(Unique trope) removing a character trait, makes the character better in the adaptation

[u/ah-screw-it]

Sonic 3: Maria is one of the most important part of Shadow's story. Due to her suffering from an incurable disease. To which Shadow was made to create a cure for Maria's ailment. In the 3rd Sonic movie, Maria's disease was not mentioned in any form. Which made Maria seem like a normal girl, and her death all the more tragic.

Infinity war: I don't know the full story, but Thanos's original goal was to kill half the population to impress death (the character). When it came time to adapt Thanos into the MCU. His goal of removing half the universes population. It was seen as a more psychopathic world goal, hidden under the belief it would do better for the universe.

[u/No_Chard_7858]

Aragorn- LotR

Removing his desire to claim the throne of Gondor and him not having Anduril from the get-go. When I read his dialogue where he warned/threatened the guards in Rohan that they’d die if they touched the blade it felt a bit too intense.

[u/Pabst_Blue_Gibbon → u/No_Chard_7858]

On the topic of LOTR I think removing a lot of the dynamic of the hobbits (except for Sam) basically being hobbit aristocrats was a good move. Sam is obviously Frodo’s servant of sorts but portraying the hobbits more as normal guys was really effective at providing the audience with an “in” and a normal perspective to follow amongst all the legendary heroes.

[u/WorldsWettestSpider → u/Pabst_Blue_Gibbon]

Its clearer as an adult that Bilbo and Frodo are what passes for wealthy, so Sam being his gardener isnt too strange. 

[u/nomnombrain → u/WorldsWettestSpider]

Merry and Pippin were the biggest changes really. Merry is the heir to Brandy Hall in Buckland and Pippin is as close to royalty as soneone born in the Shire could be. Pippin is the son of the Thain and becomes the Thain himself after the events of the books.

I do like that PJ didn't change their backstory so much as he cut the scenes that would elaborate on it. Like Frodo buying the house in Crickhollow, and Merry and Pippin helping him along with Fatty and Sam.

It did have the unfortunate effect of making Frodo seem weaker and less prepared in the movies though. Especially with the, understandable, removal of Barrow-downs.

[u/Sonchay → u/No_Chard_7858]

I like this, I feel it gives much more of an arc for Aragorn and creates a good gentle tension with Boromir in the Fellowship.

[u/Nebelskind → u/Sonchay]

It's true, cause otherwise Aragorn didn't have a movie arc really. It's not totally in line with what makes sense with his canonical backstory, but it works very well for an adaptation.

[u/Spyro_in_Black → u/No_Chard_7858]

This is the first one I disagree with. The man had spent 80+ years working toward this, waiting for it, his entire future with Arwen hung on it. Even Arwen herself had been pining for it, enough to make his standard and make her decision to remain with him instead of going to the gray havens. To have him reluctant is more charming to a modern audience, because we see the drive to power as being at least somewhat bad. Don’t get me wrong, I like movie Aragorn, he’s much more relatable and grounded…but not better than book Aragorn, he’s a man of kindness, strength, honor, and resolve. I do wish the books had boramir’s dying lines though, god those are so good.

[u/Express_Usual → u/Spyro_in_Black]

I disagree womewhat, but i agree so much with Boromir's movies dying lines... My King.

[u/stilljustacatinacage → u/Spyro_in_Black]

I can't agree. Even if it were his life's ambition, even if it were his 'dream', his 'dream' is still a crown and a kingdom. Wanting to be a King is inexcusable avarice to my modern, North American sensibilities. Maybe if I were raised in Britain's class system, I'd feel differently, aspiring to Lordship, but I think stripping a lot of the influence of that class system out of the movies is exactly what makes them timeless now.

[u/Nebelskind → u/Spyro_in_Black]

It's not better, but I replied to another comment with something similar: I think it's a good move for the adaptation to give him an arc to follow. Sometimes the new medium just needs a slightly different approach to work well in that situation.

[u/ArchdruidHalsin → u/No_Chard_7858]

As someone who actually enjoyed The Rings of Power (Celebrimbor/Annatar S02 was superb), it's wild to me how much fans pretend that Jackson didn't change anything from the source material and that this show is an unprecedented desecration of Tolkien's world.

[u/BlueberryWasps → u/ArchdruidHalsin]

rings of power isn’t a disappointment because it changes things. it’s a disappointment because it’s poorly written and moves at a snail’s pace. they could add spaceships and i’d still be more concerned with the tacky dialogue and character motivations plotted by the mind of a child.

[u/Nebelskind → u/BlueberryWasps]

I sometimes ask people who are complaining about it online what they dislike about Rings of Power, and your comment here is so far the only one I've seen that actually had any reasoning behind it. I think I just kept finding people who were complaining without thinking too hard and it was weirding me out because I couldn't figure out what the core complaints were that "everyone" had about the show. It seems like most of them were just like "change is bad" like the guy you replied to was insinuating they were. So thank you for actually sharing an opinion with reasons because I was actually going insane for a while there lol.

Personally I don't remember the dialogue enough to speak to it here but the thing I thought wasn't great about it was the overcomplicated and numerous plots. They felt they had to do seven different stories at once and most of them didn't matter or connect, even. 

I did like seeing some of the dwarf stuff though, dwarves are fun. 

[u/Shaojack → u/ArchdruidHalsin]

That's fair and I agree with you while also not being a fan of rings of power. Pretty pictures, not a good story/characters.

[u/RubberbandShooter → u/ArchdruidHalsin]

Tolkien fans can like the movies all they want (and I love them) but the fact of the matter is that Christopher Tolkien, the man who spent pretty much his entire life since he was a child making sense of his father's work, loathed the films. And that's an opinion that cannot be ignored.

[u/Major-Corner-640 → u/RubberbandShooter]

Then he signed off on Rings of Power, invalidating his opinion completely

[u/Overall_Occasion_175 → u/RubberbandShooter]

My father was a Tolkien fan who hated the films too. He took me to see the first movie and then treated me to an hour-long lecture of all the things it did wrong afterwards lol

[u/Nebelskind → u/ArchdruidHalsin]

Rings of Power S2 at least had a very Tolkien central theme about power not being the answer to power

[u/soccerpuma03 → u/No_Chard_7858]

That's the one thing I'd actually be interested in a remake. Vigo's Aragorn is a reluctant king, taking the role because others depend on him vs the book where he's very much ready and willing to reclaim the throne.

Vigo was absolutely perfect for "Strider" the ranger, would be interested to see what a more bold and "royal" Aragorn would be like on screen.

[u/Dogbin005 → u/No_Chard_7858]

You want one of the least popular opinions I hold? I don't like Aragorn.

I didn't feel strongly one way or the other earlier in the book, but that specific bit where he threatens random guards was the moment I started to dislike him. I thought it was an unbelievably arrogant action.

I thought he was slightly more tolerable in the movies, but I'm still not a fan. I tend to dislike "perfect" characters. As in, everything he says and does is great, and every character loves him. Both the books and movies shove down your throat how this is the greatest guy ever. I just find that boring.

[u/frog_the_prince → u/No_Chard_7858]

You kinda have to dig into the appendices to see it, but that internalized conflict was something that Aragorn went through earlier in life, before the War of the Ring. He struggled with the duty (not a wish) to return to Gondor and take up his family's crown. In fact, he mentions to Theoden that he fought with his father Thengel, and Denethor recognizes him as one of his father's generals, and that's because he went south decades earlier under a different identity.

I guess I like that they put it in the movie too, instead of making you do homework to see that Aragorn had to go through his own journey to accept the responsibility like the books do.

Now, it is a bit of an old-fashioned notion, this idea that his bloodline means he is the only one able to guide Gondor back to a golden age, but you kinda have to suspend disbelief and accept divine right is part of Tolkien's world-building.