Disagreement with Neal C.
Chad G.

Just as I thought, the D&D phenomenon may prove the worst enemy of what Jackson is doing with the films. Trust me: Tolkien's vision of Orcs was certainly very different to the hulks D&D has turned them into.

1. You say that they look like Dark Elves. Well, if you read up on your Middle Earth history, you'll learn that that's pretty much what they are.

2. Looking at Tolkien's descriptions of the different breeds of Orcs, the Uruk-hai are the big brute-like beasts, while the Orcs or Mordor are slimmer and more evil-looking. Perhaps the Orcs we've seen are the Orcs of Sauron?

3. Remember that LOTR is a series of books. The mental images created will be different for different readers. We have no right to judge the images Jackson has created if they simply differ from our own.