#aragorn as our heroic lead REALLY stands out

[hacash]

Every so often I think of how the LOTR movies managed to cast a guy as Aragorn who is simultaneously yes, very masculine, very action-hero-y, and also someone who as a woman I would one hundred percent feel safe being alone with in any situation. Not one cynical, alpha male, smirky, appeal-to-the-jerkbros-in-the-audience fibre in his body. Just thinking about Viggo Mortensen’s Aragorn makes me feel a little calmer. Absolutely outstanding.

[copperhawks]

Dee’s asleep and not checking this blog much anymore so Imma write another essay cuz I wanna and I’m so excited for the next chapter of The Lost Mage, maybe she’ll backread through this during the next hiatus lol.

Anyway. To no one’s surprise, I also absolutely adore The Lord of the Rings series. I’m sure a lot of Pierce fans are probably simultaneously Lord of the Rings fans, they’re similar genres after all.

My favorite character was always Faramir. In both books and movies, Faramir was my boy. I didn’t care about Legolas much, the pretty boy of so many a young girl’s eye, or Aragorn, the gritty honorable hero who also caught many a young girl’s eye.

In the books, Faramir is flawless, practically. He is another Aragorn, in many ways, though perhaps just SLIGHTLY more scholarly. Both of them don’t want to really fight or lead but take on these roles because it is necessary and it’s what’s best for their people. They both are very grounded in terms of who they are, neither of them thinks themselves above anyone else, they don’t really seek power ever. This is why neither Aragorn nor Faramir is truly ever tempted by the Ring in the books, at all. Faramir is patient and kind and compassionate and has a very quiet sort of strength that hides in darkness until someone shines a light on it. He is the opposite of his brother, a foil to him the way Aragorn is, just slightly less flashy than Aragorn tends to be.

In the films, Faramir ends up somewhere in-between his brother and his king. He IS still tempted by the Ring, for similar reasons to Boromir, but he is able to eventually fight off the temptation and let Frodo go. He has flaws, he has insecurities that nearly cause his ruin, but he has a strength that allows him to overcome them. He still has that compassion and the patience from the books, though it’s shown less simply due to a lack of time, but it’s there. And he has his quiet strength still, too. He’s not flashy, he’s not seeking glory ever. Most of the time, what he’s seeking is acceptance, love.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that this lil mini essay is going to be about which of the Lost Mage’s characters reminds me most of Faramir. And you’d be forgiven for being surprised that this essay actually starts with his brother.

So let’s talk about Don.

Poor Don. Poor irresponsible, jealous, weak Don.

Don the Deadbeat, Don the Defective, Don the Deficient, Don the Discriminatory.

If you’re been in the Lord of the Rings fandom for any significant length of time, you’ve probably seen and read at least one essay about why Boromir is not a villain. Why his failure to resist the Ring is not a sign of irredeemable weakness. Why he was actually the most relatable character of all of them, aside from perhaps Sam.

If The Lost Mage were Lord of the Rings, Don would probably be seen as a villain, too. At least, for a while.

Boromir fails a lot, too, but this doesn’t mean he doesn’t TRY to do good. He tries to protect Faramir from his father. And fails. He tries to save Merry and Pippin from the orcs and dies for it. And still fails. He tries to resist the Ring and protect Frodo as best he can. And he fails.

But he’s trying, above everything else, to protect his people, to be a good leader, to do what he believes needs to be done to defeat the darkness in the world. And he is led astray, yes, but not out of personal desire for power ever. He’s trying his best to accomplish multiple tasks and please multiple people in a situation where not everyone can be appeased. Boromir wants to help, but feels as though his contributions and opinions are being brushed aside unfairly. The people he came all this way to try to protect are being dismissed as unworthy and untrustworthy, despite everything he has seen them do to keep the darkness at bay and away from the rest of the world. Boromir has had to lead his people to their deaths too many times to not take this personally.

Boromir fails. But his death provides an example of honor and leadership that Aragorn ends up following later on. Boromir’s sacrifice does not end up being in vain at all, as both Merry and Pippin live on and are rescued and are instrumental in helping defeat Sauron. Pippin in particular in instrumental in protecting Boromir’s own brother. And Aragorn goes on to take up the mantle of King, leading the kingdom of Gondor and Men in general into a new age of peace and prosperity. Boromir fails.

But he succeeds, too. 

King Donatien is fighting similar darkness. Both internal and external.

Don is, at heart, a good man. A kind man. A man who wants little else but to make life better for his people, human and animal. A man who will take in injured otters who won’t survive in the wild, a man who sees his mother murdered in front of him and has to find a way to move forward after that while answering calls for vengeance from everyone around him. A man whose personal beliefs are now at war with the needs of the nobility which are at war with the needs of the common people. Don needed to appease the nobility whose families were being massacred one by one but in doing so managed to unravel the only way of life many common people knew.

Don fails.

But does this make him a villain?

No, of course not.

Don was an 18 year old placed in a position of leadership during a time of crisis and who had much of his support slowly whittled away, placing him at the mercy of his own personal One Ring of Power.

Could Don have been a good leader in other circumstances? Maybe. Probably, even. Don would have been an excellent peace-time leader. He could even have been a decent leader during a crisis had the crisis not included a bunch of people working to chip away at any support he might have and tear down his mental stability.

Sadly, that’s not the circumstances we find Don in. The circumstances Don finds himself in put him in a position of always having to fail someone. Whether it’s Sav, the mages, the nobility, or even his own cats. Don fails.

But this arguably makes him one of the most relatable characters in the whole story. Because a lot of us can probably empathize with that feeling of having way too much responsibility thrown on you in the middle of a major crisis and just wanting to put your head down and sleep for a few months but being unable to.

Numair is, arguably, our Aragorn. He has flaws, yes. But he is the epitome of goodness so far. He’s the one who’s got things together the most, the most stable of the main characters, the kind and compassionate and patient hero who is there to support everyone else as they stumble and fall. He is big and flashy and powerful and capable. He is quite the opposite of Don in so many ways. But Numair, like Aragorn, is able to recognize that just because someone seems to be nothing but a failure doesn’t mean they aren’t TRYING to be better and doesn’t mean they don’t just need a little help.

Daine, I think, would be the Faramir. Sav’s too flashy for Faramir, I’m not sure where he’d be placed on the Lord of the Rings spectrum of heroic characters here. Maybe Sav’s Legolas. Or Eowyn. Oh gosh Sav’s Eowyn isn’t he. Regardless, Daine is our Faramir. Quietly strong, compassionate, somewhat broken down, loving, caring, patient and understanding. Someone who doesn’t really fall to temptation, either, and is able to fight through the darkness for someone else’s sake, no matter how far into the dark she is herself. Someone who refuses to lose belief in anyone, but won’t stand by and let bad things happen, either.

Don is TRYING, we’ve seen that. He’s not a villain. He’s perceptive and can be kind and compassionate in the right moments. He falls victim to certain vices and is incapable of pleasing everyone who wants something from him. But he’s trying. So so hard. He’s trying to let go of the man he loves and let him be happy with someone else. He’s trying to keep the peace between the nobility and the commoners, as impossible as they are making it. He is TRYING to work past his own trauma surrounding magic for the sake of his own people. He is trying. And that’s important. That’s SO important.

Don is perhaps not my favorite character. Boromir wasn’t, either, still isn’t. I’m a Faramir girl through and through, that’s just part of who I am at this point.

But that doesn’t mean I’m not ROOTING for Don. I want Don to get better, to BE better, because we’ve seen glimpses of the kind of man he can be, the kind of leader he can be. Don can be exceptional. Don can be inspirational.

Don the Dauntless. Don the Dedicated. Don the Dependable.

[justanothercinemaniac]

Epic Movie (Re)Watch #200 - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Spoilers Below

Have I seen it before: Yes

Did I like it then: Yes.

Do I remember it: Yes.

Did I see it in theaters: No.

Format: Blu-ray

1) The prologue.

This first scene of the last film does a number of things well. For one, Sméagol suddenly becomes a much more sympathetic and tragic character. We see how happy this creature was before being corrupted by the evil of the ring; before becoming Gollum. And that’s the other thing this scene does well: we understand better than ever how evil the ring is. How quickly it can turn good people bad. This sets the stakes high for the final chapter of the trilogy. Originally meant for The Two Towers, its inclusion in this film works so much better I think. Also it’s worth noting that the transformation from practical Gollum makeup to CG is seamless and visceral.

2) I love how freaking angry Gimli gets upon running into Merry & Pippin alive (after searching so desperately for them in Two Towers) before being tempted by what they’re smoking.

3) It’s worth noting that I HAVE watched the extended editions of all three films and while I usually forget about the scenes added in those versions, Saruman’s death scene (which is cut in this film) is always one I miss. It is a nice note of finality for such a major character in the trilogy.

4) Much as this film really covers Frodo’s eventual corruption by the ring, Aragorn’s journey is also complete. Over the course of the trilogy we see him go from a loner who wants nothing to do with leadership into the king of men. This film is very much about Aragorn accepting that part of himself, becoming the leader he was always meant to be, and we see it in many little ways. He takes a moment for himself to respect those fallen before celebrating a victory, he imparts wisdom onto Gandalf, he earns the trust of Théoden, later honors his promise to the ghost soldiers even though he could’ve used them as a weapon, and leads his army into battle in an effort to give Frodo the time he needs. By the time the credits role Aragorn fully embraces his duty as king and that’s a wonderful transformation to watch.

5) Have I mentioned I low-key ship Sam and Frodo?

Frodo: “I need you on my side.”

Sam: “I’m always on your side, Mr. Frodo.”

6) The last film very much covered Merry’s maturity, becoming invested in the war (which guides his actions in this film as well). In Return of the King we get to see Pippin grow more as a person. We see him go from a someone who doesn’t think before he acts (like when he looks into the orb and risks alerting Sauron about Frodo) to someone with deep sorrow who takes responsibility for his actions (such as when he pledges his allegiance to the Stewart of Gondor because he feels responsible for Boromir’s death). It’s a nice subplot for the film.

7) Can I just say: Théoden can be a real idiot.

Théoden [about Gondor]: “Tell me: why should we ride to the aid of those who did not come to ours?”

Dude, you made SUCH a big deal about not asking for Gondor’s aid in the last movie when you were heavily advised to do just that. And now you’re getting pissy because they didn’t give you something you said you didn’t want?

8) While Sam and Frodo’s kinship is wicked strong, that’s not to undersell how deeply connected Merry and Pippin are. They’re great friends and the sadness of their goodbye as Gandalf takes Pippin to Gondor speaks to that.

9) Okay, can I just say something? There are only three named female characters in these films I can think of who have lines: Arwen, Galadriel, and Éowyn. They’re all awesome, they’re all great. They never EVER interact with each other and while we understand both Arwen and Galadriel are dangerous women it’s only Éowyn who gets to fight in the war. And I get the books were published in the 50s and everything but come on. Some changes to improve on female presence wouldn’t kill the movie.

10)

Arwen [about Aragorn]: “If I leave him now, I will regret it forever.”

And that’s literal, because elves are immortal. I just wanted to point that out.

11) John Noble as Denethor.

While there is initially a bit of sympathy for the stewart of Gondor because he’s mourning his son Boromir, wow is that lost quickly. I am rooting for this guy to die harder than I am any other character in this series because he is such a raging asshole. I think he’s supposed to be and John Noble plays him in a very interesting way. Much like Imelda Staunton was great at making us hate Doloris Umbridge in Harry Potter, John Noble is great at making Denethor a selfish, arrogant, cruel bastard who I just want to punch in his fucking permanent scowl of a face. HE FUCKING ADMITS THAT HE WISHES FARAMIR WERE DEAD INSTEAD OF BOROMIR! I just…yeah, I’m glad when this jackass dies.

12) The Dead City always reminded me a little of the Emerald City from The Wizard of Oz. Or is that just me?

13) I apologize for this in advance.

Frodo [when he feels the Witch King near, who stabbed him in Fellowship]: “I can feel his blade.”

(GIF source unknown [if this is your GIF please let me know].)

14) At first I questioned the need to include Faramir’s skirmish with the orcs, but for one thing it shows the continued darkness which spreads across Middle Earth as well as the scale of this war. Not to mention it feeds directly into a conflict between Faramir and his jackass dad.

15) I love Éowyn, which I said as much in the last recap. But in this film she is just so freaking ready to fight for those she loves, to stand up against evil even though the sexism of Middle Earth tries to keep her off the battlefield. But she doesn’t and we get the best moment in the whole trilogy. More on that later.

16) When I was younger I never really understood why Frodo believes Sam actually stole the bread, why he sends Sam away. But now I get just how great a manipulator Gollum is and how dark the ring can be on Frodo’s soul. Gollum knows EXACTLY what the ring is doing to him, the little things it whispers to him, the greed and mistrust which is taking him. He knows because he spent (I think) five hundred years under that very same influence. He knows what Frodo is going through better than anyone which he manipulates to his advantage.

17) Sean Astin just freaking shines with his breakdown after Frodo sends him away breaks up with him (you know, after refusing to give Sam a ring). He’s come so far, sacrificing his very life, to make sure Mr. Frodo stays safe and trying to make sure the ring doesn’t take him. And he’s ALWAYS on Frodo’s side, he always trusts Frodo. But Frodo can’t do the same thing for Sam. In fact, he does the complete opposite and distrusts him so deeply he tries to get rid of him. And it’s based on NOTHING, just the manipulations of a fiend and the darkness of the ring. Astin i just so great and conveying how heavy this is on Sam, I love it.

18) Ah, the song.

First of all, Billy Boyd’s vocals are just absolutely amazing here. They infuse the song with such grand heartache which helps it set the tone for Faramir’s attack on the orc troops. This isn’t a grand action scene, this isn’t a heroic triumph, this is a heartbreaking suicide mission made because of a son wanting to earn the love of his soulless father. And that’s why the song works as well as it does. It sets a beautiful tone.

19) Honestly, a few of these notes are just going to be me acknowledging awesome Éowyn is.

Éowyn [after some troops laugh at Merry for wanting to fight]: “Why can he not fight for those he loves?”

20) The scene where Aragorn takes the sword from Elrond is a great moment. The music, Aragorn’s demeanor, the subtleties of the cinematography, the visual of Aragorn taking the sword, it all just makes it feel like a real hero’s moment.

21) While the extended edition of this film may have some more Legolas & Gimli moments (there’s this wonderful drinking competition they get into), the bromance of the entire trio is still something I love.

Gimli [after Aragorn tries going into the dead mountain alone]: “You might as well accept it: we’re going with you, laddie.”

22) Merry is told he can’t go into battle by Théoden, that no one will carry him on their horse. Meanwhile Éowyn - who was basically told to stay at home and look after things while the men fight - says, “Screw that,” and takes Merry into battle herself. I LOVE ÉOWYN!

23) The scene with the ghosts and the dead mountain is truly eerie. Peter Jackson’s roots as a horror director really shine through in this wonderfully creepy scene and place. It’s just chilling.

24) In the long running list of why Denethor is a piece of shit: he is so freaking eager for Faramir to be dead and to have some man pain he doesn’t even check his pulse! Then he bitches about not getting help from Rohan which HE DIDN’T EVEN WANT and then gives up. Thank god for Gandalf.

25) The initial battle of Gondor has a nice sense of scale and stakes to it, especially when we see it through the eyes of Pippin. There’s this constant sense of dread and hardship which builds tension nicely.

26) I’m not talking about the spider scene because I always hide behind my hands when that scene is going on. I fucking hate spiders, guys. I hate them. It’s a miracle I didn’t just straight up fast forward past all the spider stuff. AND IT JUST KEEPS COMING BACK! You think the spider is gone but then no, it comes back for one last attack! ENOUGH WITH THE SPIDER ALREADY!

27) Gollum is totally done with the manipulation, the tricks, all of it. As soon as Frodo reveals his intention is to destroy the ring, he loses it and just is going to solve his problem with brute force. This doesn’t really work for him though.

28) Awww, Sam comes back to rescue his boyfriend only to think he’s dead.

Sam: “Don’t leave me here alone. Don’t go where I can’t follow.”

29) A coincidence to get the character in trouble helps move the plot along. Such as when the orcs show up RIGHT AFTER Frodo gets paralyzed so they can easily capture him.

30) Through a strong sense of visuals there is a nice feeling of hope when Rohan shows up to participate in the battle of Gondor. The build up to that and the fact we see it via Merry and Éowyn works REALLY well because they - like the audience - are both new to this.

31) I always liked that Gandalf is willing to leave the main battle to save Faramir, because isn’t that what this is all about? Saving as much life as we can.

32) There are few film deaths which are quite as satisfying to me as Denethor’s death. I won’t include it hear but those who have seen the movie know exactly what happens. Know if you seek it out it does involve fire (so if that triggers you maybe best to stay away).

33) Once the freaking elephants show up to battle you KNOW this shit is epic. One thing this film does best out of all three is its battle sequences are amazing. They may be long, but they are choreographed interestingly and use a strong sense of action = reaction to them. They’re epic and totally amazing.

34) I do have a bit of a fear of death, so Gandalf’s words to Merry always bring me calm.

Gandalf [after Merry says he can’t believe it’s going to end like this]: “End? No, the journey doesn’t end here. Death is just another path we must all take.”

35) THE BEST FREAKING MOMENT IN THE ENTIRE FREAKING TRILOGY! If you only watch one moment from The Lord of the Rings, make sure you watch this one. This is all you need to see. This is beautiful and I love it and it’s awesome. Watch it! Watch it now!

FUCKING ÉOWYN VERSUS THE FUCKING WITCH KING! YES! You can see she’s TOTALLY scared but that doesn’t matter at all. She works through the fear, she fights this mythical creature who is supposedly un-killable AND SHE FUCKING KILLS HIM! It’s either him or her uncle and damn it’s sure as hell not going to be her uncle! It is glorious. I cheer every time. I love it. Best moment in the trilogy. No contest. Done.

36) There is this tone shift in the battle of Gondor once Legolas and Gimli start their contest.

Gimli: “There’s plenty [of the enemy] for the both of us, may the best dwarf win.”

They bring out an intense amount of fun to the battle which just has you cheering them on. Cheering on the victory! I mean, LEGOLAS TAKES DOWN A FREAKING ELEPHANT!

Gimli: “THAT STILL COUNTS AS ONE!”

I love it.

37) Again, I apologize for this in advance.

Orc [about to kill Frodo]: “I’m going to stick you like a stuffed pig.”

Sam [killing the orc]: “Not if I stick you first.”

(GIF source unknown [if this is your GIF please let me know].)

38) It is always important that characters not be passive. Them making a choice is interesting. So even when Frodo is at a point where he can easily STOP carrying the ring and let Sam carry it, but he CHOSES not to, that’s interesting. It speaks to his character.

Frodo: “You must understand: the ring is my burden.”

39) This is one of my favorite things to hit the internet in 2012. It’s so random and weird I love it.

40) The moment when Aragorn really becomes the king of men is when he rallies his troops to fight against Sauron. He takes his role as leader seriously and he’s damn good at it.

Aragorn: “I see in your eyes the same fear which would take the heart in me!”

He relates to them, he lets them know he’s afraid, but his bravery inspires bravery in others. That’s what a good leader does. They speak of hope and unity against hatred, they don’t encourage it. They don’t divide people, they bring them together.

41) Have I mentioned I love Legolas and Gimli’s bromance?

Gimli: “Who thought I’d die fighting side by side with an elf?”

Legolas: “How about side by side with a friend?”

Gimli: “Aye. I can do that.”

42) Frodo is literally pushed past his physical limits, unable to climb any further up Mount Doom to destroy the ring. But he HAS to. That’s high stakes. Forgoing physical needs for the goal is the highest stakes imaginable. And also: HELL YEAH, SAMWISE GAMGEE!

Sam: “I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you!”

43) Can I just say: I will never truly wrap my mind around the super convenient giant eagles which show up at the last minute. Like, maybe there’s an explanation for this in the books, but wouldn’t the eagles have helped out A LOT MORE before this final battle? I mean really. What’s with this Deus Ex Machina stuff?

44) The scene where Frodo decides to keep the ring visually matches the one where Isildur did the same thing in Fellowship, meaning the seeds for this were planted in the trilogy from film one. It’s smart planning and helps make the choice all the stronger. We’ve seen the consequences of this action once, but again? Oh man, that could be disastrous.

45) You can really see the influence the ring had on Frodo when this is the first thing he says after it’s destroyed.

Frodo: “I can see the shire.”

Frodo talked about how he couldn’t remember it before, while he was carrying the ring. But now it’s gone and he can. I love that.

46) One of my favorite moments in the series is when Frodo wakes up in Rivendale with Gandalf standing at his bead. Remember, Frodo thinks Gandalf is DEAD from the first film. So not only is there the joy at his own survival but that of his friend too. And you can see it on Elijah Wood’s face.

47) This film has A LOT of endings. Like, it takes 20 minutes to end. But I like each and every one. Firstly, this massive respect the hobbits are paid.

Aragorn [king of men, to the hobbits]: “My friends. You bow to no one.”

[Aragorn bows, then so does literally EVERYONE else]

48) The Shire still brings about the same sense of peace it did in Fellowship. You know you’re really out of danger when you are in that place. The tension defuses and it feels like…home. It’s worth noting that the hobbits at first have nothing to talk about while at the bar. They just sit there in silence because…what is there to say?

49) The final goodbye.

I may not be the best to pick up on subtext, but even I get that this boat into the West is meant to represent the afterlife. That Bilbo, Gandalf, and Frodo are all going into the afterlife (even though I always forget that Gandalf leaves). This is honestly not only the most fitting ending to the story, but for Frodo’s character as a whole. There’s no way Frodo could’ve just gone home after all that evil. He couldn’t have just returned to normalcy. He’s changed too much, so he has to move on. But just because Frodo’s gone, doesn’t mean life moves on. And I think that’s one of the greatest messages this film has: even in the face of great loss, life moves on. And there is always ALWAYS hope.

50) And I think instead of analyzing the song “Into the West” I’ll just leave you all with a link to listen to it because it’s a wonderful piece.

The Return of the King is everything fans loved about the first two Lord of the Rings films dialed up all the way. The stakes are at their highest, the battles are at their most epic, the performances are incredible, and the characters finally reach the end of the journey they started at the beginning of this film. Winning Best Picture at the Oscars the year it was nominated, this film definitely deserves it and is worth the watch (even if it is a long watch).