Who is responsible for the worst acting in the LOTR trilogy?

[Myrnalene]

Vote for as many choices as you like, write-ins are encouraged.

Bonus topic: Haldir is hot.

[What Exit?]

According to this poll, Hugo Weaving did suck the most. Ha!

[Exy]

Bonus topic: Faramir is hotter

[Exy]

Orlando Bloom was the worst, all his line readings sucked. "You shall have my bow!" He's charming enough that he's tolerable despite his limited acting skills but he really is bad.

Liv Tyler, Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, and Karl Urban weren't great, but they were at least okay. But Lord of the Rings really would have been better if they'd cast someone else as Legolas.

[Laughing Lagomorph]

I know I'm in the minority here but Ian Holm's Bilbo Did. Not. Work for me.

I wasn't crazy about Elrond or to a lesser extent Galdriel but I think that is more the way the characters were written in the script rather than how the actors interpreted the parts.

I think Orlando Bloom was fine in what was after all a supporting role, although he did end up getting a lot of screen time just because of the combined lengths of the films. I don't know if it was a concious decision on his part or a result of limited acting skills but his Legolas often seemed not quite as "present" as the non-Elven characters around him. Anyway it helped set his character apart from the others in the Fellowship. He was a better Elf than, say, Haldir.

I liked Liv Tyler's Arwen better as a sword-waving Asfaloth-riding Warrioress than as a gussied-up, pining delicate flower of an Elven princess.

Karl Urban? Fine, again in a smaller role. I appreciate his acting abilities more after having seen his Leonard McCoy.

Sean Astin and Elijah Wood both strayed perilously close to their limits as actors, and their characters don't hold up as well as some others to repeated viewings. Both struggled with their accents too.

[Orual]

"A red sun rises. Blood has been spilled this night." Orlando Bloom is so, so pretty and so, so awful.

And NO ONE is as attractive as Viggo.

[Taumpy]

I was pretty disappointed with Liv Tyler. It's not as if I thought she had much talent to begin with, but really, it was a pretty easy role to get. Arwen's role in the books is so small, that an actress could have done anything with her and it wouldn't be too offbase, but I still wasn't feeling it with Liv.

[OneCentStamp]

Fuck comic-relief Gimli. This tool was the champion of the dwarves? Yeah, I know he has to read the lines he's given, but still.

[parzival]

I went with Liv Tyler. She's shown before she's not entirely incompetent as an actress, but this was not the right role for her. Every time she spoke, or looked confused & pained, it just took me right out of the movie. Orlando Bloom never really bothered me, even if he wasn't great. He didn't detract from the films, but Tyler did.

Though I agree with OCS, Gimli had the worst-written role, but Rhys-Davies did his level best to make it not harm the film.

[terrifel]

The guy who played Celeborn, definitely.

Dude, you had like two lines. I sympathize with your plight as an actor. But saying the lines slower doesn't actually make your role any bigger.

[Clothahump]

Elijah Wood and Hugo Weaving were the most grossly miscast roles in the movies. Elijah played Frodo as a whiny little git throughout and just sucked like a Hoover on steroids. Hugo is a great actor, but he had the horrible misfortune to have just come off of Matrix and everyone who saw him the first time in LOTR 1 basically said, "WTF? Agent Smith is the King of the Elves? No way!"

I think that rankled me even more than Elijah playing the role of Pussy-Boy, so Hugo got my vote.

[eleanorigby]

Dayum, y'all are harsh.

For me, it was the adaption of the book (the screenplay--Phillipa, you suck and you come across as pompous and smug as hell in the interviews).

Here's who I didn't mind and even liked (I'm using the character names):

Legolas
Frodo
Elrond-although he did have his moments where he was too angry
Gimli--but, yes, they played up the cartoon aspects too much



Here is who I mind:

Arwen--she seemed stiff. I've made my peace with it, but if we could have a do over, she would change. Perhaps not Tyler, but what they did with her lines etc.

Celeborn--sucked, sucked, sucked. He sounded like a developmentally delayed elf.
Galadriel--her delivery of some of her lines takes me right out of the movie.







And NO ONE is hotter or cooler than movieAragorn. I vastly prefer him to book Aragorn.

[Orual]

And NO ONE is hotter or cooler than movieAragorn.

I knew you'd have my back on this, eleanor.

[eleanorigby]

I knew you'd have my back on this, eleanor.

As long as I get first dibs, dear.

[Exy]

It's funny, I've never seen any of his other movies but I've seen pictures and trailers and Viggo doesn't really turn my crank when he's not in that greasy-looking wig and covered with untended facial hair. But I'm watching Fellowship again and he really is beautiful in that.

[eleanorigby]

It's funny, I've never seen any of his other movies but I've seen pictures and trailers and Viggo doesn't really turn my crank when he's not in that greasy-looking wig and covered with untended facial hair. But I'm watching Fellowship again and he really is beautiful in that.

He does in real life (for me), though. I don't even like him all cleaned up at his coronation. His hair is all wrong and he looks stiff. He looks best as Strider.

Mmmm....

[eleanorigby]

I changed my avatar so we could all get a little Viggo.

Off to bed now. Sweet dreams ahead!

[vison]

Everyone sucked, basically, except Gandalf. The script SUCKED but the sets and scenery were mostly fabulous. Except the long shots of Minas Tirith, so obviously a little model made of icing sugar or something.

Suckiest? Sean Bean, who had no more idea of Boromir than dogpoop; Elijah Wood, whose Frodo was beautifully nailed above by another poster; Liv Tyler, who looked like an ad for botox that got mixed up with footage for an epic movie; and, most of all, Viggo Mortenson, whose whiny voice just makes my teeth ache.

Stop me. I could go on for days.

[Skald the Rhymer]

I am voting Cate Blanchett. Some may say that I am doing this only to see if it makes Jim explode in rage and shoot me in the back of head, but I refuse to either confirm or deny that.

[OneCentStamp]

I am voting Cate Blanchett. Some may say that I am doing this only to see if it makes Jim explode in rage and shoot me in the back of head, but I refuse to either confirm or deny that.

Her whole "fair and terrible" rant when Frodo offers her the ring, while ultra-faithful to the letter of the book, was horrible in its delivery. I cringed in the theater...all four times.

Pretty much everything else Blanchett did in the trilogy was note-perfect to me. Beautiful, but slightly creepy and offputting. Her voice-over at the beginning of the first film ("The world is changing...") set an amazing tone for the trilogy.

[Skald the Rhymer]

"A red sun rises. Blood has been spilled this night." Orlando Bloom is so, so pretty and so, so awful.

And NO ONE is as attractive as Viggo.

He broke Eowyn's heart. I spit on movie-Aragorn.

[Skald the Rhymer]

Her whole "fair and terrible" rant when Frodo offers her the ring, while ultra-faithful to the letter of the book, was horrible in its delivery. I cringed in the theater...all four times.

That is a sick, desperate lie that exposes your essential NewJerseyian corruption, James. That scene is farking perfect.

[OneCentStamp]

That is a sick, desperate lie that exposes your essential NewJerseyian corruption, James. That scene is farking perfect.

Hi, my name is James Ben, and I live in New Jersey Texas.

(though in your defense, I did answer, uninvited, a challenge issued to him...)

[Orual]

He broke Eowyn's heart. I spit on movie-Aragorn.

The fact that he has shit taste in women doesn't make him any less baggable.

[Skald the Rhymer]

The fact that he has shit taste in women doesn't make him any less baggable.

I don't care about his taste in damozels, dear. It's the leading Eowyn on that pisses me off. Big brother reflex, I expect.

But that's talking about movie-Aragorn the character, not Viggo Mortensen the actual man.

[eleanorigby]

Well, what LOTR book are you reading? That's one part of the movie Aragorn that does follow the book. It's all in Eowyn's head, movie or book--she crushes on Aragorn something fierce. And how could she not? He's the first man to enter her world that meets her ideal AND he's got a mysterious past.

And movieAragorn does NOT break Eowyn's heart. He is forthright, but extremely caring towards her in his departure scene. He has always wished her joy.

Frankly, I think the two of them would have made a fine pair, but since Tolkien seems to have been intimidated by females and female sexuality, Aragorn got stuck with Ms-I-Have-No-Life-But-Want-To-Be-Worshipped Arwen. Evening Star, my ass.


AND Cate Blanchett has ugly hands--they're not elven in the least. When she waves bye-bye to the Fellowship, all I can think of is--hand model, PJ, hand model! IMO, her Galadriel was lame. Not as sucky as Celeborn, but right up there. "That choice is yet before her." Could you say that line any worse, Ms Blanchett? Hmmm?

[vison]

Cate Blanchett's hands? Wow. Now, that's a level of noticing that's beyond me and I thought I was a nitpicking nutbar!

Well, hands or no hands, her voiceover in the opening scenes of FOTR gave me actual chills and led me to believe I might be about to see a great movie. Bits of it were . . .

Movagorn performed the breaking of Eowyn's heart according to Bookagorn's actions, but like everything else in these awful movies he did it in the cheeziest way, with that whiny voice and constipated expression. Arwen was a cypher, even in the books, but Liv Tyler utterly destroyed whatever un-cyphery parts there were. It wasn't Liv Tyler's fault that PJ had her leaving her betrothed, but combining that monstrous invention with her lackadaisical movements? AAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!

[vison]

Cate Blanchett's hands? Wow. Now, that's a level of noticing that's beyond me and I thought I was a nitpicking nutbar!

Well, hands or no hands, her voiceover in the opening scenes of FOTR gave me actual chills and led me to believe I might be about to see a great movie. Bits of it were . . .

Movagorn performed the breaking of Eowyn's heart according to Bookagorn's actions, but like everything else in these awful movies he did it in the cheeziest way, with that whiny voice and constipated expression. Arwen was a cypher, even in the books, but Liv Tyler utterly destroyed whatever un-cyphery parts there were. It wasn't Liv Tyler's fault that PJ had her leaving her betrothed, but combining that monstrous invention with her lackadaisical movements? AAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!

[Skald the Rhymer]

Well, what LOTR book are you reading? That's one part of the movie Aragorn that does follow the book. It's all in Eowyn's head, movie or book--she crushes on Aragorn something fierce. And how could she not? He's the first man to enter her world that meets her ideal AND he's got a mysterious past.

It's possible I was exaggerating. Rhymers do that, as the SkaldFaq makes clear.

Movie-Aragorn doesn't behave that badly towards Eowyn, I admit. But the way he acted in her presence in the celebration scene at Edoras bugs me. Everything about her body language screams "I love you I want you I need you put your baby in my belly right here and now!" Which is her issue, I admit, but the way he acts encourages her; Theoden sees it, and he thinks Aragorn is falling for her too.

Then, a couple of days later, he bluntly and callously breaks her heart. Not cool, man, not cool at all. Specific violation of Man Rule #17-b: "No faffing about. If you don't want her, tell her straight up. That's what Gibbs would do."

[eleanorigby]

Oh, lordy. Aragorn was a rock star at that Edoras celebration. He can't help it if women are gonna lose their heads and throw themselves at him! In fact, he did right in NOT taking her up on her blatant although unspoken offer. Plus, IF he did give off "come to me" vibes (a big if), he was under the impression that Arwen was going off the Undying Lands thanks to her father, the Asshole Elf (I never could stand that whole "prove you're worthy of her, Aragorn--jump through all these hoops for me, Elrond, and then maybe I'll change my mind. As if Arwen didn't have a mind. Oh, wait.... she didn't.)
Viggogorn did NOT have a whiny voice in the least or a constipated expression. He brought depth to a cardboard character and humanity to a legend. Let's see you do that. Ha!

And yes, HANDS. I may not notice weaponry or mispronounciations of Dwarvish, but I notice hands, feet, body language, hair, clothes and facial expressions/voice intonations. And Cate needed some help.

That said, I agree that her voiceover is incredibly well done. Which begs the question: what happened to the rest of the movie? I will say that yes, she was slightly creepy--when they first enter the forest and then when we see her eyes sliding from side to side--that's all good. And then she turns into someone selling laundry detergent or a game show host. Bah.

[Capybara]

Hugo is a great actor, but he had the horrible misfortune to have just come off of Matrix and everyone who saw him the first time in LOTR 1 basically said, "WTF? Agent Smith is the King of the Elves? No way!"

I started watching the Matrix and thought "WTF, Mitzi?!"