Characterization most butchered

[Ithilvalan]

I'm definitely going with Elainya, Onoj, and everyone else who said Faramir. What happened to the noble Gondorian prince who claimed that he would not take a weapon of the enemy (the Ring) even if it lay abandoned on the high way? Instead, he was replaced with a creature who desired the Ring as much as Boromir.

The other one I disliked, though this is not a butcherment, persay, but rather a "wrong place wrong time" thing is with Haldir. He did not deserve to die, cut down by some Uruk at Helm's Deep.

And of course, there are many characters who were cut...  

[Ladari]

The two I thought changed (for the worse) were Elrond and Theoden. Both of them lost a lot of their soft sides, and were made to look like cruel, calculating people. Which I didn't dig. Whatever happened to Elrond-"..kind as summer" role, eh?

I also thought that Gimli wasn't as good as he was in the books, and Merry and Pippin. They became too much comic relief. But, they were still good, so I don't have as much of a problem with it.

One of the charecters I thought were better in the movies was Arwen. I mean, I was mad they took out Glorfindel, but it was nice to see Arwen as more than just a Luthien-look-alike/Aragorn's lover/Elrond's kid. She was personified a little. She seemed more human (or Elvish...?).  

[Eruresto]

I HATED what they did to Denethor. instead of portraying him as a noble, but stressed out steward, they made him an evil unthinking villan.  

[[C-Zor]]

I hate the way Gimli was used as a comic relief in the movies...especially in TTT!!!  

[Gussumaru Kenji]

As a movie it isn't really a surprise that characters got butchered. What it comes down to isn't how a character was changed but how ignorant the audience is. I mean really if you put all of us in a movie theater and showed us the movies it wouldn't really matter because we know what the characters are really like. The effect of butchering the characters goes only as far as the viewer will let it go.
Anyway thats my take on the whole topic.  

[Zurgi]

Gussu, that's an interesting take, though I think it is more of a combination.

How the viewer sees the characters is an important factor, but there still is the interpretation of the character on screen that modifies how you view them.

Despite that we have all read the books and know what the character is like in there, you can tell that they may come across in a different light in the movies.

If Aragorn were to prance across the screen in a pink tutu, the butchering is not solely relying on how we see that wink  

[Thak]

I'm gonna say Arwen. Don't get me wrong, I love Arwen, but she's completely different from the book to the movie. In the book she wasn't such an active character. She's there, but she's quieter in the book.

Then there's Haldir. I absolutely love Haldir. But you only see him like once in the movie when he's in an entire chapter in the book.  

[churrlo]

I would have to say that they left Galadriel a little undermined. First of all, she was supposed to be the most beautiful of the elves! Yet I believe that Arwen was a lot prettier. Also, Galadriel was supposed to give gifts to everyone, that later helped them all out during their quests. This wasn't in the movie, which annoyed me! stressed  

[Arien Sun-Maiden]

Sir Ian McKellen did an awesome job with Gandalf, don't get me wrong, but just as there was Agent! Elrond and Sith! Saruman, I was also expecting Gandalf to pull out a metal helmet and start floating metal everywhere, especially in Fangorn Forest.

Actually, Luthien was supposed to be the most fair, and Galadriel's hair I expected to have more color than just pale blonde.  

[churrlo]

Well yes, but Luthien died.  

[Arien Sun-Maiden]

That doesn't make her any less fair, it just adds to her Juliet-like image.  

[churrlo]

Still, when she died then Galadriel became the most beautiful. Or maybe she was just the most beautiful in Middle-Earth, but they still didn't do a good job portraying her.  

[Rudhe]

I think they were trying to work on portarying her as a powerful and regal person, rather than her beauty. You know someone really elfy....more the role of Galadriel than the physical features...after all whats more important?  

[churrlo]

I suppose you are right!