[Kransha]

Time for my opinion. I warn y'all, it's long-winded. Saruman and Grima are two of my favorite characters, and Saruman is the most favored, in my eyes. So, I have a very aggressive stance on this. As far as canon logic goes, I was dismissive of certain things. I resented the cinematic exaggeration of the Arwen/Aragorn romance, since, if it and the Strider-Tumbles-Off-A-Cliff Subplot had been diminished in the second film, more room would've been made for the important, canonical, and far more interesting subplots. But, I took a more objective stance on the lack of Tom Bombadil, Goldberry, Ghan-buri-Ghan, Beregond, Imrahil, et cetera. This, however, required, and still requires, my feeble, miserly attentions.

I am not outraged...nor am I pleased.

In detail, I've studied what PJ planned to do. It was more than obvious that he would seek finalization with Saruman and Grima. I knew he would leave out the Scouring of the Shire, I also knew, after some research that Legolas would be the one to slay Grima, after the Worm had killed Saruman, probably ala defenestration. I've seen several clips of the EE that point to these things, and others. My opinion is a bit hostile, as of now, because of PJ's reduction of the magnificent Curunir, Saruman of the Many Colors, and his faithful Worm.

For those of you who don't know, or haven't figured out yet, the "wheel-impaling" death of Saruman is a bit of creative homage to Christopher Lee's days in the Hammer-Horror Double Features, when cinema was something that could be so immensely corny it was good. Christopher Lee's most memorable role, before Saruman and the more recents, was as Dracula. In that, he was (several times) impaled on wheel spikes. This is all well and good, but the impaling of Saruman is, in my opinion, not. The circumstance of a "falling death" reduces Saruman's character to impotency. It is a classically "megolamaniacal supervillain" death, the kind Saruman does not deserve. Similarly Grima's death gives him to much potency. When the audience sees that the overly loved 'Leggy' has slain Grima, there will be cheers for the Elf, boos for the Worm. Grima is not fit for that. He will be maligned as 'that wicked old coot' who 'brave Legolas' slew 'bravely' with his 'bravery.' There is, so far, no good reason for Legolas to kill Grima, on technicality, and Legolas' little bow skillz should be rendered null and void.

Some other notes, which I have not seen mentioned. Saruman is going to get a bit 'magical' in his finale scene. I do not know how much the discussion frequents these boards, but it was personally revolting to find out that cinematic Saruman is actually going to shoot a fireball from his staff at Gandalf. Saruman's power, as stated by C. Lee himself, lies in his voice, Yes, he is Istari, but, even in his last desperate moments, is he really the character who go out in a melodramatic, ridiculous, fairy-tale-villain blaze of fury like that? At least give him back his immortal "Gibbets and crows!" speech, to infer that he still has his eminent talent. Saruman is still a tempter, and I hope he gets to do some tempting, instead of just spouting villainous movie drivel at Gandalf and Co.

I am currently unsure of how the palantir is actually going to get down to ground level, and curious about it as well. In one shot of the EE, Saruman actually shows the palantir to Gandalf, from atop Orthanc. Most people have speculated that Saruman is going to drop it when he falls, but this no longer makes sense, when weighed against another shot, just before Saruman's death, in which he is not holding the palantir, and is rather busy with the whole fireball business. My sense of inner continuity may be way off, but I think the whole situation presents a secondary problem. Not a large one, merely a problem of neatness, and proper cinematic cropping. How does one make this over and underwrought scene work. For a really good villain, or two, such dramatism is useless. Saruman deserves a just end, and PJ is, no doubt, trying his hardest. I only hope he can work his directorial magic one last time. Grima, though, is not a potent villain, as I've stated, and should not be nobly slain as such. Milord Eomer of the Rohirrim said it best, and I will leave you all with that.