Quote:
Originally Posted by obloquy
What does this have to do with Gandalf's nature as a Maia?
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Nothing. But if Gandalf is not a Maia in the film, he's certainly an Aztec as far as semi-divine manifestations go
. Although the words 'Maia'/ 'Maiar' /'Maiaric are not used in the movies, after Gandalf's go with the Balrog and his sudden transformation in 'The White' there is the distinct impression that he is immortal and exponentially more powerful (the movie data is in my previous post); in contrast, there really is no comparative explanation that I can remember regarding the WiKi's sudden transformation to all-powerful demi-god invested with all the powers of Sauron in the movie.
Jackson's use of the famous WiKi line "No man can kill me" would no longer apply to resurrected Gandalf, who is no longer mortal nor a man in the strictest sense, anymore than Jesus Christ would be considered mortal man after his resurrection.
Jackson's script directly refers to other powers reviving Gandalf and thus an achievement of immortality:
"....Until at last, I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountainside. Darkness took me. And I strayed out of thought and time. Stars wheeled overhead and each day was as long as a life age of the earth. But it was not the end. I felt life in me again. I've been sent back until my task is done. "
The emphasized line "I've been sent back until my task is done" is a direct reference to heavenly intervention (and Gandalf taking Frodo on the last ship merely bolsters the inference of immortality). Therefore, your insinuation that "[Gandalf is]
just a cranky old wizard who is sometimes impressive, but clearly not up to dealing with the WK..." is not the perception Jackson portrays after Gandalf's defeat of the Balrog.
Again, the scripting is uneven and relies on gimmickery and visual appeal over substance and continuity. It's much like how PJ dragged Faramir through the dirt for several agonizing sequences before finally showing the character's nobility. The utterly absurd segment where Frodo shows a flying Nazgul the Ring and Faramir finally decides to set the hobbits free is part and parcel of PJ's inconsistency as he bounces from stunning visual vignettes and rebounds to attempt to tell the story.
In fact, I think the scene where Frodo shows the Nazgul the Ring in Osgiliath is even more disconcerting than the WiKi breaking Gandalf's staff. Logic would dictate that the Nazgul, upon seeing a hobbit with the Ring, would not simply fly away, but would call his cohorts and all the collected armies of Mordor to that one point. Frodo would not have even made it into Mordor if logic, even inconsistent movie pretzel logic, prevailed.
Bah, I've drank too much coffee.