Plot Revisions #1: Lord of The Rings Edition

Premise:

In one move, vastly improve the plot of a movie, book, or epic poem.

Case #1:

Lord of the Rings.


Revision:


Give the palantir of Orthanc to Treebeard.





The palantir of Orthanc (pictured above), for those who don't know, was an orb in the Lord of the Rings series. This orb contained considerable power for those who held it. Yet, coupled with this power was the potential for undesired consequences. For the palantir imparts clarity of vision to those who hold it. They can communicate with the holders of other palantirs, and use them to see what is happening through the other portal. Sauron, the story's antagonist uses the palantir he has access to in order to manipulate and subvert the actions of those who would fight against him.

Gandalf is a very competent leader and military strategist. As far as that goes, no one in the storyline rivals his abilities. But where he went wrong was with the palantir. Gandalf gains access to it after the Ents defeat Saruman at Isengard. He keeps hold of it, until Pippen nabs it from him while he is sleeping. He (Pippen) has contact with Sauron through the palantir, and fortuitously sees a dying tree (simbolizing Gondor). So, Gandalf and friends find out where Sauron is plotting his next attack, yet at the cost of Pippen becoming Sauron's main target, and at the risk of Pippen letting him know something very costly (Frodo's quest to destroy the ring). Now, this obviously didn't happen, but it could have.

It is at Isengard, when Gandalf first gets the palantir, that he could have decided differently.

So why oh why, you ask, should we give the palantir to Treebeard? He knows nothing.

Exactly. You grab the palantir from Pippen when he first picks it up, hand it to Treebeard and say,

"Go to town."

"Buuuut whaat shaaall IIII doooo wiiiiiiith thiiiiiis?"

"I don't care, just don't lose it, and keep your hands on it at all times."

"Ooohhkaaay."


He takes it, and off towards his duties as keeper of Isengard.

He takes the palantir, peering into it.

Sauron, sensing the use of one of the orbs, quickly attempts to seize this opportunity to bend the will of his enemies towards his own. An ominous, peircing voice enters Treebeard's head.


"I SEE YOU!! WAIT. WHO IS THIS?"


" I am not going to tell you my name, not yet at any rate. For one thing it would take a long while: my name is growing all the time, and I've lived a very long, long time; so my name is like a story. Real names tell you the story of things they belong to in my language, in the Old Entish as you might say. It is a lovely language, but it takes a very long time saying anything in it, because we do not say anything in it, unless it is worth taking a long time to say, and to listen to."



"TELL ME OF YOUR PLANS. WHAT OF THE RING, THE WAR!"


'Hoom, hum, I have not troubled about the Great Wars. They mostly concern Elves and Men. That is the business of Wizards: Wizards are always troubled about the future. I do not like worrying about the future. I am not altogether on anybody's side, because nobody is altogether on my side, if you understand me: nobody cares for the woods as I care for them, not even Elves nowadays. "


"HAVE YOU NOT ANYTHING OF VALUE?"


"'When Summer lies upon the world,
and in a noon of gold


("NO. NOT POETRY. NOT LIKE THIS.")


Beneath the roof of sleeping leaves
the dreams of trees unfold;


("GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!")



When woodland halls are green and cool,
and wind is in the West,


(We see the Red Eye, the Evil Eye, the Lidless Eye desperately searching for the source of its antagonism)


Come back to me! Come back to me,

(The Lidless Eye begins to close. It is still fighting off the intense dreariness, but the soothing low, hoarse voice is too much)

and say my land is best!"

(The Eye is at rest. Treebeard looks back into the palantir, and is about to begin lecturing Sauron on the evils of the orcs, but he noticed his audience captive with sleep, decides not to attempt to wake him. )

What happens next? Well, Frodo and Sam now have a lot easier road to destroy the ring. If the eye went to sleep, it would seem unlikely that the hoards of mordor would still be motivated to fight, given the loss of their leader. He was indescribably important, and terribly motivating to their cause. So that's all. That's it movie over, and we're done in less than 2 hours. Who doesn't like that?