[Diamond18]

I loved Gollum in the book and "The Hobbit". He was one of my favorite characters, and at times I did think of him as cute and, yes, in an unsettling kind of way, sweet. I had actually worried a little that these things I enjoyed about his character would not come through in the movie—that they would be tempted to make him overly grotesque and utterly inhuman. There were many times in reading the book that I wanted to shake Sam for being mean to him, and I hoped up until the very last that he would somehow redeem himself and turn from the Ring. Since he didn't, I have forgiven Sam for his justifiable attitude, but I can safely say that all this took place before ever seeing the movie.<P>So therefore I agree with those who say it's a matter of perception. Gollum has always been a controversial character, some love him, some hate him, some fall in between. I did picture him as uglier (blue eyes? come on...) in a physical sense, but I was thrilled with the softer, funnier sides portrayed in the film. Perhaps that's why those who have been on the other side, the less sympathetic view of Gollum, are displeased with the depiction. Our perception is somewhat more controlled by the creator in a movie setting, but that's inevitable. If Gollum had been portrayed to Balin's ideal, there would be some of us upset that PJ "villified" Gollum too much.