Reverse Gripes

Originally Posted by Azaelia of Willowbottom

I agree with others that, in FOTR, at least, Boromir was a major improvement. Reading the books, I just didn't feel much sympathy for him. To my thirteen-year-old mind, he was evil because he tried to take the ring from Frodo. Obviously, I dismissed him way too easily. It was evident in the movie that he wasn't corrupt himself, but had been controlled by the Ring...and then turned around and became the hero. The film really helped me to see him for who he was: just a guy trying to do the right thing. The time spent on developing his character in the movie, while not much more happened than in the book, really brought him into focus for me...

I was under the impression that Tolkien didn't think of Boromir as a 'heroic' figure, hence the evil attached to him in the books. It wasn't underdevelopment, it was intentional.