Why LOTR Sucks: Gandalf The White

It is probably my favorite moment in the book. Gandalf returns and we can all rejoice. It would be hard for the movie to live up to this emotional highpoint, and would be foolish to expect Peter Jackson to be up to the task. Sometimes, a slow motion close-up of someone crying is not enough.

But this scene reveals how clumsily Jackson handles his characters. It’s no wonder he gets some of them 100% wrong. When Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli need to be brave, heroic, and larger than life, they are. And when they need to be foolish, recalcitrant, or stupid, they are as well, often as a group. There characters are at the service of the plot, and whatever that scene calls for in terms of dramatic weight, that’s what they provide. I’m not saying characters should always be consistent. Character growth and internal conflict are the key ingredients of a good story. But if you are simply using your characters to move the story along, rather than allowing the characters to drive the story, than you fail as a story teller.

Yes, they should be fooled by Gandalf’s return. But they should not be foolish. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli are not fools, despite what Gandalf might say of them. At least they shouldn’t be.

Minutes Watched: 2.0:55.38

Number of Montages: 9

Number of slow motion close-ups of people crying: 29

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