: : If that comes true in the film, then its pretty awful!

: Not really. I mean in the context of a Tolkien scholar and/or purist, yes, you are correct. That is a terrible thing to do. But when placed in a greater context of the mass viewing audience, this idea will, if carried out properly, show just how bad the bad guys are. Remember, the film is not being made exclusively for the White Council and other like-minded afficiondos of Tolkien, it has to appeal to a limited exposure, and non-exposure audience to be successful. And since the film is definately in the "make or break" category for PJ, he is not putting all his eggs in one basket. Multiple audiences have to be considered.

: The "pod orcs" are one way (if used) to hark back to prior images of alien-ness and evil. Even before 1956's "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" the use of "pods" was used as a visual (in literature and visual mediums) to equate audiences to evil beings that mean to do the collective "us" harm. More recent audiences will be able to draw from the "Alien" series, "Gremlins" and "The Puppetmasters" where pods were part of the lifecycle of the "bad guys".

: Thus, while this does change the idea of "good vs evil" and the allowed choices that Tolkien instilled in ME (which is "bad") it does give audiences who have not delved too deeply into this aspect an understanding and an empathy for what the "good guys" are facing (and that is good).

: -RR

I have nothing against the concept of pods, mind you, it is rather the grafted on armour bit.
J.