Viggo Mortensen’s iconic Aragorn was different from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Aragorn in one key way. Pioneer of high fantasy and creator of one of fiction’s greatest heroes, Tolkien built Aragorn up as the future king of Gondor and Arnor in his 1954 novel,The Lord of the Rings. Peter Jackson’s legendaryLord of the Ringsmoviesadapted this novel. With so manyLord of the Ringsadaptations currently being worked on and due for release, it is a good time to evaluate Aragorn as one of the franchise’s key heroes.
The Lord of the Rings:The War of the Rohirrimmoviewill emerge in December 2024, whileThe Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum(working title) is scheduled for 2026. Meanwhile, Amazon Prime Video’sThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerwas released in 2022 and is set to continue for many more years. Aragorn isn’t set to feature in any of these adaptations, exceptHunt for Gollum. While unconfirmed,Aragorn’s presence in the Gollum movie is likely, making assessing the faithfulness of Warner Bros.' Aragorn timely and prudent.
The Lord Of The Rings’ Aragorn Was Far More Insecure In The Movies
Aragorn Was Sure Of Himself In The Lord Of The Rings Novel
InThe Lord of the Ringsnovel, Aragorn never doubted his ability or role as the future king, as he did in a few movie scenes.Aragorn was a confident leader in the book, embodying the medieval romance hero that Tolkien was referring to.The Lord of the Ringswas inspired by medieval epics and romances, whereby heroism was very clear-cut. Aragorn doubted his ability in the movies.Aragorn agonized over his claim to the throneand his worthiness as he observed the shards of Narsil in the movies, as masterfully portrayed by Mortensen.
The Lord Of The Rings Movies Gave Aragorn Modern Character Development
Aragorn Embodied Modern Trends In The Lord Of The Rings Movies
WhileAragorn was a medieval romance heroin the book, he embraced modern trends in the movies.Peter Jackson gave Aragorn modern character development, in line with fantasy TV and movies of recent years. Character development is a tool used by modern storytellers, but it wasn’t so big in the medieval tales that Tolkien was basingLotRon. Nonetheless, Tolkien’s novel included some great character development, but it didn’t apply to Aragorn as much as it applied to others. Aragorn was Jackson’s main knight in shining armor, so he amplified his development to ensure he had thoroughly modern relevance.
The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy Did An Injustice To Denethor & Pippin With A Major Book Change
The Lord of the Rings movies changed Denethor from his character in the J.R.R. Tolkien book in a way that sold both him and Pippin short.
This was key to the success of the character. In Peter Jackson’s movies, Aragorn was, at first, a humble and lowly ranger, well represented by his soft brown leathers and worn clothing.Aragorn’s costume inThe Lord of the Ringsmoviesdeveloped to match his growing confidence, which started to shine through more and more. AlthoughAragorn’s insecurity in the movies could be seen as unfaithful, it served a purpose. By emphasizing Aragorn’s journey inThe Lord of the Rings, Jackson beautifully underlined his transformation from ranger to king and appealed to a modern audience.
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a multimedia franchise consisting of several movies and a TV show released by Amazon titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The franchise is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book series that began in 1954 with The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings saw mainstream popularity with Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
