June 17, 2003

Cast Changes?
Niphredil

In response to G: I have to say that most of the cast members have grown on me over time except for Elrond. I’m afraid Hugo Weaving just doesn’t do him justice in my opinion and that he would probably be the only part that I would call a mistake in casting. Which brings me to another gripe about all of the elves in general. The ‘joy of life’ or whatever you want to call it seems to be missing from them. Pippin’s impression of Rivendell in the book is that, “it seems impossible, somehow, to feel gloomy or depressed in this place. I feel I could sing if I knew the right song for the occasion”. This aspect of Rivendell and the elves does not come across in the movies, or at least it doesn’t for me. It’s even worse in Lothlorien.

Ian McKellen is a little too ‘soft’ as Gandalf the Grey for my liking. What’s that saying “do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger”. That’s not the impression he gives, he’s a bit too much of a teddy bear in FOTR. That underlying power that you feel in the books is not there in the film, but I still can’t imagine anyone else playing Gandalf.

I think the problem with Merry in the films is that he is a bit too much like Pippin. In fact, I have friends who have never read the books but have seen the movies who continually confuse the two characters. They can’t see any difference in them. In the books they are quite different.

I’d also have to agree that Theoden was a bit on the young side, but I can live with that. Elrond is really the only character that I think might have been better played by someone else.