[HCIsland]

I'm not trying to change people's minds about what they like and don't like. I'm just trying to get into PJ and companies heads as to why the change. Although I liked the dropping of the sword at Amon Hen, I've mentioned that I would like to have seen a more aggressive Frodo as well. My wife and I joke that the only place we see Sting being used is in a little defensive chop when the Cave Troll grabs Frodo.<P>I think what also might be happening here is an introduction of more of a late twentieth century idea of warfare in cinima. In a film like this (or any war film) the film maker needs to be careful that the battles aren't too glorified and romantic. You don't want it to get too escapist. You want to keep an edge of realism that war is terrible. If you don't do this, most of the audience becomes detached and the film becomes eye candy.<P>One way to do this is to make the battle truly horrific and another is to show the main characters in the battle showing fear, doubt or sadness. Physical pain isn't good enough, as that is just John Wayne gritting his teeth and blasting ahead. A film that almost everyone has likely scene that does this very effectively is Saving Private Ryan which, after the opening sequence, makes the audience feel like they've just been through a war.<P>In most of his battle scenes, PJ does this very well, though he is limited with how horrific he can make it knowing that kids will be seeing the film. I think he pushes the gruesome envelope about as far as he is aloud to go (I would love to see some of his very early films - Bad Taste and Dead & Alive - apparently he and Weta are very well know for dishing out the gore, but I digress). So he shows his characters in fear and dismay in all of his battle scenes (even the prologue). Even in Helm's Deep he did this. Legolas' dispair before the battle, close ups of young soldiers in oversized helmets (I loved the scene between Aragorn and the kid and his sword), Haldir's death and even the breeching of the Deeping Well wall. All these moments are designed to draw the audience in and elevate the film about just another fantasy-adventure. What he doesn't want is the audience members fantasizing about how great it would be to be one of these characters (although that's likely to happen with some folks anyway). He's trying to make it less fantasy and more real.<P>I'm not asking you to agree with everytime he does this, but at least see why he is portraying Frodo the way he is.<P>By the way, I think every non-book reader will be shocked at the Cracks-of-Doom. His portrayal of Frodo and expectations of steriotypical story telling will just increase the shock because this is supposed to be the part where the little Hobbit balls up his courage and shows us what he's made of. Audiences expect twists at the end and if he showed us nothing but brave Frodo, then it would make the ending more obvious, not less.<P>H.C.