fred67 Posted December 14, 2011 Posted December 14, 2011 I never understood the reasoning that something is "too violent" for LEGO to make... Yeah... they accept "fantasy" violence, not "realistic" violence, and they generally do a fair job abiding by that "rule." I do take exception to the belief that LOTR is more violent than other themes that LEGO has done, though. First of all, it's "fantasy" violence, so that already puts it in line with what LEGO can do without violating policy. Second, as you've shown, they've not just done sets of scenes where many people died, but some things that are relatively gruesome, as well. Two that come to mind are the Indiana Jones flying wing set, and what happens to the mechanic; that pales in comparison to (although no one dies), the Darth Vader transformation set. It's simply not a valid argument when it comes to LOTR. As has been pointed out, too, while we "romanticize" pirates, they were actually pretty terrible people... at least as bad as the fictional orcs in LOTR.
TheLegoDr Posted December 14, 2011 Posted December 14, 2011 I never understood the reasoning that something is "too violent" for LEGO to make a series of when they have brutal themes like PIRATES and WESTERN and SPACE themes with intergalactic wars where the goal is pretty much genocide of the enemy by means of horrific weaponry. Hell, those of you who live in a big CITY know exactly how much violence is happening at all times all around you. Who's in charge of drawing the arbitrary line? What's the official company statement about it. Not in the Lego world. There are more than enough police to handle all of the violence
lightningtiger Posted December 14, 2011 Posted December 14, 2011 Lego seem to make two kinds of violent sets.....comical (packed with humour - Ninjago, Agents, Power Miners) - similar levels to a cartoon from either Nick or Cartoon Network. The other is licensed, based usually on a film, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter....so why not LOTR.....POTC has done well....at least with the QAR and BP sets.....they sell very well indeed. Seven sets sound right for a first release.....look at how many started the Toy Story collection off and then was added to. Let's play the waiting game.....funny side note - no new catalogue in my son's Lego Club Christmas pack for the first time.....a reason maybe ?
Henchmen4Hire Posted December 14, 2011 Posted December 14, 2011 (edited) The "fantasy violence" argument doesn't make any sense either, especially when it comes to LOTR or anything involving war. It's dudes hacking each other's limbs off, that's pretty violent. Shooting down UFOs, cutting people in half with lightsabers, raiding castles, the characters in those themes and series aren't hitting each other with fluffy-bunnies. They're people trying to kill each other, the tools used to participate in the acts don't make them any less horrific. Maybe I'm not understanding the definition they're using for "fantasy"? Again, none of this bothers me, I just think it's odd how people justify the sale of one kind of violence but not another when they're extremely similar. And haha, so true, LEGO crooks never get away with anything, those city cops are everywhere! Edited December 14, 2011 by DrNightmare
Derfel Cadarn Posted December 14, 2011 Posted December 14, 2011 Call Of Duty is a cash cow, why hasn't Lego released a line based on that? Because its too violent? But then again someone mentioned that star wars is very violent? Yes very Violent! It still gives me the creeps now, I still can't watch it on my own, that little robot guy just freaks me out and don't get me started on that giant slug. Should be an 18 rating!!! Obviously not! The difference is that you really don't see much overly violent stuff in StarWars. Yes, a whole planet is destroyed, but you don't see people getting blown into little bits when it happens. Still, maybe there's hope for a 'Jack The Ripper' theme then !
Omicron Posted December 14, 2011 Posted December 14, 2011 (edited) Call Of Duty is a cash cow, why hasn't Lego released a line based on that? Because its too violent? Because it is military. And because it is a video game. -Omi Edited December 14, 2011 by Omicron
Henchmen4Hire Posted December 14, 2011 Posted December 14, 2011 (edited) Warning!, obvious response ahead: The current Alien theme is military/paramilitary, so why did that still get made? Because humans are killing non-humans so that makes it okay? I don't see the train of logic in why some themes are made and some are considered inappropriate, they seem like arbitrary decisions. Derfel - I guess whoever approved Star Wars LEGO to be made is just desensitized to the point that knowing so many innocent people died doesn't even phase them, it's just another pretty fantasy explosion. It's all about the PEW! PEW! and all that Edited December 14, 2011 by DrNightmare
Aanchir Posted December 14, 2011 Posted December 14, 2011 Warning!, obvious response ahead: The current Alien theme is military/paramilitary, so why did that still get made? Because humans are killing non-humans so that makes it okay? I don't see the train of logic in why some themes are made and some are considered inappropriate, they seem like arbitrary decisions. Derfel - I guess whoever approved Star Wars LEGO to be made is just desensitized to the point that knowing so many innocent people died doesn't even phase them, it's just another pretty fantasy explosion. It's all about the PEW! PEW! and all that The point is that realistic modern combat is against TLG's policy because a lot of people have really negative feelings associated with it. For instance, many people have lost family members in wars. Nobody's lost family members fighting in a paramilitary force against an alien invasion. That's the factor that is most integral to TLG's violence policy. There's further detail in the Progress Report on page 26. Besides, even if TLG were choosing to be inconsistent with their policy, that's their prerogative. But the policy is in fact there-- it's not just some relic of a bygone era that people are remembering, or just an arbitrary pattern that AFOLs observed and decided to give a name to. In fact, the violence policy is arguably stronger as of 2010 since it is now a codified policy rather than simply an unwritten rule. In any event, TLG's violence policy has absolutely no bearing on whether a LotR theme is possible. They might choose not to do a theme based on violence in the films, and if so, again, that's their prerogative. There's nothing forcing them to be consistent, especially since the appropriateness of violence in movies is such a subjective matter to begin with. Some people think laser fire that causes no visible injury is non-violent, while others feel any firearm is inappropriate for a family film. And in the end the impact of what TLG's potential customers feel, however inconsistent that might be, can be as big an influence on their decisions as any written policy.
The Legonater Posted December 15, 2011 Posted December 15, 2011 I don't see why everyone is against the flesh tones. What's wrong with them?
SoupOrFishOil Posted December 15, 2011 Posted December 15, 2011 As much as I hate to say it Can we please get back on topic about discussing a possible LotR theme and not why LEGO won't produce military sets? (I'm not pointing any fingers)
Henchmen4Hire Posted December 15, 2011 Posted December 15, 2011 I don't see why everyone is against the flesh tones. What's wrong with them? There's nothing wrong with them. Some people like Skittles. Some people only like the yellow Skittles. It's their choice and that's fine, that leaves more variety for everyone else who does like the full spectrum of colors. :)
Aanchir Posted December 15, 2011 Posted December 15, 2011 I don't see why everyone is against the flesh tones. What's wrong with them? Many people just have a larger collection of yellow minifigure heads and prefer to use only them, either for consistency, for tradition, or just out of preference.
fred67 Posted December 15, 2011 Posted December 15, 2011 I don't see why everyone is against the flesh tones. What's wrong with them? Nothing except that they don't fit with all the yellow figures we already have. It would look awkward to combine, for example, new LOTR sets with the previous fantasy (or any non-licensed castle) theme... at least the minifigures.
Laura Beinbrech Posted December 15, 2011 Posted December 15, 2011 Nothing except that they don't fit with all the yellow figures we already have. It would look awkward to combine, for example, new LOTR sets with the previous fantasy (or any non-licensed castle) theme... at least the minifigures. I mix fleshy and standard minifigs all the time, and have no sense of "awkwardness"... Oh, and my girlfriend told me that if this theme is, in fact, for real, she wants at least one each of every hobbit and Gandalf and probably Legolas (or should I say LEGOlas ). Regardless of if they use fleshies or not, I'm buying enough sets to get all the main characters... it would be nice to have official versions for once (I already have a Gandalf custom fig that I made using Majisto's beard back in 1993, as well as Legolas, Galadriel, etc).
horizon Posted December 15, 2011 Posted December 15, 2011 @ Derfel, the age restriction for all three LotR movies is 12+, the age restriction for 5 out of 6 Star Wars movies is 12+ (only Attack of the Clones is 6+ for an odd reason).
Brickity Posted December 15, 2011 Posted December 15, 2011 I don't see why everyone is against the flesh tones. What's wrong with them? Well I mix both yellow and fleshies together (even though I can't match their torsos and heads..) I'm honestly getting fond of fleshies, it's a nice color. I only wish all the lego minifigs could be either flesh OR yellow (including the other racial tones in both) They don't look nice together :/ Anyway, if LOTR is on TLG's mind then we will probably get awesome new pieces and super detailed figures BUT, I hope these get released around November, cause my purse is going to hurt so much without this line anyway! :S
Elander Posted December 15, 2011 Posted December 15, 2011 Seven sets due out in September. If I say more my source will kill me. Are these sets based of LotR or the Hobbit?
AllanSmith Posted December 15, 2011 Posted December 15, 2011 Are these sets based of LotR or the Hobbit? LotR
Elander Posted December 15, 2011 Posted December 15, 2011 LotR YUHUUUUUU!!! I don't know why, but I believe you!
Blondie-Wan Posted December 15, 2011 Posted December 15, 2011 Warning!, obvious response ahead: The current Alien theme is military/paramilitary, so why did that still get made? Because humans are killing non-humans so that makes it okay? No, because non-humans are killing (/abducting & harming) humans, and the humans are simply fighting back, so that (along with what Aanchir said) makes it okay. Of course, it takes on a different cast in light of the fact that so many LEGO themes involve humans in physical conflict with non-humans, but that's another matter...
lightningtiger Posted December 15, 2011 Posted December 15, 2011 LotR Why wouldn't they start with the older movies first.....it works for Star Wars, Harry Potter, POTC, Indiana Jones, and even SpongeBob SquarePants.
Ultron Posted December 15, 2011 Posted December 15, 2011 Call Of Duty is a cash cow, why hasn't Lego released a line based on that? Because its too violent? Because Call Of Duty is rated M and most kids don't know what it is and if lego had sets from it, kids would be interested in what it is, and want to play it and there would probably be many angry parents. It's just not appropriate for the little ones.
Derfel Cadarn Posted December 15, 2011 Posted December 15, 2011 Are these sets based of LotR or the Hobbit? Hobbit would seem obvious. It's all about cashing in. Well, like I was saying, I do understand that modern military would put out the wrong message to kids. Let's hope then, that the world doesn't get attacked by the other races out in space, otherwise starwars and space themes would be deemed wrong and unsuitable! The fact that there is this huge thread about LOTR just goes to show it's another contender for the Worst Kept Secret Award. I wonder if we will ever get a theme that hits us totally by surprise, that would be great. Has there been official conformation of this theme in the last few days or something? As my flickr mail is flooded with message from every average joe there is, saying 'hey derfel, did you know.....' Leave me alone, I don't care!
Ardelon Posted December 15, 2011 Posted December 15, 2011 Hobbit would seem obvious. It's all about cashing in. If LotR/Hobbit is true, and sets will come out in september as AllanSmith says, I think LotR would be more likely, as the movie will only come out in december. While the sets would probably be instantly recongnizable to anyone who read The Hobbit, it makes more sense to release the Hobbit sets after the movie comes out, so people can relate the sets to the movie scenes. It also has a precedent in SW, HP and Indy, where older sets were releaed first. (Though I cant remember whether the set pics of PotC 4 came out before the movie, or simpy before I myself saw the movie). Well, like I was saying, I do understand that modern military would put out the wrong message to kids. Let's hope then, that the world doesn't get attacked by the other races out in space, otherwise starwars and space themes would be deemed wrong and unsuitable! If the world does get attacked by aliens, then one taboo (humans vs humans) would simply be replaced by another (humans vs aliens). LEGO might then stop making space conflict themes, but the human survivors might finally get a military theme . Every cloud has a silver lining! Has there been official conformation of this theme in the last few days or something? Not that I know of, but the claims of LotR are getting thicker...
Fallenangel Posted December 15, 2011 Posted December 15, 2011 Because Call Of Duty is rated M and most kids don't know what it is and if lego had sets from it, kids would be interested in what it is, and want to play it and there would probably be many angry parents. It's just not appropriate for the little ones. *Notes all the kids on Xbox Live* *Laughs* What do people think 'appropriate' even is, anyway?
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