TolkienMovies.com
July 9, 2001

Glorfindel, Arwen, and Bombadil
Pam

I kept looking in the cast list for Glorfindel's character and hoping that they would not try to substitute Legolas for him, as they did in at least one of the animated versions of the trilogy. This is just plain wrong! Glorfindel's a High Elf and Legolas is a Wood Elf. Not the same! Doesn't work! I understand from reading some of the other essays that they have, instead, creatively substituted the character of Arwen Evenstar for Glorfindel. I can't say I have a problem with the premise, as the movie version would necessarily lack time for a lot of character definition. There are a heck of a lot of characters to be fleshed out in t his story already! Glorfindel has a brief and somewhat symbolic role in the trilogy, and Arwen just didn't get adequate time, in my humble opinion. She's Aragorn's true love, and I really didn't feel I ever got to know her, reading the books several times through. We got to know much more of Galadriel and Eowyn in the book. Arwen was just sort of a pure archetype.