pyre. Pippin alerts Gandalf and they save Faramir, but a burning Denethor leaps to his death from the top of Minas Tirith just before Théoden and his nephew, Éomer, arrive with the Rohirrim. During the ensuing battle, they are overwhelmed by the Oliphaunt-riding Haradrim, while the Witch-King mortally wounds Théoden. Though Théoden's niece Éowyn destroys the Witch-king with Merry's help, Théoden succumbs to his wounds. Aragorn arrives with the Army of the Dead, who overcome Sauron's forces and win the battle; Aragorn then frees them from the curse.
Aragorn decides to march upon the Black Gate as a distraction so Frodo and Sam can reach Mount Doom. Aragorn's army draws out Sauron's remaining forces and empties Mordor, allowing Frodo and Sam to reach the volcano, but Gollum attacks them just as they reach Mount Doom. As he stands on the ledge over the volcanic fire, Frodo succumbs to the Ring and claims it as his own, putting it on his finger. Despite Frodo being invisible, Gollum manages to find and attack him, biting his finger off to reclaim the Ring. Frodo fights back, and as they struggle over the Ring, both fall off the ledge. Gollum falls into the fire with the Ring and dies. Frodo clings to the side of the ledge, and Sam rescues him as the Ring disintegrates in the lava. As Frodo and Sam escape, Sauron is destroyed along with his forces and the Nine as Mordor crumbles.
Gandalf flies in with eagles to rescue the Hobbits, who awaken in Minas Tirith and are reunited with the surviving Fellowship. Aragorn is crowned King of Gondor and takes Arwen as his queen. The Hobbits return home to the Shire, where Sam marries Rosie Cotton. A few years later, Frodo departs Middle-earth for the Undying Lands with his uncle Bilbo, Gandalf, and the Elves. He leaves Sam the Red Book of Westmarch, which details their adventures. Sam returns to the Shire, where he embraces Rosie and their children.
ii) Changes from Original
At the end of The Return of the King, Peter Jackson chooses to complete the journey that the audience has been taken on with a tear jerking moment with Frodo and his friends going separate ways. In doing this, he ends the and cuts the battle of bywater. In the book, Frodo and the hobbits return home to the shire to find that Saruman has taken over. With the help of the hobbits, Frodo overpower Saruman and his soldiers. It is here when Saruman dies, at the hands of wormtounge, as his throat is slit.
While the story of the three movies together encompass The War of the Ring, they fail to show the scale of the war in like the books did. The movies boil down to two huge battles. It is fair to see why he did this though, as there is no way that Peter Jackson would have been able to feature more battles in the film without dropping any of the story progression we see throughout.
iii) Success of Adaptation
There have been a total of 150,000,000 copies sold of The Lord of the Rings. This means that it sits atop the list of best selling books of all time. This is a huge feat, beating Alice in Wonderland to the top stop and not even any of the 7 Harry Potter books were able to top it.
The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy is just as successful, possibly even more successful. The Fellowship of the ring was just the fourth movie to gross over $1,000,000,000 worldwide, ending with a gross total of $1,120,000,000.
The Fellowship of the Ring has a critic score of 92/100 and a user score of 9.1/10. The Two Towers has a critic score of 87/100 and a user score of 9/10. The Return of the King has a critic score of 94/100 and a user score of 9.1/10. The Return of the King sits at number 7 in IMDb's list of the top 250 movies of all time with the Fellowship Of The Ring a 12 and The Two Towers at 21.
The Lord of the rings was far before its time when it comes to issues on sexism and equality as a key plot point is the daughter of a king wanting to fight in the war. As one would expect from an era akin to medieval times, The King forbids her from taking part. This is where The Lord of the Rings (Return of the King) diverts expectations on what the stereotypical female character is. Instead of being used as a damsel in distress or as a bargaining piece, Eowyn defies her father and takes part in the battle of Minas Tirith and even slays The Witch King.
Something noticeable in the first film is that the members of the fellowship of the ring are all male. Despite the fact that Arwen was a key part of Frodo's survival in The Fellowship of the Ring, it remains a movie dominated by a Male cast.
A female character called Arwen is a love interest for Aragorn and acts as a point of tension between Aragorn and his friends before his final choices are made but this is still a plot point revolving around a man with a woman used as a tool instead of a character.
When it comes to racial representation in the Lord of the Rings, almost every character is from Europe or North America. I struggle to remember any people of colour in the film at all. While this could be pinned down to historical accuracy by some, the film trilogy is entirely fictional and could have featured people who aren't white.
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