The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

[Bubba]

I thought what they did with Faramir was a massive slap in the face to Faramir. He was one of the best characters in the books and deserved to show that the best of men would not be corrupted so easily. To say that only Aragorn would not be corrupted is unrealistic. There were many men who were corrupted by the idea of the Ring and Faramir was every bit as noble and strong in willpower as Aragorn. Such men deserve to be praised. Faramir in the movies was an ugly individual (I'm not talking about how he looked, but how he acted) and it left a very sour taste in my mouth. I like some changes in the films but this was one of my most hated, because Faramir was one of my favourites in the literature

I'm with BoB on the Faramir issue. He's one of my favourite characters in the book, and a perfect contrast to his brother. He was very Ranger-y, in every way, and I thought he was quite poorly handled in the films. If I remember rightly - which, after not having read the books for over a decade, I probably don't - Faramir gave even less of a toss about the ring than Aragorn! He was a great symbol in the books, essentially saying "these are the leaders of the new age" and showing that there's always hope. Good old Faramir.

I really enjoyed what they did with Faramir in the extended versions, he became someone desperate to win the approval of his father and he was treated rather sympathetically. In the theatrical versions that wasn't so apparent so it didn't work as well.

Bob and Quin, like charliepanayi says, you both need to watch the extended editions of LOTR. I honestly can't watch the theatrical versions now as they miss out ridiculous amounts. I agree, Faramir was not well represented in the original films but in the extended edition, he has a lot of big extra scenes...

- Him letting Frodo and Sam go (his life is declared forfeit), helping them out of Osgiliath and threatening Gollum for taking them to the stairs of Cirith Ungol. He knew Frodo held the ring of power at this point.
- A flashback scene to when he and Boromir reclaimed Osgiliath from orcs. Plus, the subsequent meeting with their father to discuss Boromir leaving to attend the council of Elrond. Faramir offers to go in his stead.
- The scene in the houses of healing after the Battle of Minas Tirith

All in all, the extended editions portray Faramir as the perfect contrast to his brother. He chose to allow Frodo to leave with the ring as opposed to take the ring back to his father in Minas Tirith. In essence, he did what Boromir could not.

The LOTR extended editions is not just the "director's cut" that you may expect. It is literally the essential version of the films that you must watch. The only reason you didn't see these scenes at the cinema is that theatres won't let you sit watching a film that is nearly four hours long.