Does anyone else hate the Rohanites? Or am I just a horrible person?

[BGreg]

With the Rohan scenes PJ is doing something Tolkien never, ever gives us: a view of how war affects civilians, decimates populations, destroys social organisation, is no respector of age or gender. Of course, this modern perspective on the terrible consequences of war was not a main aspect (if it featured at all) in the traditional epics so beloved of Tolkien. Is this part of PJ's efforts to "modernise" Middle-earth for a new age, much as he attempted to give us warrior Arwen and funny sidekick Gimli?

I would have to agree with you on that one. PJ uses some features here that are usual in many modern movies, like showing how real people suffer. But it just doesn't feel right when done in an epic story like this. Tolkien's intention was to show brave and strong people, not pathetic people like those portrayed by PJ.