Rate the Cast's performance.

[Boromir88]

Acting was definately one of the strong points in the movies. There were a few weaker roles, but for the most part the actors/actresses had a solid performance, and some went above and beyond. I have an extreme amount of time on my hands, so I'm going in deep depth in rating the casts. You can simply rate your favorite and least favorite actor/actress, if you don't have a lot of time. Feel free if I miss anyone to add to the list, or you may have a lot of time on your hands where you can rate them like myself. Basically, just do whatever floats your boat.

Men:

Sean Bean (Boromir)- 10/10, I love whatever role this guy is in. He always does a nice job, and I think he portrays Boromir's character perfectly. If you haven't seen National Treasure yet, it's worth the price of admission just to hear the dialogue between Bean and Nicolas Cage.

Bernard Hill (Theoden)- 10/10, similar to how I feel about Bean. Whatever movie he's in I love. I especially love Theoden's lines, they are so full of chutzpa, and he says them so well you just want to get up and scream "Death!" with him. I often find myself saying Theoden's lines as my favorite lines from the movies.

John Noble (Denethor)- 10/10, despite the portrayal of Denethor's character, John Noble does a wonderful job of playing a scumbag you want to hate. He gets so into it with the quivering lip, and his deep, slow-low toned voice makes him sound mean, yet crazy.

Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn)- 9.8/10, Viggo put up a strong performance. The reason he's not quite a 10, I would say because some of his lines, but you really can't blame all that on Viggo, never the less, he does a nice job stepping out and replacing whoever was supposed to be the first Aragorn.

Karl Urban (Eomer)- 9.6/10, no doubt the highlight of his performance is the anguish on his face when he sees Eowyn on the battlefield. :wipes eyes: He can even turn some of the more questionable lines like, "I don't doubt his heart, only the reach of his arms," and make them sound good. He says that line in such a tone that makes you chuckle, or atleast made me chuckle.

Brad Dourif (Grima)- 9.1/10, he has experience in playing this kind of role (also does the voice of Chucky, in those series). Just that kind of role where you want to punch him in the face. He says hits the line so wonderfully, its got that vile, degrading sound it. "Lathspell I name you, ill-news as an ill guest."

John Bach (Madril)- 9/10, I love this guy, Faramir's little lieutenant. As a secondary, not to important role, he isn't going to be a 10, but I love his performance, as well as his voice. I feel bad for him when Gothmog shoves a spear through him in ROTK.

David Wenham (Faramir)- 8.4/10, a solid performance by Mr. Wenham, but as discussed in another thread, he just seems like he's searching for pity because of his father. Some things he says sounds a little robotic too, he just stares straight a head, "Then it is forfeit." Still I think he had an good let's say B performance.

(I would include the actors who played Hama and Gamling, I just don't think there are enough lines, or we see them enough to judge them).

Women

Miranda Otto (Eowyn)- 9.1/10, I think she did the best out of the women characters. I love her lines between her and Bernard Hill, it seems like a daughter-father sort of relationship, and with her parents dying when she was young that's how I pictured it.

Cate Blanchett (Galadriel)- 8.2/10, a good performance, and her beauty has some part to play in this. There were sometimes like Faramir though where she just sounded like she had the script in her hands, and was reading it, lacking emotion. But, maybe I interpret this wrong, maybe she isn't supposed to have emotion.

Liv Tyler (Arwen)- 6.8/10, again her beauty has a part to play in her ranking, since she is a beautiful lady. I think she does one of the weaker jobs in all the movies. "If you want him come and claim him," gah.

Elves

Hugo Weaving (Elrond)- 8/10, he is a really good actor in The Matrix series, where he delivers that computerish sounding tone. I think since I love him in those movies (and really the only actor I like in The Matrix), he reminded me a lot of Agent Elrond, where at times I just wanted to shout out "Mr. Baggins, I've had my eye on you for some time now."

Craig Parker (Haldir)- 8/10, same rating as Hugo, I think for the most part Mr. Parker did a good job, just doesn't have a big enough role to rate his performance accurately compared to Hugo. Still a nice job, and like Madril, I feel bad when he died.

Martin Czoskas (Celeborn) 7.2/10, he has such an annoying voice I cringe when I hear it. Luckily he doesn't have too many lines, or I would have rated him lower.

Orlando Bloom (Legolas) 7/10, I think, along with Liv, he does one of the weaker jobs in the movies. I will say I like Bloom better in LOTR, then Pirates of the Caribean and Troy, since the monotone voice fits better with Elves then it does with Pirates and Trojan warriors.

Dwarves

John Rhys-davies (Gimli)- 8.5/10, Davies is one of my favorite actors I loved him in Indiana Jones. I think with what he was given, he does a good job of playing as the comic relief. Some of his actions are just so stupid, but can't blame Davies fully for that.

Hobbits

Andy Serkis (Gollum)- 10/10, I was watching what sort of things this guy had to go through while performing and it is amazing. The filmed the scene in TTT, with Gollum bellying down the stream chasing a fish in the winter time. What the team had to do was defrost the frozen river, and snow around it, then Serkis had to go down the river in freezing cold. Also, he had to do it multiple times to get it the way Jackson wanted it. Another comment on Serkis because I love his voice on Gollum. He said he treated Gollum's personality as "a drug addict hooked on marijuana, only he's addicted to the Ring." I whole-heartedly agree and he nailed the role.

Sean Astin (Sam)- 9.7/10, I think does the best job of all the hobbit actors, and he really shines in ROTK. I've been impressed with the movies Astin has been in (The Goonies, Rudy, 50 first dates). I think he's a talented actor that has even better days ahead for him.

Ian Holm (Bilbo)- 9.5/10 I loved him in Brazil, and I loved him again here. I absolutely love how he gets when he is in his hole struggling to give up the ring. He slips off into this gollumishy sounding tone, excellent credit to Jackson and Holm for doing that.

Billy Boyd (Pippin)- 9.3/10, I love the interactions between him and Dom, it really captures the close friendship between these two. I think he does another nice job in ROTK, with the scenes between him and Gandalf, and him and Faramir.

Dom Monaghan (Merry)- 9.3/10, I can't rate one higher then the other, they both do a great job with the dialogue between them. I really love the scene when Gandalf rides off with Pippin, and Merry goes up to the tower to watch him off. :wipes eyes again:

Elijah Wood (Frodo)- 8.3/10, I've seen Elijah do better, example The Faculty, but still another solid B performance. He rolls his eyes too much for my liking.

Wizards

These next two have had years of experience in acting, and arguably do the best performances in these movies. I love how they brought in these two, for they really bring a lot to these movies.

Chris Lee (Saruman)- 10/10, I loved his voice scene in the EE, he nailed it just the way I imagined it. We see all aspects of Saruman's voice, the powerful (pep-talks to Dunlanders and Uruk-hai), the persuasive (Gandalf), and the pitiable, spare me (Voice of Saruman). Lee, understands Tolkien, and understands him well, arguably one of the best actors of currently alive.

Ian Mckellan (Gandalf)- 10/10, another actor who is arguably the best actor alive. I don't really know how to describe Mckellan, because like Chris Lee, he covers all the aspects of Gandalf. We see the more fun-loving Wizard in the beginning, also the angry/punishing wizard, "Fool of a Took!" Then the compassionate wizard, the scene with him and Pippin. I was dissapointed that Gandalf basically cried, and was owned by the WK, but I can't give Ian points knocked off, he just does such a wonderful job.

Overall Grade: 9.4/10

If you don't have time like me, then simply name some of your favorites, rate them, and say why, or some of your least favorites. If you want to, I would love to see you rate the cast like me, and see what others made of the Casts performances.

[dancing spawn of ungoliant]

If we're talking purely about the actors' performances ignoring things such as poor writing (at times) in dialogue and PJ's choices to change the story, I have to stand up for some "low-rated" characters and toss my opinion of some others.

First and foremost I'd give Viggo Mortensen 10/10. Despite he has some stupid lines he delivers them with an appropriate tone for his character. Not only is he a perfect ranger but when time comes, also an authoritative king. He has such a versatile voice. His way to express irony is subtle yet effective and his grief and anger feel very real...

...unlike Sean Astin's. Every article seem to be praising his performance as Sam. I liked him, yes, and I don't know anyone else who would have fitted for that role. But he was the only character that popped me out of the movie and made me think about Astin's acting. Hence this grade 9.2/10.

Liv Tyler...well, I don't think that she was a bad choice for Arwen, on the contrary. She is independent and a sweet girl at the same time. Her dialogue with Elrond in RotK "whether by your will or not, there is no ship now that can bear me hence" makes me cry every time. To me many of the cons came from vacant writing. I'd give her 8/10 because her voice is a bit too monotonous.

I agree with Boromir88 about Marton Csokas. His performance makes me think what on earth Galadriel did ever see in him. FotR EE makes his appearance a little better but stil, phew! Maybe 7.2/10 is all he deserves.

When I read LotR for the first time, I had terrible difficulties to picture the elves in my head. Then I saw FotR. To me Orlando Bloom did fill the void concerning elves perfectly. His posture and gestures are lofty enough and he moves very smoothly. Bloom has a quite interesting voice, though. One could say that it's a bit monotonous (as Boromir88 mentioned) but I think it gives the feeling that he's living in his own world (check up the chapter in TTT about how elves don't necessarily sleep but their thoughts wander like in another world) and only partially cares about common things that are going on. His character speaks very much with his eyes and I think he handles that well. Much because of my first argument, I give him 9/10.

My least favourite was the Mouth of Sauron (played by Bruce Spence) who looked good only because his magnificent costume but his gestures were clumsy and I didn't even like his voice. From sheer acting I'd give him only 4.5/10.

[AbercrombieOfRohan]

The only actor I really want to comment on is:

ORLANDO BLOOM: 8/10 He's a Hollywood case, really beautiful but can't really deliver a strong performance. Kinda like Ben Affleck. Ned Kelly really helped to redeem him in my book (if you dislike Bloom I would suggest that you see this movie because he does a really fantastic job.) Perhaps the elves were supposed to be in their own little world, but he was a little bit too... feminine. That might be no fault of his though.

[Nukapei]

I agree with dancing spawn of ungoliant's assessment of Liv. She had the whole "aloof Elf princess" thing down perfectly, and she can't help having crummy lines. And, yeah, her voice is a bit monotonous, but that goes with the whole elf thing. I also agree with his assessment of Orlando Bloom of 9/10. I think he delivered some of the best acting, and I'm not just saying that because he's nice to look at. The way he could have such vivid facial expressions, without actually changing his expression very much. And he, too, has the whole Elvish feel down pat.

I actually think that one of the worse acting in the entire movie trilogy came from Hugo Weaving as Elrond. Yes, the guy can act; and, yes, he's convincing. But he's just so serious. I know the whole fate of the world thing is serious, but he just came across as too stiff and formal, almost depressed. Fate-of-the-world or not, Elves are a lot more cheerful than that! I don't know, I just wasn't impressed by the way he did Elrond.

[Linnahiril Tinnufinwen]

I would have to say that my favorite actors were John Rhys-davies and Sean Astin. It is amazing to me what Rhys-davies was able to accomplish, despite the fact that often times he was standing by himself in front of a blue screen. Since he was six feet tall, his scale double would be on set with the other actors, and then they would film Rhys-davies in front of a screen and then put him in later. They even made a comment in on of the "making of" programs that the audience's understanding of the Dwarven culture (for those that have not read the books) comes entriely from Rhys-davies' portrayal of Gimli. There are no other Dwarves in the LOTRs Trilogy, yet one feels as if they know the entire culture because of this actor's performance. At least, that is what I think. 10/10 for John Rhys-davies.

As for Sean Astin, his portrayal of Sam is very touching. Both in look and in manner, he embodied almost everything I ever pictured Sam to be. Astin portrayed Sam's loyalty, determination, and pure heart without being overly "gushy." He was brave at the proper times, and would cry at the proper times. Everything he did made sense to me, and I really believed he was Samwise Gamgee. My one and only little complaint, and it is a rather petty one, is that Astin's accent would occassionally slip, and he would speak in his normal American accent. For this, I take off only .01. Therefore: 9.99/10 for Sean Astin.

Call me crazy, but my least favorite actors were Liv Tyler and Viggo Mortensen. Liv Tyler is a beautiful young woman, and very Elf like in appearance, but for some reason she simply did not seem like Arwen to me. Perhaps it is her voice, which at times can be a little weak and breathy. I really cannot pinpoint exactly what bothered me about her performance. It just did. Still, I think she did the best she could do. 5.5/10 for Liv Tyler.

Viggo Mortensen, although his portrayal of Aragron is "servicable", simply did not have the power and kingly-ness that I thought the true King of Gondor ought to have. His voice lacked command and often times sounded frog-like. His "British" accent would go in and out, and sometimes he didn't even pronounce words very well. Now, perhaps this is the result of poor writing, I'm not sure. Characters such as Theoden, Eomer, and Sauruman had much more command and presence than did Mortensen's character. Again, however, I think Mortensen did the best he could. 6.3/10 for Viggo Mortensen.

[Dragon Reborn]

Before I start I would just like to say that no matter what actors were playing what characters, the whole audience can never be satisfied all the time, and well done to PJ for an excellent job. Much of the time acting is in the eye of the beholder. Also, when you look at actors with smaller roles, this is tricky because they may not have had enough imput to be able to make an impression on us in the first place.

To Linnahiril's comments on Aragorn- I thought he had great power and kingly-ness, especially the part when he actually put on the crown. I thought he was perfect for the role, and I ask ye peoples, who would we have Aragorn be if not Viggo? 10/10, I didn't think his voice ever sounded "frog-like". I particularly admire his sword-fighting skills! I find myself really in the moment when he is in fighting scenes.

Sean Bean, as others have agreed, was a magnificent actor. He played much better acting than Elijah Wood, who despite what I have heard from others, did not I believe play his part to its full requirements. Sam was kind and determinedly loyal. I thought he was great at showing the audience of the true nature of a determined hobbit. 10/10

Andy Serkis also did an excellent performance, and earns a 10/10. What can I say? Smeagol's unique voice he gave was perfect, the graphics were brilliant, and he put a lot of effort into his role.

I had better say someone who I was dissappointed in now, hadn't I?

Well, I think I would give Legolas a 6/10. I do believe his acting is somewhat disguised and overrated because of his looks. To be that attractive is clearly one of the reasons why Orlando has such a big approval, and good for him! Elves are meant to be beautiful. But I will rather lamely add the reason for his low rating is because his acting was missing something. I'm not sure what, and I am having troubles trying to figure out what this is, so if you think you know what it is please help me out!

[Avie]

10/10 to Ian McKellen..a superb Gandalf that I cannot now imagine anyone else being able to play, he pitched it perfectly.
Other 10's go to Ian Holm as Bilbo, Sean Astin (yes I know he's a terrible luvvie in real life) Andy Serkis and Bernard Hill.
9/10's go to Miranda Otto, a good performance but just not pretty enough to be Eowyn, Elijah Wood (if in doubt roll those eyes some!), Karl Urban, a touch overstated and Christopher Lee...mostly the fault of the script.
To skip to the low points John Noble 1/10 for really horrible cod-shakespearean overacting. Orlando Bloom...Oh dear me. Need I say more? and of course, whoever it was that played Celeborn. He'd clearly been smoking SOMETHING

[Evisse the Blue]

Originally Posted by Avie

To skip to the low points John Noble 1/10 for really horrible cod-shakespearean overacting.

Erm, I liked that 'shakespearean overacting', as you put it...

Anyways, IMO the cast was one of the chief reasons why this movie rocked so everyone gets 10/10 (with a special mention to Sean Bean -- and I see that nobody so far is contradicting me on this so o-kay! He actually made Boromir a very likeable character, I like him way more than the book-Boromir! ). There are of course a few exceptions and I'll list them here:

Cate Blanchett (Galadriel) - 7/10 I don't know what's wrong with her here. I am a big fan of Cate Blanchett's and I saw most movies with her and enjoyed her performances a lot. In LOTR however, she didn't quite rise to the challenge: she was harsh when she should have been stern and determined, and awkward when she should have been simple and sweet. Also (this is the fault of the make-up artists, though) she's less beautiful as Galadriel than she is in real life (in my opinion).

Liv Tyler (Arwen) - 2/10 - I don't think she's right for the part. Still, she might have been able to pull off a decent Arwen if she would have just stood there and looked pretty in one of those charming dresses. But her expanded part made everything wrong. Her acting was whiny, superficial and her beauty was not at all elvish. There was no chemistry between her and Viggo Mortensen.

Hugo Weaving (Elrond) - 8/10 At times he looked more like an alien and less like an elf, especially when he arched those eyebrows in his original manner. There were also a few moments when he exagerated the emotion in his lines, like when he says to Aragorn in ROTK: 'The man who can wield this sword can summon a power greater than any that walks this earth...' You can almost see him shaking there.

Elijah Wood (Frodo) -9/10 Throughout TTT and ROTK his facial expressions were roughly the same from one scene to another...Of course, the monotony of the dialogue was partly to blame. But he had moments when he was really fantastic and made it all right, and all in all he pulled off satisfactorily what was undoubtedly a very difficult and demanding part.

Martin Czoskas (Celeborn) - 5/10 - insert Boromir's comment of his performance here.

That's all I think. The rest of the cast gets a 10 out of 10 and much worship from me.

Ok I agree with a lot of you.

Like Orlando, I mean don't get me wrong he is hot but he just doesn't strike me as elvish more like a mortal. He just wasn't what I invisoned Legolas. 5.5/10

John Noble was ok I thought he really had the venom in his voice but some things made me think twice about him. In ROTK, when faramir was brought to Minas Tirith He mad it seem like Denethor was really sad about his son when in the book I got the impression that he was more sad that his family would no longer be stewards of Gondor. 8/10

Liv Tyler. Now this really isn't her fault but I just can't get over it. In the book Arwen wasn't mentioned very much, They gave her more credit than I think she should of had. But I really didn't think she did all that good in the movie not including what I just mentioned. 5/10

well I really don't have time for more.

[Beanamir of Gondor]

AHHHHHH Abercrombie you did NOT just relate poor Orli to Ben Affleck!! Mr "Gigli" B.A. doesn't even deserve being mentioned in this thread among John Rhys-Davies, Ian McKellen, and Christopher Lee, much less being compared to poor Orli-boo. Even I can't descend to that level. I will agree that Orli isn't the best dramatic elf actor yet. And Legolas was a little bit feminine. But come on, take a look at Figwit in ROTK and then say something about feminine. I still rate Orli an 8.5/10.

Anyway, let's just leave it at I disagree with Boromir88 (about the usual thing, I have to defend Faramir, my fave character) that I thought David Wenham did a really great job. Having seen some of his other films, I have to rate him at least a 9.8/10, if not a 10/10. Not just an actor can take a full face shot for thirty seconds and turn absolute stony silence into breaking down into grief. And make the audience cry, too.

[Boromir88]

I'll just say that Orlando Bloom is better as an elf, then he is as a greek warrior, or a pirate.

Beanamir, we all have are different views, and perceptions, I respect that.

[Lalaith]

When it comes to John Noble, Miranda Otto and Bernard Hill, it's very hard for me to rate them as I think the acting was great but the parts were just wrong, wrong, wrong. These (particularly Theoden and Denethor) just weren't the people I got to know in the books.

Judging on acting alone:
least favourite - Elijah Wood. I really liked him in Ice Storm but now I can hardly bear to look at his picture he annoys me so much. I wasn't too pleased with Dominic Monaghan as Merry but that was more a case of miscasting than bad acting.
best: Ian McKellen, Karl Urban (a perfect and under-used Eomer)
Honourable mention to Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, a damn difficult role and she carried it off well.

[Evisse the Blue]

Originally Posted by Lalaith

Karl Urban (a perfect and under-used Eomer)

Yes, under-used, definitely.

I realized I forgot Orlando Bloom, and according to my post, he would have been included in the 10/10 category, but for the sake or justice I cannot put him on the same level as Ian McKellen for instance, especially since I gave Cate Blanchett a 7...
Orlando Bloom (Legolas) - 7/10 Like someone said before, he's lacking something. I can't find any specific fault with him, except for the corny lines he's forced to utter (that not being his fault), but his performance, though not bad, falls somewhat flat. I like his posture and his fight scenes. His looks are against him, though.

I forgot someone else whom I like very much and she wasn't mentioned before. Her role is not big, but she makes the most of it:
Sarah McLeod (Rosie) - handles her part most graciously. She is very much the cute and adorable hobbit, without being dull or cringe-worthy, as she might have been. And she has awesome chemistry with Sean Astin. The very last scene with her, Sam and their kids, the famous "Well I'm back scene' is in my top 5 best scenes of the trilogy.

[Imladris]

Just a word about Orlando Bloom;

I hear a lot about how Orlando is missing something in his performance and I would like to offer a suggestion about why that is:

1. Legolas is, sadly, the most under-developed character in the book. In fact, he was a bit flat if I may be so bold to say. His most shining moment was when he said that he'd go and fetch the sun which was, of course, left from the movies. *sigh* His other shining moment was when the orc counting game which I was pleased to see actually made it into the movies. But other than that Tolkien left him quite undevoloped.

2. This was his first role in a movie if I am not mistaken. Even if it wasn't he was new to acting. He had just graduated from acting school. He is not seasoned as most of the others are...

I'll just say that Orlando Bloom is better as an elf, then he is as a greek warrior, or a pirate.

He was a blacksmith. And the character of Paris can hardly be defined as a warrior...but that is just me.

And even though Orlando's voice is a bit monotone, his expressions are worth it. Ie, when Gandalf died, and when Boromir died.

So I'd probably give Orlando a nine out of ten.

Liv Tyler -- 7 out of 10. She doesn't seem like Arwen to me. And her voice was monotone and flat as well. She just didn't pull it off...though I must say I liked her in TTT when she saw herself in Aragorn's funeral.

Elijah Wood -- I'm not sure what rating to give him. He was good as Frodo, but he was better as Huck Finn (I can't say I agree with Boromir as I have not seen the Faculty yet). But some of his expressions were awesome...like after Gandalf had died and they were out of Moria...and he just looked so sad. 9/10.

And I'm afraid that I'd just repeat what others have said so I'm done...

Personally, i think you are all being a bit too hard on orlando bloom, it WAS his first role in a movie. also, think about this: SILENCE IS OFT THE BEST HONOUR. by that I mean: although there are only a few lines for him to say, his expressions and the way he moves himself show greatness. i would rate him a 9 or 10.

Liv Tyler:Grace, beauty, and really working that voice, i would give her a 9 or 10 as well.

Viggo Mortensen: He did a great job as aragorn, but i think that certain scenes of his should have been left out.

and also, just a bit of info: a friend of a friend of mine trained all the horses for the movies. hehe.

[dancing spawn of ungoliant]

Nit-picking...

it WAS his first role in a movie

No, it wasn't. Click. Anyway, welcome to 'Downs orlandoscowgal! Enjoy being dead!

[Turin]

Just to point out...

What I have observed from reading the posts is that all those who speak about how the movies are "sooooo perfect" have inadvertantly criticised them, especially blaming poor delivery on "bad" lines or poor writing. Yeah.. the films were still REALLY perfect! (not)

Anyway....

Main characters:

Elijah Wood - normally an ok actor, but I think he was out of his depth in this role. He seems far too young to play Frodo and has a whiny type of voice that just irritated the hell out of me, and yes, his eyes do roll a lot.

Sean Astin can't act, but was redeemed by a better character depiction than most. At least he had a few decent lines, and it is always going to be favourable when you are in an emotional scene such as when Sam carries Frodo on his back.

Dominic Monaghan came off IMO as the most convincing hobbit out of the 4, though still was not happy with his lines or lack of sense, though granted he could hardly be blamed for THAT.

Pippin (can't remember the guy's name) - awful. Despite a crap characterisation by the writers, I just couldn't buy into the guy's depiction of Pippin. Don't know why... maybe it was his Scottish accent, or his facial movements.

Ian McKellan did an excellent job as Gandalf, but again, hampered by poor characterisation and inconsistencies in several places.

Christopher Lee Excellent! I've always rated his acting ability and he's character is not let down at all, except when the writers have interfered.

Viggo Mortenson I think he was average. As with Elijah, I think he was out of his depth playing such an important character. He just resemble and kingly, noble and stern character that he is in the book. I think his accent was also a hindering factor.

John Rhys-Davies how does one comment on a person's acting ability if the only thing one is shown is his character being a prat and a laughing stock? Too many lame comic-relief moments didn't allow JRD to to demonstrate his good acting skills. Plus, ill decision to use a scottish accent!

Orlando Bloom looks half-decent (only half, mind you) as an elf, until he has to move, talk and act.

Bernard Hill His acting is always good, although I would have liked to have seen him looking a bit older and having a white beard, as depicted in the book. Good job.

John Noble again, how do you comment on acting skills when the whole characterisation is so bad?? Fair enough it wasn't his fault, but "overacting" is a word that springs to mind when I think of him.

Liv Tyler Like Bloom, looks good as an elf, until she starts speaking. Another one with an irritating voice.

Eowyn Good. She comes out as one of the stronger actors in the movies.

Gollum/Andy Serkis the CGI was excellent, though maybe not MY cup of tea. Didn't agree with the voice, but can't really complain. Good job.

Minor characters....

Sean Bean A good actor and did a good job as Boromir, both stern and proud, but tragic.

Faramir Looked like Boromir's younger brother, but I don't think the material did him any favours; couldn't really expand the role.

Mouth of Sauron What a joke!! Scary? More like a bloke with dental problems and a bad neck! Appalling.

I think my opinions (and I freely admit it) come from a combination of: depiction of characters compared to the book; my visual representation of characters; the scriptwriters' portrayal of the characters, including the lines they were given; and of course, the pure "acting" involved. It is not meant to be another criticism of the movies: just my own views regarding the characters.

[Eowyn Wenhamir]

Aww, poor Billy Boyd. I liked Billy as Pippin, mostly because he managed to pull off the adorable naivety that only Pippin (and Sam, a little) seemed to have in the books. I would give him at least a 7/10.

I was extremely disappointed with the way Merry's character was written. Dominic Monaghan managed to pull off the scenes with Eowyn in ROTK well, and his anger in TTT at Treebeard was well-done. I think Dom's problem was a problem of bad writing, because he's an actor of considerable, untapped talent, as far as I'm concerned. I give him a 9/10.

As usual, I give my David Wenham a 10/10.

[Boromir88]

Turin:

John Rhys-Davies how does one comment on a person's acting ability if the only thing one is shown is his character being a prat and a laughing stock? Too many lame comic-relief moments didn't allow JRD to to demonstrate his good acting skills. Plus, ill decision to use a scottish accent!

John Noble again, how do you comment on acting skills when the whole characterisation is so bad?? Fair enough it wasn't his fault, but "overacting" is a word that springs to mind when I think of him.

I'd like to know how does their portrayal have anything to do with their acting skills? As you said, their characterization isn't their fault, it's the writers/director, but in both Noble and Davies you seem to say that just because they were portrayed wrong that that effects their acting. If Jackson intended Denethor to appear absurd, spiteful, horrible father, incompitent Steward, then I think Noble did a hell of a job. If Gimli was supposed to be made into a laughing stalk, then he did a hell of a job (I was even laughing, especially at the lines "He's got my axe imbedded into his nervous system!" and "That still only counts as one!") I do think the scottish accent was...uhhh...not a great fit.

In Noble's case, I don't see how he overacted (and he could have, it just must be an opinion). Take the first Romeo and Juliet (I believe it was 1936) the actress who played Juliet, that was her first movie, all other things she did was on stage, now that was overacting, and it did effect the movie. I didn't see that quality in Denethor, he came out exactly as I think Jackson was intending, a hateful, incompetent, down right scum.

Edit: Imladris, ok you got me, for most the movie he was a blacksmith, but by the end he was a pirate . True, Paris really wasn't a classification of a "warrior." I did like that movie though, I love Bean, Pitt, O' Toole (good to see him back), and Bana.

[Ainaserkewen]

Hugo Weaving (Elrond)- 8/10

Ah, I will beg to differ from your lack of a perfect ten my dear Boromir.

Of course I do agree with you that he did a superb job as Agent Smith, however I disagree and add that he was one of the strongest actors in the Lord of the Rings. Elrond as a character has always seemed to me the most difficult to grasp. The books offer many detailed descriptions of his personality and experiences, but the character he could've been if acted by someone else would have been extremely hum-drum. Mr. Weaving has the extreme ability to make characters his own. After the Matrix, he certainly wasn't what we were expecting as Elrond, but through the dialog and facial expressions he re-defines our vision of the Half-Elf. He has made this character into the entirely-different-than-anything-we've-seen-before guy that he ought to be. Just as he played the Agent program run amuck, he's added life to an otherwise mysterious role. Hats off to you Mr. Weaving.

Just a quick note on Orlando's performance: Mr. Bloom was exactly what he needed to be to play Legolas. He was unknown, had great fan potential, and a good actor despite some set backs. The Movie Legolas was created without the actor, but the actor made it work.

[Fingolfin II]

I apologise in advance for this long post.

It's actually harder than I thought to rate the performance of the cast; I mean after all, they were only doing what the script said. So in that sense, I suppose their acting was superb. But in actually emulating the real characters in LotR and capturing their 'essence' as best they could despite any disparities between book and script is where the real judgement lies. Like Boromir, I'll group my thoughts into the categories of Men, Women, Elves, Hobbits, Dwarves and Wizards.

Men:

Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen): A pretty solid performance by Mortensen here. He didn't really capture Aragorn in those rare 'kingly-mode' moments however, as commented already in this thread, and at some points in the movie some of his lines were soap opera-ish. He did well though- 8/10.

Boromir (Sean Bean): Excellent, excellent, excellent. PJ did extremely well here with both the casting and script for Boromir's character. There have been some grievances about little things like his hair colour etc., but Sean Bean really made the character of Boromir something special. He captured Boromir's pride, his fears, his knowledge (and lack of), his love for battle - his everything - superbly: 10/10.

Theoden (Bernard Hill): Another brilliant performance. The transformation of Hill from a weak, doddering man in his dotage to a strong and glorious king was particularly notable. Hill really seemed to fit the character of Theoden and acted it- well. 9.5/10.

Faramir (David Wenham): He acted well for what it was worth. Though he seemed to have the old 'boy trying to win father's love' feel about his character, he did well and put up a strong performance. However, once again, I feel that PJ and that Wenham didn't really bring out his majesty and humility as well as it could've been and that damaged his character. I much prefer the book version- 7.5/10.

Denethor (John Noble): Noble performed brilliantly, despite the fact that the movie didn't really bring out Denethor's character as I would have liked. His expressions were priceless and he had exactly the right face for the part (weird as it might sound). He played the part of the despairing, yet still cunning, Steward of Gondor impeccably and I really loved the way he said the line in the EE- 'You may triumph for a day....'- 9.5/10.

Eomer (Karl Urban): The character of the Second Marshall of the Mark was really hard done by in the movies, I felt. However, Urban performed well, though he seemed to come across as an overprotective brother and seemed like a common Rohan man, as opposed to a more exceptional one. What really irked me was that Gamling had a greater part in the movies than he did in the book, and that time could have been spent on Eomer, who's sister definitely gets more of the plot. Urban still did well though- 8/10.

Grima (Brad Dourif): Hmm......Dourif played the part of Grima pretty well. It wasn't a stand out performance, but that was probably because his character was overshadowed by the rest of the superb cast in the movies. He suited the character of Grima well though and his acting was a credit to the story; 9/10.

Women (inlcuding female Elves):

Eowyn (Miranda Otto): Otto did very well. I regretted that there weren't more fighting scenes with the character of Eowyn, as did she, but as this is about the perfomance of the actor/actress and not about what the producers did, she had a great outing. She had the 'steelsheen' quality about her and yet showed some of her more gentle sides too. Could have showed Eowyn's unrest a bit better I suppose, but she didn't really have much scope through the script. 9.25/10.

Galadriel (Cate Blanchett): Hard to say really. Blanchett did wonderfully well as PJ's Galadriel, but she didn't quite capture the book version's character. Then again, who can be expected to capture the daughter of Finarfin's character perfectly? . She did well though- her voice especially amazing; 8.5/10.

Arwen (Liv Tyler): Tyler did well. I didn't like the way she said 'You saw there was a child, you saw my son', nor the 'Come and claim him!' lines, but that wasn't her fault. Her beauty, smooth voice, and wonderful acting more than made up for these occasional lapses by the producers: 9/10.

Elves:

Legolas (Orlando Bloom): Legolas is potrayed very badly in the movies. Nonetheless, Bloom does have a rich voice and to his credit he gave Legolas some respectability. Very graceful- 7/10 for what it's worth.

Elrond (Hugo Weaving): Yes. He acted superbly and was brilliantly cast for Elrond. His slurs on Men were the fault of the scriptwriter/s, but he really carried Elrond's character well- 9.2/10.

Celeborn (Martin Czoskas): Negligable. It's not Czoskas' fault- Celeborn just didn't really have much of a say and didn't seem as wise as he was in the book. I won't rate him, as we didn't really get much of a chance to see his character; or rather what we did see of it wasn't much.

Hobbits:

Frodo (Elijah Wood): I would (get it- Wood?....bad joke) have liked to see and older Frodo, though Wood portrayed him admirably. His pain and suffering, his inner strength and his wisdom were all brought out by Elijah Wood in his role as Frodo. Particularly brilliant in the latter parts of The Return of the King. He had some vestiges of the cliched handsome hero and to some audiences, seemed weak, but his performance was anything but- 9.5/10.

Merry/Pippin (Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd): Both wonderful. Light-hearted, funny, spirited, yet also strong and brave were what these two hobbits were. The increasing maturity of Merry and Pippin was really brought out through Monaghan and Boyd, especially with their growth through both physical and emotional battles. Their parting in Meduseld, Merry pledging his sword and begging to be taken into battle to Theoden and Pippin's song in Gondor were especially good. The song especially was a wonderful addition by PJ. 9.5/10.

Sam (Sean Astin): Astin dropped his 'American-ness' to pull off a stunning rendition of Sam in the movie edition of Lord of the Rings. He really was great and once again, was a good example of the examplary casting by the producers. Another 9.5/10 for this sturdy and loyal hobbit.

Dwarves:

Gimli (John Rhys-Davies): Davies was excellent. The comic relief forced upon Gimli's character aside, he really played the part magnificently. He looked exactly like the sturdy Dwarf he is in the books and his gruff manner was harsh, but oddly pleasing. I especially liked him when the Dark Tower fell- his change from jubilation to grief was particularly notable- 8.75/10.

Wizards:

Gandalf (Sir Ian Mckellan): He deserves the 'Sir' title in his name, let me assure you. Along with Sean Bean as Boromir, they were the most brilliantly played characters in the movies. The scene in TTT in Fangorn is particularly moving and wonderful. I won't say anymore, as it's already been said about him, but has definitely earned his 10/10 for me.

Saruman (Christopher Lee): Wow. His deep voice and sudden change from charming to deadly was brilliant. Especially in The Fellowship. Unlike many people, 'The Voice of Saruman' didn't hit it for me. His attempt to charm Gandalf and Co. with his smooth and subtle talk was nowhere as near as good as it was in the book and was really only one or two lines. This is partly attributed to him standing on the top of a very high building, so the voice wouldn't have as great an effect as it does when we picture it in our minds, but he just didn't nail it as I would have liked him to. Strong perfomance though- 9.75/10.

And there endeth my long and boring brief analysis (I know what you're thinking; is this is brief, then you'd hate to see an in-depth analysis ). The movies were brilliant, and overall they get a 9.9/10 for me- I mean, just compare them to other similar movies. Especially fantasy ones. The casting in Lord of the Rings was wonderful and each character brought something to their role. Some were hard done by, but I enjoyed every moment of it.

EDIT: Oh. Guess the post wasn't as long as I thought it was.

[Lathriel]

One thing that I liked about LOTR was that most of the actors weren't big stars at the time. I don't think some of the more famous actors could have pulled it of because they are too well known and then you might see the actor instead of the character he is trying to portray.

I think you should give Orli a break. I think he did well for the start of his career and I think he will learn a lot. So I give him an 8/10

Of Course I give David Wenham an 10/10. I know it is slightly biased but after seeing the EE... Those scenes in the EE made it for me cause I think that Faramir gets closer to the character he is in the book.

I think that Elijah's acting actually got better throughout the movies. In Fellowship I was like...okay. Then in the Two Towers I thought Hey... And in ROTK I thought he did very well.

I Like all the actors especiall Vigoo, Bernard, Karl and of course the rest of the actors.

The one actor I don't like is Hugo Weaving. As someone said earlier, he seems to grave and grim all the time. Plus he reminds me of the Matrix too much. But I think it shows it is really difficult to get the right actors for elves because they are so different form humans and so perfect.
Which is another reason why the guy who played Celeborn failed. (shudder) He si just not the way I pictured Celeborn at all. To say the least!!!!

[Assasin]

I agree with Lathriel, I didn't have a clue who the actors were, so it was refreshing to see new faces.
Viggo was really good, he fit the part very well.
Cate was equally good, one of my friends totally freaked when she got tested by the ring.
I think that Elija did well changning Frodo on his way to Mordor, because, he did go through quite a bit of change. Such as, partial insanity?
I LOVED Sean Astin, he was GREAT!!!!!!!
SEAN BEAN ROCKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[aelithes]

I agree with a lot of what people have already said, but just a couple further comments (I'm treating almost exclusively vocal delivery and close-up acting, but I in no way claim full comprehensiveness!):

Orlando Bloom (Legolas) - (7/10) Indeed he did a satisfactory job for a first film, and I particularly liked his physical acting, but his facial expressions in the close-ups leave much to be desired. He seems not to have much control over his facial movements at all - the spontaneous scrunching and un-scrunching up of his eyes in nearly every close-up shot is rather distracting and takes me right out of the emotional headspace.

Ian McKellen (Gandalf) - (10/10) With Bloom as a foil, I think it's quite easy to see how controlled and masterly McKellen's performance is. E.g., in his speech to Pippin inside the second gate of Minas Tirith ('all turns to silver glass') required very little preparation.

Bernard Hill (Theoden) - (9/10) His argument with Aragorn in the Hornburg before the battle and his death scene are spot on, and I thought his rallying cry to the Rohirrim easily trumps that of Aragorn to his men outside the Black Gate.

Sean Astin (Sam) - (10/10) He really doesn't come into his own, both in terms of his character and his acting prowess, until the final film... and there were definitely certain instances in which halfway through an otherwise cheesy line, I would think, 'Surely he's futzed this up' and begin to cringe; but then he'll deliver the last of it and totally clinch it (e.g., '"Don't you lose him, Samwise Gamgee." And I don't mean to. I don't mean to,' and 'That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for').

Christopher Lee (Saruman) - (8.5/10) I would've given him better score had I not seen his death scene at the beginning of ROTK EE. I was not feeling his performance at all, it felt very contrived and self-conscious, and quite anti-climactic. In all of his other scenes I thought he was wonderful, and his characterisation coalesced quite well with Tolkien's vision (of course, being the Tolkien nerd he is :o) ).

[gorthaur_cruel]

I'm a harsh grader.

Men:

Sean Bean (Boromir)- 8.5/10. Good performance, I guess. I don't know why I didn't give him anything higher, but he somehow never reached out to my heart.

Bernard Hill (Theoden)- 9.5/10, Not bad. He had a very commanding air about him, as he's supposed to.

John Noble (Denethor)- 6/10. As somebody mentioned above, he overacts. You don't quiver with hate like he does, normally, no matter how much you may not like that person. I don't think Denethor ever wanted to actually strangle Gandalf to death, but John Noble makes it seem like that. The script de-characterized Denethor enough, but I believe the actor took it even further. He also shouts too much. When he's hallucinating, his acting looks like it could have been done by anybody. Not the greatest performance here. But of course, if PJ made him act that way, then it's not his fault, I guess. But the same could be said for every actor

Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn)- 7/10, He did a good job as a warrior, but as a king, I don't think he had the nobility and majestic air that he should have had. Viggo the Ranger was the best, followed by Viggo the warrior. King Viggo just didn't seem good to me. Anyway, that isn't to say that Viggo the Ranger didn't have faults. He mumbled too much, and I had a hard time understanding him many times.

Karl Urban (Eomer)- 9/10 - He did a good job as Eomer, but there wasn't enough scenes with him in it for me to judge properly. From the little that we did see of him, I have no complaints.

Brad Dourif (Grima)- 7.5/10, He does a fairly decent job of acting the vileness that he's meant to, but not anything superb. He would have got an 8.5 or so if it weren't for two little scenes that really make me think "What a bad actor". When Gimli steps on him saying "I would stay still if I were you", his look of "fear" and his shudder is too fake. The other scene is where he says "Send me not from your side" to Theoden, which also sounds fake and memorised.

David Wenham (Faramir)- 8/10, Not bad, but not outstanding either.

Women

Miranda Otto (Eowyn)- 8.5/10,

Cate Blanchett (Galadriel)- 8/10 I never minded her. She just feels like Galadriel...but she didn't have anything outstanding either, so no 9 for her.

Liv Tyler (Arwen)- 6/10, Talks, no whispers in the same annoying tone throughout 99% of the movies.

Elves

Hugo Weaving (Elrond)- 7/10. I personally think they chose the wrong person for Elrond. Not only because the script made him out to be just a plain Elf-father who doesn't like Men, but he never striked me as Elrond. His face is not ageless. He doesn't seem calm and serene as I always imagined Elrond to be. He gives absolutely no sense of wisdom in the movie. This is half due to the script, which is why I gave him at least a 7, but the other half of the reason lies with him, I fear...

Craig Parker (Haldir)- 6/10. Also not good.

Martin Czoskas (Celeborn) 4/10, Worst actor in the entire movies, IMO. I don't think anybody felt that Celeborn was "wise" here. His voice is even more annoying than the other Elves. Every single one of his lines sounds memorised.

Orlando Bloom (Legolas) 7/10. Gah...does he ever say sentences more than 6 words? (Okay, he does, but too occasionally) His portrayal of Legolas makes him seem like a portable arrow-shooting machine: one that is handy and useful, but nothing more.

Dwarves

John Rhys-davies (Gimli)- 8.5/10, He plays out well the roles that were given to him. Can't blame him for the idiocy of the script. Yet, as he had no particularily memorable moments, whether due to the script or not, he can't get anything higher than this, m'afraid.

Hobbits

Andy Serkis (Gollum)- 8.5/10. I don't know...sometimes he striked me as the perfect Gollum. Sometimes, he overdid it. His "gollum" noise also sounds fake. Tolkien describes it as trying to make the "g" sound while swallowing. Serkis just coughs "gollum", which doesn't sound realistic at all.

Sean Astin (Sam)- 9/10 Meh...running out of time. I'll just give a detailed analysis on characters I have something to say about.

Ian Holm (Bilbo)- 9/10 Great job as Bilbo.

Billy Boyd (Pippin)- 8/10.

Dom Monaghan (Merry)- 8/10,

Elijah Wood (Frodo)- 6/10, Rates hardly better than Celeborn. His whimperings make me want to just reach out and choke him. I never sensed any wisdom out of him. He does the same scared acting throughout the movies, without any change. I think he's one of the actors of LotR that should've been replaced.

Wizards

Christopher Lee (Saruman)- 10/10 - I was just stunned by him. Notice how he's the only one that got a 10/10 on my scale. His look of pride as he looks at his new Uruk Hai is priceless. His voice just has a commanding air. I often wonder whether he and Ian McKellen should've swapped roles. In the books, Gandalf has the more commanding presence, and is stronger (as Gandalf the White at least), while Saruman is just this coward who isn't supposed to have as much charisma as Lee shows.

Ian Mckellan (Gandalf)- 9/10 - He seems to be the perfect choice for Gandalf the Grey. But as Gandalf the White, his quality falls quite a bit.

[Finwe-89]

Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn) 9/10 I think he act really good like Aragorn, not that good like Aragorn in the books, but it was very close

John Rhyes Davis (Gimli) 8/10 Gimli is a very cool little dwarf and has his good moments. The good moments in the movies were the funny ones. But it could be better

Orlando Bloom (Legolas) 7,5/10 I really love Legolas, but in the movies his lines really sucked, only his actions were cool like shootig with his bow.

Liv Tyler (Arwen) 8/10 I think Liv acted good as Arwen, but she talked too soft, much too soft. Arwen is a beautiful Elf and Liv is beautiful as wel, so that was a good match.

Ian Mackellen (Gandalf) 10/10 Ian was the best of all! He was also nominated as ''Best Actor'' in 2001 for The Fellowship of The Ring, and he deserved to win that Oscar. I'd really enjoined the acting of Ian as Gandalf, the best one of the movies!

Sean Bean (Boromir) 10/10 It was really unbelievble that Sean really acted like Boromir, I feared that Sean wouldn't put Boromir good in the movies, but he was one of the best! Great job!

Karl Urban (Eomer) 9,7/10 Eomer was a real leader, and showed no fear for whatever enemy. And Karl really showed that with his acting talent.

John Noble (Denethor) 10/10 John... oh my god, wow he was really acting the son of a **** that Denethor was. I'd really loved it... I don't have the words for it

Bernard Hill (Theoden) 9/10 Bernard really showed with his acting that Theoden was a true king that would do anything for his people, and that was great.

There are many more, but I don't have time to rate them all, but I will later

[Faramir]

Hugo Weaving (Elrond) 5.2/10.I think hugo was awful...he had such a stern look all the time...he just didnt truly fit the part as well as i thought he would...well i guess he would be better than some of the others who auditioned for elrond i.e: David Bowie.

Originally Posted by Nukapei

I actually think that one of the worse acting in the entire movie trilogy came from Hugo Weaving as Elrond. Yes, the guy can act; and, yes, he's convincing. But he's just so serious. I know the whole fate of the world thing is serious, but he just came across as too stiff and formal, almost depressed. Fate-of-the-world or not, Elves are a lot more cheerful than that! I don't know, I just wasn't impressed by the way he did Elrond.

Long-time lurker pops out of the Lounge to say..yes! It's unfortunate, because Weaving is a talented actor and has a wonderful vocal range. They just didn't use him to best advantage. He came off as a caricature, pompous, stiff, and silly, which is not how I have ever envisioned Elrond. Too bad, because Elrond is a fascinating character. Weaving could have done better and I was surprised that his performance left me so cold.

[Thinlómien]

I just grade the best and the worst:
The Worst:
Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn - 2/10 He's horrible and so far from the noble Aragorn I imagine... That super ranger-grin gives hïm those 2 points...
David Wenham as Faramir - 3/10 Poor at acting. Ugly expressions. Tries to imitate Viggo Mortensen. Those 3 points for EE's, he's good in them really...
Well I didn't like Liv Tyler, Elijah Wood or John Noble (he's not a poor actor, the role's just so stupid and he makes Denethor a comic character - that's not fun!) either.
The Best:
10/10 - Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Ian Holm as Bilbo, Sean Astin as Sam, Christopher Lee as Saruman and of course Sean Bean as Boromir and Andy Serkis as Gollum.
9/10 - Bernard Hill as Théoden, Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, Billy Boyd as Pippin and the guy who plays Háma (I don't know his name...).

[Finwe-89]

Not that I don't agree with you, but Hamá was bearley in the movies and had too few lines! So I don't think you can rate him

[Laitoste]

I'm afraid I have to differ from most everyone else's opinion in this case. I really did not like Sean Astin as Sam. For whatever reason, he didn't portray the simplicity and common sense of this character as much as I would have liked. I remember in the cast commentary for The Two Towers , he said something about how he had watched the animated Lord of the Rings and had disliked how that Sam bumbled around so much. That would have been closer to the Sam I know. This new Sam seemed depressed, almost, and lacked the desperate cheerfulness that I dearly loved.

[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by Laitoste

I remember in the cast commentary for The Two Towers , he said something about how he had watched the animated Lord of the Rings and had disliked how that Sam bumbled around so much. That would have been closer to the Sam I know. This new Sam seemed depressed, almost, and lacked the desperate cheerfulness that I dearly loved.

Mind you, Sam in the animated film lacked the earthy wisdom of Sam in the book ... or any discernable form of intelligence at all for that matter.