Sauron versus Aragorn

[Galendor]

Complete silliness. If PJ HAD used his intentional footage of Aragorn sword-fighting with Sauron at the Black Gate, I wonder whom he envisioned winning this fight, and what would have happened after that?

Presumably he intended Aragorn to "win". But if he had won (i.e. killed Sauron with Anduril), would the quest of the ring-bearer immediately become meaningless? If Sauron won, then Aragorn would be dead? A sad beginning for the Fourth Age of Middle Earth.

Neither would have worked, so I imagine PJ probably intended some dramatic stalemate in the fight, or Aragorn in imminent peril of death, but either potentiality resolved just in the nick of time by the Ring+Smeagol falling into the fires of Mount Doom. Or even Aragorn winning heroically and running Sauron through just at the moment the Ring is destroyed (for a complete over-the-top double-kill of Sauron).

At least if Sauron had appeared in physical form to fight at the Black Gate, we might have been spared that scene when the Dark Tower crumbled and the giant eye (which was supposed to actually be Sauron) was furtively looking back and forth in a complete panic as the tower fell. Remember that scene? Sorry if it brings back bad memories...

[Galendor]

I know how it would have gone: Aragorn and Sauron would fight while the armies watched, ordered to stay out of the fight. Aragorn would get knocked around fiercely during the fight (more than a mortal man could endure and yet live). But in the end he would summon the strength of the Numenor and heroically behead Sauron.

He would turn in exhausted triumph towards his army, but behind him we would see Sauron pick up his head and place it back on his neck. Gandalf would despair and look at the ground, knowing that Sauron cannot be killed while the Ring still exists (he would probably mutter something to this effect so that the audience understands this subtlety).

Sauron and Aragorn would fight again and this time it would go badly for the exhausted Aragorn. Finally, he would be on his knees and Sauron would pause to gloat before killing him. Flash to the events on Mount Doom, where Frodo is defeated by the will of the Ring (everything is going just bad, bad, bad). Then Smeagol attacks, and the Ring + Smeagol fall into the fires, etc.

Flash back to Sauron, who bursts into flame or explodes or whatever just before killing Aragorn. Aragorn, Gandalf et al. realize that Frodo was successful and the rest of the movie proceeds. This way both Aragorn AND Frodo get to be heroic and "defeat" Sauron in their own way.

[Nerwen]

Originally Posted by Galendor

I know how it would have gone: Aragorn and Sauron would fight while the armies watched, ordered to stay out of the fight. Aragorn would get knocked around fiercely during the fight (more than a mortal man could endure and yet live). But in the end he would summon the strength of the Numenor and heroically behead Sauron.

He would turn in exhausted triumph towards his army, but behind him we would see Sauron pick up his head and place it back on his neck. Gandalf would despair and look at the ground, knowing that Sauron cannot be killed while the Ring still exists (he would probably mutter something to this effect so that the audience understands this subtlety).

Isn't that Legolas' rôle, though? Or is his job merely to exclaim loudly, "He's putting his head back on!"?

[Galendor]

Originally Posted by Nerwen

Isn't that Legolas' rôle, though? Or is his job merely to exclaim loudly, "He's putting his head back on!"?

Legolas: He's putting his head back on, unless my eyes are cheated by some spell!
Gimli: (shouting to Aragorn): That one doesn't count!

[EluThingol]

LMAO that entire Darth Vader thing got me.



Anyway I was absolutely HORRIFIED to learn what almost happened. I mean it made me think " Wait. Maybe he didn't read any of the books! Maybe this guy was parading as a learned fan of Middle Earth all this time..."


And its not like he didnt have any material to help build Sauron beforehand so that he needed to do that B-actionfilm sequence of Sauron VS Aragorn to show how awesome Sauron is.... they had 3 movies to do it and an entire history they could have eluded to including his fair form and his past accomplishments.


Although I think Jackson is a ham-handed semi-fan and often caught up in corny hollywood BS, I think the Hobbit will soothe my pain about LotR. All the bits so far abotu Sauron are helping acheive a sort of retroactive character build up.


But my God, I dont know if I could even consider it a Tolkien work if he went that far in f*cking it up.

[Mornorngûr]

Originally Posted by Nerwen View Post
Isn't that Legolas' rôle, though? Or is his job merely to exclaim loudly, "He's putting his head back on!"?

LMAO just been reading this whole thread, and this comment nearly killed me!

As for this scene of stupidity: I think that even the whole 'Giant Eyeball' nonsense is better than having this apparition thingy appear. Jackson could still claim that he misinterpreted the text about Sauron somehow being an Eye on top of a tower (By the way, I wonder how the Sauron-Eyeball got up there on top of Barad-Dur??? maybe Saruman helped him up with his staff levitation tricks! ), but in no possible way could he have explained away why he totally disregarded what the books state to be impossible and have Sauron appear fair.

The 'Eye' kind of reminds me of 'The Bat Signal' from Batman .

[Alcidas]

Originally Posted by Galendor

I know how it would have gone: Aragorn and Sauron would fight while the armies watched, ordered to stay out of the fight. Aragorn would get knocked around fiercely during the fight (more than a mortal man could endure and yet live). But in the end he would summon the strength of the Numenor and heroically behead Sauron.

He would turn in exhausted triumph towards his army, but behind him we would see Sauron pick up his head and place it back on his neck. Gandalf would despair and look at the ground, knowing that Sauron cannot be killed while the Ring still exists (he would probably mutter something to this effect so that the audience understands this subtlety).

Sauron and Aragorn would fight again and this time it would go badly for the exhausted Aragorn. Finally, he would be on his knees and Sauron would pause to gloat before killing him. Flash to the events on Mount Doom, where Frodo is defeated by the will of the Ring (everything is going just bad, bad, bad). Then Smeagol attacks, and the Ring + Smeagol fall into the fires, etc.

Flash back to Sauron, who bursts into flame or explodes or whatever just before killing Aragorn. Aragorn, Gandalf et al. realize that Frodo was successful and the rest of the movie proceeds. This way both Aragorn AND Frodo get to be heroic and "defeat" Sauron in their own way.

Actually, what would have happened would have been that Sauron and Aragorn would have fought it out and Aragorn would have been badly knocked about. Then, Sauron would have cut Aragorn's hand off, with a slow-motion scene of the sword hurtling into the distance.

With Aragorn badly wounded and lying on the ground, Sauron would then extend his hand out to Aragorn and say,

"Aragorn, I am your father."

At which point Aragorn screams, "NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!"

to which Sauron replies, "Search your feelings. You know this to be true."

and Aragorn then murmurs, "Gandalf, why didn't you tell me?"