Did your View of the Characters change after seeing the films?

[Kitanna]

There are really only two characters that changed so much from the books it bugged me.
Faramir is such a jerk in TTT that I wanted to kill Peter Jackson. In the book he was so different from Borormir and so wise too. But in the movie he acted like Boromir did only wanting to take the Ring to bring honor back to Gondor.
The other character was Eowyn. I loved her in the books. She was so strong and valiant. But in the movies up until she defeats the Witch King I thought she was whiny. I think they overplayed her love for Aragorn and didn't bring out anything about how she falls in love for Faramir. But my biggest problem was just how annoying she got everytime she talked to Aragorn.

[Eowyn Skywalker]

My views of the book characters did not change, as I still have them in my head, if you know what I mean. So when I read the book, I hear them as I think they should sound, not the movie characters. I see the characters as they should've looked, in my opinion. Some of them are like the movie characters, some are like the FotR game characters... though I still have trouble invisioning Old Man Willow, as I see willows... as... well... willowy.

The cartoon also never changed anything to me, though I see my orcs as similar to them, glowing red eyes... tee hee.

But the movie never really changed my outlook on the books, as there are so few scenes that match up. Sure, it corrected a few things, like hobbit holes, but I still see Lothlorien as a shining place, not dark, unless it's where Frodo looks into the mirror, which I still see as more of a lake. I see hobbits as more, well rabbity creatures.

The movie didn't change my views, not even of Faramir, though for a while I would've killed to see him as Tolkien portayed him. Although at times I will see Elrond as Agent Smith, and I still can invision Saruman with a lightsaber, saying 'join with me, Gandalf, and together we shall defeat the Sith'. But other then that, when I read the books, the characters are as I originally seen them.

Well, that's all I have to say for now.

-Eowyn Skywalker

[The Only Real Estel]

Faramir is such a jerk in TTT that I wanted to kill Peter Jackson. In the book he was so different from Borormir and so wise too. But in the movie he acted like Boromir did only wanting to take the Ring to bring honor back to Gondor.

That's how Boromir professed he'd use it to, to defend his people. They both wanted it for the same reasons really, although I'll agree that I obviously liked book Faramir better.

[Essex]

Kitanna, your point

The other character was Eowyn. I loved her in the books. She was so strong and valiant. But in the movies up until she defeats the Witch King I thought she was whiny.

I think Jackson shows how valiant and strong she was by actually showing her being terrified of the Witch King. She is absolutely scared down to her boots but will not stand down. she fends off a blow from the wk's mace exactly as in the book, and then she kills the wk with (kind of) the same lines. she stands by her king no matter what the cost. the look on her face as she backs away from the WK is amazing. she's terrified but stands her ground.

I don't actually remember her a whiny before this, though. I think we see a character who wants to fight, and is willing to disobey her king to do so.

[Lalaith]

Ah, the old Eowyn debate, we've been here before.
I'm inclined to back Kitanna on this. PJ Eowyn was not Tolkien's cold shieldmaiden - she was too soft, sweet and giggly. Psychologically, she did not seem a warrior the way 'book Eowyn' clearly was - as a result, her wish to fight appeared rather petulant and ill-judged. Is that what you saw as whiny, Kitanna?

Tolkien's Eowyn, facing the witchking, was "beyond fear" - her eyes, "grey as the sea, were hard and fell." In the book, the terrified figure who nonetheless stood his ground was Merry, not Eowyn. He was 'crawling on all fours like a dazed beast', she, meanwhile, 'did not blench.'

[Lathriel]

I don't think PJ made Eowyn that giggly, I think she only smiled once. No I like Eowyn the way she is. However I would have liked to see more development in Denethor's character because in the movie he only seems like some crazy steward who has lost his mind cause he lost Boromir. I hope there is more character development on his part in the EE.

I also think Gimli has more dignity in the book than in the movie though it doesn't bother me too much since Gimli isn't a major character for me.

(Don't mean to offend the Gimli fans)

[Azaelia of Willowbottom]

I agree with Lathireil's comment about Gimli. Gimli was good in FOTR, I thought, but then in the later two installments, he seemed to become just an outlet for comic relief. I didn't mind this so much in ROTK as I did in TTT. I do have to commend John Rhys-Davies for his handling of the character, however. I thought his Gimli was well done, and he handled a perhaps less-than-satisfactory script very well.

I liked PJ's Eowyn... I don't think she came off as "whiny" or "giggly". I think she came off as human. To play the part of Eowyn as the cold shieldmaiden... I think it would be hard for many actresses to keep true to the book Eowyn and still seem human. A little emotion is a good thing. No one is totally cold and desperate.

About Boromir, I actually learned to like him through the FOTR movie. I didn't like him in the books: he wasn't in the spotlight so much so he just came off as arrogant and then almost evil. The movie made me really understand his motives and hopelessness about his father and his city.... and then made me love him in spite of trying to take the Ring when he gave his life in an ill-fated but very noble attempt to save Merry and Pippin. For some reason, I didn't get that out of the books. I think he is the one character that I can say that I clearly, definitely liked better in the movie.