Not having read the books, I can't comment on the transition to screen as so many others have. However, I can comment on what I saw and contrast it with what others have written.
Yes, so much of what was in the film has been done before. In fact, most adventure stories are simply repetitions of previous stories. I haven't read Joseph Campbell, but what I've heard about his works indicates that there are common themes in all hero stories, many of which recur in most fantasy and science-fiction. The film's interpretation of these themes may have been more clichéd than most, but the story was nevertheless interesting.
I am intrigued by the comments regarding the two schools in the film. Although in the film, Roke was coed and the other all-female, apparently, in the book Roke was all-male. Additionally, wizards are apparently supposed to remain celibate, continuing the typical holy-man construct that we often see in these types of stories. I've heard that Star Wars' interpretation is not in keeping with the way the concept of Jedi was developed in the original films or in the books; however, that "a Jedi shall not know ... love" fits exactly with Le Guinian wizards. Regardless of how it fits with the books, it's interesting that, at the coed school, students go out drinking and go on dates, or at least flirt, while, at the women's school, they're essentially cloistered. Not only do they act like nuns, but they dress like them. This seems to me to be a not unusual dichotomy: men are allowed any fun they want, whether through alcohol, sex, sports, etc., while women must be content with their art or devotions, which are often presented as being the only things they're interested in, unless having babies is included, which then precludes the others. So, regardless of how the books presented the relationship between the chief male and female characters, the film essentially turns it into a forbidden relationship which enhances their desire for each other. It's interesting how popular that is, even now, when very few barriers, at least in the United States, exist between potential lovers. Perhaps that's why, but it may just be that we need two lovers to have some social tension between them. Additionally, the barriers that do exist may be so subtle that the older barriers work better in a story. Although only one school broke away from the typical religious themes, if only to some extent, it is nice to see that in the film, even if it contradicts the books. Perhaps there will eventually be more adult-oriented fantasy in which wizards or masters are not required to be ascetic.
Yes, so much of what was in the film has been done before. In fact, most adventure stories are simply repetitions of previous stories. I haven't read Joseph Campbell, but what I've heard about his works indicates that there are common themes in all hero stories, many of which recur in most fantasy and science-fiction. The film's interpretation of these themes may have been more clichéd than most, but the story was nevertheless interesting.
I am intrigued by the comments regarding the two schools in the film. Although in the film, Roke was coed and the other all-female, apparently, in the book Roke was all-male. Additionally, wizards are apparently supposed to remain celibate, continuing the typical holy-man construct that we often see in these types of stories. I've heard that Star Wars' interpretation is not in keeping with the way the concept of Jedi was developed in the original films or in the books; however, that "a Jedi shall not know ... love" fits exactly with Le Guinian wizards. Regardless of how it fits with the books, it's interesting that, at the coed school, students go out drinking and go on dates, or at least flirt, while, at the women's school, they're essentially cloistered. Not only do they act like nuns, but they dress like them. This seems to me to be a not unusual dichotomy: men are allowed any fun they want, whether through alcohol, sex, sports, etc., while women must be content with their art or devotions, which are often presented as being the only things they're interested in, unless having babies is included, which then precludes the others. So, regardless of how the books presented the relationship between the chief male and female characters, the film essentially turns it into a forbidden relationship which enhances their desire for each other. It's interesting how popular that is, even now, when very few barriers, at least in the United States, exist between potential lovers. Perhaps that's why, but it may just be that we need two lovers to have some social tension between them. Additionally, the barriers that do exist may be so subtle that the older barriers work better in a story. Although only one school broke away from the typical religious themes, if only to some extent, it is nice to see that in the film, even if it contradicts the books. Perhaps there will eventually be more adult-oriented fantasy in which wizards or masters are not required to be ascetic.
