Thursday, September 1, 2022

Rings Stew

How many times have you heard, "that was a great movie, but it was nowhere near as good as the book"?  It seems like this is almost always true.  The level of detail that an author can add describing the character's thoughts and feelings can be impossible to recreate in a 2 hour movie.  Streaming services have made things a little easier with multi-part series giving the producers more screen time to develop characters and the story.  Amazon Prime has just released The Rings of Power based on the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien.  It takes place thousands of years before the epic Lord of the Rings movies.  Many critics are skeptical that anyone can come close to capturing the artistry that Tokien displays in his writing.  There is no question the series will fall short of that.  But that is not a reason for complaining.  Pete Peterson, in his article, Forge the Ring, describes the producers of the series as sub-creators.  Tolkien was the creator of the story, and the producers will take that story and make something different.  It won't be exactly like the original story, and probably won't be as good, but it should have much of the same flavor - kind of like making a stew.  Even though you use a lot of the same ingredients, it will come out somewhat different each time.  The idea of "sub-creator" also applies to each one of us.  God is the Creator.  We are each sub-creators trying to build his kingdom on Earth.  We will never get close, but it sure can be fun trying.  Make your story great today.

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