Pippin gets gipped!
 

Pippin gets beat out of many things he was given in the books, especially at the Battle of the Black Gate. Before I go further, keep in mind these are only my opinions and you could say a ton of things in relation to "it's better for a movie to..."

Let's take a quick look-

1) Merry's there.
Many will argue that Merry being at the Black Gate didn't bother them at all, but for some people like myself his (however little he may be) presence bothers me. Firstly, he just helped in killing the Witch-King. What's the glory in not showing some war scars after helping put down one of the Dark Lord's greatest soldiers? Merry being at the Black Gate demoted Pippin's growth that he experienced in the books. Pippin going alone was him coming full circle, and it was this confidence that enables him to slay the troll. Some argue that for cinematic purposes, Merry had to be there to show the dedication the Hobbits had for Frodo and Sam. I can't see, however, how he was essentially needed at the battle.

2) No troll.
This is my favorite moment for Pippin, as he slays a gigantic troll and almost kills himself in the process. Think about how big the troll must have been to Pippin, being the size it was to Men. I was hoping to see this, but of course they had to give it to Aragorn, as if he hadn't had enough amazing battles. It would have been good to see Pippin kill it...even though Aragorn doesn't even kill it, it runs away. So, Pippin's milestone is again dampered with the absence of this scene.


I love this whole scene, but I believe Pippin did get gipped in relation to his book counterpart. He did find some credit, though, in saying "the Eagles are coming!" as in the books (although in his head in the books, you can't really pull that off on the big screen in such a scene :) ). Not to mention, he still does slay a bunch of orcs there! Not bad for a hobbit who had little to no sword training!

I agree. And not only that, but in a roundabout way it also detracts from Merry to have him at the Black Gate.

No-one really remembers Merry's part in the death of the Witch-King. The evil guy dies and, before you know it, the two hobbits are off with Aragorn again. Having a couple of extra seconds showing Pippin alone without Merry would have underlined the sacrifice Merry made, as well as giving Pippin some much needed centre-stage (along with the Troll-slaying, of course).

As it is, it just seems like the two comedy-hobbits are along as baggage; and they are instantly forgettable in the scene at the Black gate, at least to the audience who just think they're for amusement..

Call me crazy, but Pippin overall was played mediocrely. (is that a word)

Anyway, especially in the scene where Gandalf confronts the Witch King, and gets knocked down, Pippin makes this throaty, bus-driver war cry that would not scare a mouse.

But other than that, Boyd played a great carrot-stealer.

Well, at that point in ROTK, with the Ring nearing the Fire and the Lords of the West challenging the might of Mordor, I'm not too worried about Pippin not getting to use all his testosterone.

Billy Boyd is a magnificent Pippin, though you don't really get to see him shine until the final film. The palantir scene, the meeting Denethor scene, his conversations with Gandalf -- incredible performance. He practically steals half the movie. So no, I don't mind Merry being there too and there not being any troll to kill.

I would say that not only was Pippin downplayed, but also Merry. These two hobbits were very brave and considerably smart in the books, and they had a great deal of the story line. Their characters were dimmed in the movie - they were made more simplistic and shallow, I personally think.

-- Folwren

I think Boyd played Pippin greatly...I can't picture anybody else playing him...when I think Pippin, I think Boyd...in my opinion he portrayed him to a "t" (if that's how you use that description, haha).

Merry was a bit downplayed as well, he didn't know AS much as he knew in the books.

I think Billy Boyd is an amazing actor and did a fantastic job as Pippin. However, as far as me feeling Pippin getting gipped...I'd have to disagree. He was one of those characters that as soon as you read his name on the page or saw him on the screen you couldn't help but smile. Pippin's great!

Somehow I always imagined the two lesser hobbits the other way round. The film really confused me when I watched it for the first time... They shouldn't make films out of books... :mad: :( I really hope they won't make films out of Hobb.

Of course he's great! Doesn't mean he wasn't a little gipped out of some well deserved scenes :)

I was more disappointed that, in going with both Hobbits to the Black Gate, we didn't get to see Merry in the Houses of Healing. The Faramir-Eowyn-Merry friendship, in my opinion, was beautiful. It rounded off all three characters nicely, and let us know that yes, Merry was a team player.

I agree. Before I read the books I thought both Merry and Pip were silly(sort of). Reading the book made me realize their importance, and that they were no fools.
Still, I feel Pip in movie was fine. Billy Boyd is an awesome actor and I liked him as Pippin. His attack on an Orc when he came to Gandalf to save Faramir's life, him saving Faramir's life are two my favorite moments. Scouring of The Shire would have given both Merry and Pippin little more space had it been added.