Originally Posted by
Freya
I actually like it. In near every story fantasy or not, the MCs can make stupid decisions and never see repercussion. Those hobbits aren't all going to die, Sauron will be defeated!
War is messy. In war, people die. In life, people die. Some don't make it out alive to live to that promised old age. That's the human element. The good guys don't always win in life. That's what I like about GRRM's books. Evil Santa shows you that gifts are just that, a gift, a gift of life. If you say or do something wrong it WILL affect you. The story WILL be affected. Sure Robb marrying for luv luv was noble but it was ultimately a stupid decision. And he paid for it.
The human element, the realistic element is that bad stuff can and does happen. People die. You may get attached to these characters but there is a reason for it. They are people, believable people at that. You should hate that they die. You should feel emotion over it. Because that's how life is. Life is hard. Representing that in a book or movie is hard. The fact that it's been accomplished is a feat of itself. You become invested in the story more. You want those damn lannisters killed for it!