Viggo vs. Sean

[Envin]

OK. Obviously, Aragorn is my favorite character in LOtR, and actually my fav char in all fiction. Also, I really like the job Viggo did with his character, getting into the role and everything. However, I think that perhaps, in FOtR at least, Sean Bean did almost better in his acting than Viggo did. There are tear-jerker scenes for me in all three movies, and the death scene of Boromir is literally one of the best-acted death scenes I have ever seen, which is a lot, considering I am a film noir buff.

What do you guys think? I love Aragorn, and Viggo too, but I think Bean's acting was superb, perhaps better than FOtR Viggo.

[vanya]

Well, I really admire Sean Beans acting as Boromir. The ambivalence of Boromir is difficult to play and he did it wonderfully. But I really can't say he was better than Viggo. They were both amazing.

[Envin]

You're so right. Boromir would be a rather diffcult part to play, and I think they couldn't have found anyone better. And you know how much I love Aragorn and Viggo, it's just that in the first movie Viggo seemed a little stiffer than Sean, but that was perhaps intentional as his character was usually at pains to remain standoffish. Either way, they both are excellent actors.

[E'vesash]

Hmm...I agree with both of you. Both actors did a superb job, in fact, the entire cast did a superb job and was excellently selected. Bean was great as Boromir and did a wonderful 'dying scene,' but I think I must say that I liked Viggo's acting a bit more. Just because the character had more depth to it, and I think Viggo really portrayed that well. But I'm not downing any of the actors and it's very hard (if not impossible) to chose one actor as better over another.

[Legolas]

Well, I actually think Viggo is a bit of a wild things fanatic. He's a bit obssessed, in my opinion, with getting into the character. I think Bean did a great job, after all, being the bad guy is always tough, and he does such a great job of getting in character, being nervous, fearful, doubting and suspicious. My vote goes with Bean.

[Envin]

Jo has a good point and I agree with it, but I'd take a different spin on it. I think that for the character of Aragorn, an obsession such as that was probably very beneficial to the portrayal. Things like camping out in the mud to get a worn look to his costume, always carrying his sword about with him, etc., really impressed me with his depth of method acting. I really like Mortensen a lot, personally. And of course I love Aragorn. Becky's right, too: Viggo's part did have a lot of different angles that the character had to have had, but I just think that perhaps Bean's Boromir was a bit more believable, to me at least. And maybe Viggo was a bit standoffish on purpose in FOtR, as his character was usually remaining in the background, etc. I dunno. They're both great guys.

[Legolas]

One of the main things that makes VIggo unbelievable to me in all the films, is his fighting. I know everyone admires it, but it's actually the thing about him that I think looks the worst. He's too good in his fight scenes, and it seems rather absurd that this guy could go through battle affter battle, doing all these crazy things, smashing through dozens of Uruk-Hai, falling off a wall, into a mob of Uruk-Hai, getting attacked by a troll, and actually surviving on his own! In the books, all the fighting sounds way more realistic. AFter all, even though ARagorn is supposed to be like the best, he isn't invulnerable, as the movies seem to make it appear.

[Ilmare]

I disagree, sorry. He isn't invulnerable in the movies. So many times he get knocked out. And he is bleeding, bruised and scratched etc. No actually, he gets more real looking physical destruction than all other charries, Frodo and Sam included. I really like the scene in FOTR when he get catched by the Orc shield. I always think, okay, after that no shaving is needed anymore. LOL
I really like that Viggo took the hero sword as often as possible, to get the feeling of the real weight. A real sword - Gosh what a feeling to have a real one in the hands! - has to have a good weight, even if its perfectly balanced. And it does exhaust over a time. So thats really good to see, that Viggo goes exhausted, exspecially at Amon Hen. No, actually I like his fighting much more than that of all other.

[Envin]

Hmmmm...I might agree with you to a point, Jo. You may be right about that: he does seem to hardly ever get hurt (and the times he does were scripted wrong - not even in the books - the canon fights he emerges unscathed.). But then again, in the books, he hardly gets hurt. However, in the books this was more realistic. He actually didn't fight as much in the books as in the films. He never fought Ugluk (or Lurtz {thanks, PJ}), etc. I think probably the filmmakers took the appearance if amazing warrior skill which is evident in the books and factually canon since he is Numenorean and therefore better in almost every way then most men and certainly any orc, and simply enlarged that to make his heroism more apparent. I actually like it, because I love Aragorn so much. I simply chalk it up to the fact that he is of a higher bloodline and is capable of greater feats. And, if you think about it, all the enemies he fights in the books and the films were mass-produced. Not much training against a Numenorean warlord, and though that wouldn't have mattered if it was Aragorn alone against all the Morgul-Host, he hardly actually fought alone in the books, so it works out OK in my mind, at least.

[Legolas]

I would still prefer to have Sean Bean get an award for best fighter, rather than Viggo. Even Legolas seems to never get hurt, and gimli, in the books, Gimli gets all hurt in the glittering caves!

[vanya]

True. Poor Gimli.

[Envin]

Hmmm...best fighter for Sean? Maybe. But I think Legolas' hardly injured is OK, since he was mainly an at range fighter. Gimli should have gotten a little bloodied, yes, but I really like Viggo's fighting, personally. Of course, my favorite will always be Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone, in Captain Blood, but that's neither here nor there. Though I really, really did love the scene with Boromir continuing, over and over, to rise and kill Uruk-hai even after he'd taken arrows. I don't know if you've noticed, but each time he gets up again after sinking to his knees, he slays more than the last time he got up. Just interesting. Sean Bean's amazing.

[vanya]

Yep, I watched it day before yesterday and you are right. Boromir rocks!!!

[~Tom~]

shame he didnt have his shield aye.

I always thought legolas was pretty good in the movies anyway , now common u cant beat legolas in the films its like is there anything he cant dp , all u had ot do was give him the ring and a hell of a lot of arrows and hed of porbally done ti by himself .

But aragorn i just love his fighting style its just like if hes locked with a sword hell just punch em and go onto the next guy , ( u ever seen the uruk in fotr that runs and he gets his lg wacked at by Aagorn i always hting ow)