Thorongil was getting lots of good press from his various successes against the bad guys--he made it a point to be proactive in fighting back the forces of evil instead of letting them make encroachments unchallenged as was SOP in Gondor before he showed up. Gandalf was encouraging this sort of behavior and promoting Thorongil to Ecthelion (Denethor's dad), which not only got Denethor's back up re: Thorongil, but also predisposed him to not liking Gandalf. This added to his being ticked off with Faramir in later years because Faramir got along with the wizard.

Our Outdoor Movie in May is going to be the Return of the King, which I pushed hard for.

This added to his being ticked off with Faramir in later years because Faramir got along with the wizard.

Showing Denethor's rationality from the start...ah, family dischord.

Peter Jackson has sold out!!

BTW, don't forget what date it is in New Zealand.

I already bought a soundtrack boxed set.

Do you think that the boxed set they're talking about is an EE boxed set? Or the "special edition" boxed set? Or something like that?

Not to be bringin' up old stuff, but discussing Thorongil just made me cranky about wussy-pants Movie!Aragorn again. If they'd just left out Elrond's line "He turned from that path long ago." Grr! Aragorn went to Gondor, served in their military, in large part on the advice of Elrond (and Gandalf) that it would help prepare him for the day he claimed his destiny.

Better now.

I dreamt last night that I was watching the ROTK EE. Eddie Lizard was in it.

But if he has decided where he's going before the movie even starts, where's the choice for him? Where's the struggle? No choice=nothing at stake for the guy and no unanswered questions for the audence, which makes for a stately epic where events change but people don't, rather than the intensely personal story Jackson was trying to tell.

I'm with Scrappy on this. Aragorn in the novel was a cypher, and ceased to be actually interesting round about the middle of The Two Towers. Aragorn in the movie is far more conflicted, and makes me care about him (Viggo's hotness aside) because of the humanity and indecision he shows.

Eddie Lizard was in it.

Eddie Izzard?

because of the humanity and indecision he shows.

And the sheer reluctance. I think what makes movie!Aragorn for me is in TTT, first where he and Legolas are arguing in the arms room about the fate of the Rohirrim, and second where he picks up where Theoden loses hope and demands that they not give up, even in the face of insurmountable odds. To me, that is kingly. That is Aragorn accepting a fate he did not want. And I can see the echoes of book!Aragorn in movie!Aragorn, only with more hotness.

Aragorn in the novel was a cypher, and ceased to be actually interesting round about the middle of The Two Towers.

I think this is why I was so desperately in love with book-Eomer when I first read TTT. Aragorn had gotten boring, but we're introduced to this ferocious fighter who's funny, develops a great relationship with Gimli, and is very protective of his sister. I'm so looking forward to more Eomer scenes in RotKEE.

LOTR project casting call