What character DID PJ do right, in your eyes?

[Dáin Ironfoot I]

Now Madame Maggott and Thorin, I am sure PJ did not do EVERYTHING horribly wrong. Granted, he did do a lot lot lot lot wrong, but; what character did he leave unscathed- true to Tolkien's works? I am sure with every character there has been dialogue changes, and added lines, so of course they cant be the exact same as Tolkien's. But I'm talking about character here, the traits of the charater and the characteristics that define him/her. As a rule, I will leave out such obvious blunders (Aragorn, Arwen, Gimli, and Pippin).

So this is a two question poll, and Im interested in seeing what everyone has to say. 1st- vote which character, 2nd- tell why you think he/she was true to Tolkien.

My vote goes to Gandalf. Sir Ian McKellan really brings Tolkien's Gandalf to life, I think. In FOTR he is old and weary, but still firey and passionate about his mission. He is warm and cheerful at times, and dark and brooding at others. In TTT, with the rebirth of Gandalf to White status, he is just like Tolkien's Gandalf the White: noble, wiser, more sage-like and warrioresque than the Grey. He conveys a higher power, it radiates not only from his dazzling white robes, but his personality. His words and speech are nobler and wiser.

In my eyes, PJ kept Gandalf true to the books.

 

[Sephiroth]

definitely Gandalf, i don't think even PJ dared to change Gandalf

i also loved Grima Wormtongue

Boromir was excellent imo even if he isn't the same as his book-counterpart

 

[simbelmyne]

There were several characters I thought were given MORE depth in FOTR...Boromir being the best, also the crusty Bilbo. Merry and Pippin were pretty much how I imagined them. Gandalf and Saruman both portrayed masterfully in the first movie but not the second...In TTT, hands down Grima Wormtongue!!!

More Grima! Less Strider!

 

[spelling master]

jackson got "MiddleEarth" correct!

the frogs would have said "la terra d'meilleur" !

phhsst heh

 

[Aulë]

This would have been better off with a multi-answer poll...

Gandalf, Boromir, Saruman, Grima, Bilbo, Merry, Pippin, Eowyn, Sam, Aragorn and Gollum were all done very well by PJ and his associates.

 

[Dáin Ironfoot I]

Yea if a mod could change that poll option that would be great.

 

[Kahmûl]

I think he done Sam well.

 

[Thorin]

Originally posted by Aulë
This would have been better off with a multi-answer poll...

Gandalf, Boromir, Saruman, Grima, Bilbo, Merry, Pippin, Eowyn, Sam, Aragorn and Gollum were all done very well by PJ and his associates.

Saruman, Aragorn and Pippin? Were we watching the same movie?
Christopher Lee got Saruman right on for looks and personality. PJ did not. His dialogue and script nearly ruined the Saruman of the books. Aragorn? Oi! Dont' get me started (or Mrs. Maggot for that matter).
Pippin was made to be ludicrous buffoon instead of the impulsive, curious and sometimes bungling hobbit of Tolkien.

Boromir was done excellent but I would attribute that to Sean Bean's acting because there wasn't too much from the book for PJ to screw up on. Which goes to show that had he let Tolkien and the actors do the characters instead of himself creating his own dialogue and character traits, we would have had a better movie.

Legolas and Eowyn were pretty good as well, but Eowyn remains to be seen. I'm neutral about Wormtongue. Brad Dourif did well with what he got, but like Eowyn, his character remains to be seen.

Gandalf despite the sputtering old man bumping his head and screaming at the Balrog, was done fairly well. Despite PJ's bungling of the character, Ian McKellan should be given credit for pulling it off.

 

[Dáin Ironfoot I]

I agree with what you say about Éowyn, Thorin. Her character is not really shown in TTT, besides her great pride and warrior spirit, and admiration for Aragorn. PJ did do that well, he even added in an entire fake death scene just to show that reaction! What a hero!

Anyways, I pulled this off the lordoftherings.net, and for some reason it scares me. It was an interview with Viggo Mortenson, and this was the question asked.

What's the most pleasant surprise for you in the final film?
It has to be Eowyn and Miranda Otto's commitment to her. When I saw that they were paying attention to her warrior side in the third movie I was really pleased. Because the people of Rohan have had to count on women to defend their country for a long time, and I thought it was important to see that. And Miranda has done a great job. She's been amazing, and I think people will be impressed by that.

Just how far will PJ go with her warrior side? I would hate to see a bloodlusty Eowyn, that would be very detrimental to the stubborn and proud woman recognized as the chief heroine of Tolkiens works.

 

[Aulë]

Originally posted by Thorin
Saruman, Aragorn and Pippin? Were we watching the same movie?

Yes, we were. But I don't nitpick as much as you do.

 

[laurelindorenan]

Personally, I think that PJ got Gandalf OK. Sam was all right, but Pippin and Merry were just joking around all the time, you know? I would have thought they were a bit more intelligent than that. Wormtongue was cool.
I dont think we got enough history about Aragorn to understand his character well enough, and of course the whole Oh-I-fell-off-a-cliff-now-I'm-dreaming-of-my-elven-love thing didn't improve matters.
Legolas The Amazing Skater-Elf did not do justice for book-Legolas to me. Too much Hollywood, man.
Eowyn was good. She was tough, but not too tough. Isn't it good to see that in at least one film, a woman can defend herself? Good for her, I say.
Sam, Gollum and Boromir were good. Faramir was bungled. Too like his brother.
Christopher lee was amazing as Saruman. Didn't think much of the script though.
King Theoden was just arrogant enough.
Orcs were good too.

Okay, I'm done.

 

[joxy]

Originally posted by Aulë
....I don't nitpick as much as you do....

It's a disagreeable expression you use, but if we have to talk about nits, please tell me what size the insects are that represent PJ's idea of Merry and Pippin.
There are two characters of the same names in FOTR, but that's as far as any resemblance goes, and they're too big to need a fine-tooth comb to remove them - a baseball bat would do the trick.

 

[Aulë]

Well let us just hope that we see the differences occur when they are seperated in the third movie.

 

[simbelmyne]

Originally posted by joxy
please tell me what size the insects are that represent PJ's idea of Merry and Pippin.

Lol PJ's M and P have a happy go lucky mindset, but they also have a few serious moments. They seem, IMO, likable enough compared with the identity theft of some other personalities....I wonder who voted for Sam in this poll?

 

[Mrs. Maggott]

Actually, the poll should have permitted us to pick a few characters, not just one. I would have chosen Gandalf first, but also as first rate, Bilbo, Galadriel, Legolas and Gimili at least in the first film (although he was involved in some "comic" nonsense there as well).

Slightly too sympathetic but still well done were Boromir and to a certain extent, Gollum (although the "banishment" of the "evil" Gollum by the "good" Smeagol was pure Jacksonian nonsense!). Sam was fairly well done; Frodo was fine as a character, but far too weak. His wound at Weathertop was so disabling that he was almost dead as soon as he received it! By this time in the films, he goes belly up at every encounter with a servant of Sauron which is patently ridiculous and greatly strains the credulity of his being equal to the task of carrying the Ring to the Fire.

Saruman is all right, but far too one dimensional. Still given a pass/fail mark, I would say that Jackson passed on this one.

So you see, I am not all that negative on the films at least in each and every aspect.

 

[Ancalagon]

Has to be Grima Wormtongue for me, there was something utterly oily and serpentine about him!

 

[Arvedui]

Boromir.

I think this was the best portrayed character of all, but as Thorin said, that was probably more because of Sean Bean then PJ.

If I should pick one that PJ was more responsible for, it would have to be Bilbo (or the Stone-trolls )

 

[FIRELILY]

Gandalf, of course, Boromir (yum) and Eowyn. And don't forget the Sackville-Bagginses! AND, despite the slips o' the accent, I thought Sam was true to character.
Except for Galadriel, the elves were a bust IMO. Gimli ruled, as did Eomer. I thought Christopher Lee eluded too much of an evil aura, like Gandalf wouldn't have suspected anything was up with him???!!!

 

[joxy]

Originally posted by simbelmyne
PJ's M and P have a happy go lucky mindset, but they also have a few serious moments. They seem, IMO, likable enough compared with the identity theft of some other personalities....I wonder who voted for Sam in this poll?

Originally posted by aule
Well let us just hope that we see the differences occur when they are seperated in the third movie.

I don't recall many serious moments from FOTR: "Bucklebury Ferry!" perhaps....
I've admitted before, though, that the very end of their part in FOTR does redeem them: their looks, at the death of Boromir, and as they are carried away by the orcs, are very impressive.
This promise is carried out in TTT, where they are probably among the best characterisations, and there are hopes, from the ROTK previews, that we shall again see better things from them, as they are separated in ROTK. PJ's concentration on Pippin being mistaken for the ring-bearer looks a bit excessive though....
As for Sam, he is one of the best actors, and when he is allowed to speak Tolkien's words he does a great job. Even there though, his speech trainer fails from time to time, and when he has PJ's words to speak, even he can't make anything more than mushy sentiment out of them.

 

[Quercus]

First, let me say that I think all of the characters are being played by excellent, talented actors.

GANDALF - Was pretty much right on. He’s the one I voted for.
EOMER - I liked looking at him, but there wasn’t enough of him to judge.
EOWYN - She’s not quite how I always imagined her, but I wouldn‘t say that .PJ misrepresented her.
LEGOLAS - All right, but a little too cool.
GOLLUM - A really nice job with the CG, but the character was a little too sweet and innocent. The real Gollum had intended to betray Frodo and Sam to Shelob from the very beginning.
SAM - Wrong! I’ve always thought that Sam was the one character who changed the most over the course of the story, but in the movie, there is no transition period. He goes straight from naive and frightened to bold, brave, and in charge. He also looked wrong. I always pictured Sam (according to the few descriptions in the book) as dark-skinned, brown-eyed, and shorter and stockier than the other Hobbits. Certainly not blond!
BILBO - Pretty close! Great acting, but a little older looking than I expected.
BOROMIR - I never liked the Boromir in the book, but couldn’t help but like this guy. I’m not sure if that’s good.
GALADRIEL - Fanrtastic! I thought she was spell-binding.
SARUMAN - I never thought much about how Saruman looked, but I thought that he certainly fit the bill.

As for the others……
MERRY & PIPPEN - A little too silly perhaps, but what bothered me more was the failure to justify their impulsive decision to join in the adventure.
GIMLI - In general, I like the way this character is portrayed.
THEODEN - Excellent!
FARAMIR - Both of Denethor’s sons were diluted in this movie. There is very little difference between them. I liked the contrast better.
ARAGORN - Not big and bold enough. I always pictured Aragorn as a huge, confident (and slightly older) man.
FRODO - PJ’s portrayal of this character is so pitiful that it makes me sick to think about it.