Additions That Really Added Something

[Iris Alantiel]

Actually, I didn't mind the fact that Jackson sent Arwen away. I liked the fact that, by doing so, he acknowledged the factor of choice in Arwen's fate: she didn't have to stay in Middle Earth. In FotR, she seemed very certain about her choice, but I thought that the fact that she changed her mind in TTT made her more accessible. She wasn't just a perfect leading lady who stood by Aragorn no matter what; she had doubts over what she ought to do and she had to wrestle with her difficult choices like anyone else. <P>Also, because she was uncertain and had seriously considered choosing a different road from the one she ended up on, I think it makes her choice to stay with Aragorn more meaningful. If she knew all along what she ought to do and just did it without a second thought, it would not be as significant. The emphasis on the fact that she almost chose to leave highlights the difficulty of the choice that faced her, and therefore the depth of her love for him.<P>As for little additions that I just loved, one of my favourites was the moment between Éowyn and Merry at Dunharrow, when she outfits him as "a true esquire of Rohan", and her little conversation with Éomer afterwards, which I thought was a beautiful and moving moment for Éowyn's character.