> The short answer is that it's a risky business trying to force a compatibility between novels and movies that just isn't there.

Why then, do we get so excited when we hear that one of our favorite stories is going to be made into a movie? I hold up as an example the new Lord of the Rings movies that are currently being filmed. Every Tolkien enthusiast I know is looking forward to the release of the first film with unbridled anticipation. I won't deny that I'm not excited about it myself, but in the back of my mind, a tiny little voice is saying, "What if it's bad? Don't get your hopes up."

I think the reason I like Bicentennial Man so much is that I popped it into the VCR and watched it expecting to be disappointed by it. I fully expected it not to be as good as the book, and I was right; however, it was a good movie. While it didn't follow Asimov's story to the letter, I felt that it got across all the concepts and emotions to me, the viewer, that the novel got across to me, the reader.

I hope that LOTR accomplishes this same feat. Many people are looking forward to seeing how modern movie-making techniques and special effects will portray the creatures, characters, and landscapes of Middle Earth that they have envisioned as they read the trilogy. The filmmakers have a monumental task in bringing it to us. But in a way, it's almost kind of sad to think that future readers who have seen these movies won't have the pleasure of creating in their own minds a vision of Tolkien's world...they'll only be able to see what they've seen on the big screen.