Thoughts about LEGO Lord of the Rings...

When I got my first look at the upcoming LEGO Lord of the Rings sets this weekend, I was filled with equal parts excitement (for the hours of fun I'll get building and playing with them) and nervousness (for the hundreds of dollars I'll end up spending on them).  Then excitement took over for good when I thought of the impending possibility of a LEGO Lord of the Rings videogame coming down the pipeline.  I mean, LEGO has made successful games out of Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Batman, Harry Potter, even Pirates of the Caribbean... pretty much every property they've licensed that wasn't based on a videogame to begin with (that of course excludes Prince of Persia).

Now, an interesting question about these licensed LEGOs is whether they're based solely on the Oscar winning films, or whether they draw from the source material more directly?  This issue not only affects whether we'll get to see a Tom Bombadil LEGO set, but it also impacts the plot of this potential videogame.  Because, as much as I'm a fan of the movies, I definitely take issue with a few of the storytelling choices made by Peter Jackson and Philippa Boyens - most notable among these is the complete deviation from Tolkien's character of Aragorn.  I'll explain this particular issue in detail below, and when I do, I hope I will get everyone hoping for a more faithful adaptation of the story in LEGO videogame form.

"I do not want that power. I have never wanted it."

This line is spoken by Aragorn in The Fellowship of the Ring movie when Arwen (haven't seen a minifig version of her yet) brings up the subject of his lineage.  For those of you who missed the movies, Aragorn is descended in direct line from Isildur, who took up his father Elendil's broken sword and used it to cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand.  It takes him three movies, but eventually Aragorn owns up to his role in the epic tale, reforges the Sword that was Broken, and takes his rightful place as the King of Gondor.

The story of the unwilling hero, imbued with some great innate talent, but who is unable to use it for whatever reason, is certainly recognizable enough in the line of epic storytelling.  Joseph Campbell describes it in depth, outlining the process whereby the potential-hero leaves the familiar world and goes on a journey of self-discovery in order to "return with the elixir" and activate the hero-potential.  Aragorn is certainly a hero in the midst of a Hero's Journey, but when we meet him in The Fellowship of the Ring, his journey is far advanced beyond the point of having any doubts about who he is, what power he has, or whether/how to use that power.

Aragorn's lineage carries with it more than just his inheritance, which is basically rulership over all the free lands of Middle Earth.  The fact that he's a descendant of kings means that the blood of a more ancient and powerful race of men runs through his veins.  Now, this isn't an issue of racism or eugenics; in Tolkien's world of fantasy and mythology, not all Men (or Elves) are created equal.  The very first and most  powerful humans (the Numenoreans) were taller, hardier, and longer-lived than the current species, their blood having been mingled with lesser men over the generations.  As a direct descendant, the blood of Numenor runs nearly true in Aragorn, which is evident in his advanced age: 87 years old, which is "no longer young even in the reckoning of Men of the Ancient Houses."

Perhaps Aragorn went through a period of doubt about his true potential, but if so, this liminal stage likely took place between age 20 and 25 - after Elrond revealed to him his true name and ancestry, but before his friendship with Gandalf.  All this is detailed in the extensive appendix to Return of the King (the book) and might potentially make good subject matter for a prequel to Aragorn's Quest (the Wii game).  Or maybe even another movie.  Lord knows Peter Jackson and Co. will need to come up with some more ideas before the intellectual property rights default to someone else.  But the point is, over his six decades of adventuring, the literary Aragorn has a fully-developed sense of who he is and what he will become.

Another way the Aragorn of the books honors his link with the past is his relationship with Elendil's broken sword, called Narsil.  This is Aragorn's heirloom, a symbol of both his lineage and his identity; so much so that when the Hobbits first meet Aragorn in the books, he carries the useless shards of Narsil with him rather than bear any other weapon.  He has the sword reforged in Rivendell (and renames it Andúril, Flame of the West) before the Fellowship sets out, and subsequently invokes the blade's ancient power at many points throughout their journey.  By contrast, in the movies he wields some random sword until the third movie when Elrond finally delivers Andúril to him.  Here I was assuming that Peter and Philippa made all these drastic changes to Aragorn's character so the audience could see him make the choice to become king... but then he doesn't even make the choice at all! His birthright LITERALLY falls into his lap.

The Lord of the Rings LEGO sets are slated to hit shelves this summer, and nothing about a game has been announced at this juncture.  We can only hope that The LEGO Group takes its tried and true path with licensed products and sends our favorite fellowship to consoles everywhere.  And if/when they do, we can only hope that the game draws from ALL the source material rather than acting as a copy of a copy of an adaptation.  But based on the company motto - LEGO is derived from the Swedish phrase "leg godt" meaning "play well" - I'm sure they'll make the right choice.