The Lord of the Ringsis J.R.R. Tolkien’s most famous literary work. But what most people don’t realize is that our adventures in Middle-earth actually began withThe Hobbit, or There and Back Again.Published in 1937,The Hobbitis a fantastical children’s bookthatwas meant to be a stand-alone work. But its tremendous critical and commercial success pushed Tolkien’s publisher to request a sequel. And thus,The Lord of the Ringstrilogy was born.
75 years afterThe Hobbit’spublication, Peter Jackson, the acclaimed filmmaker who adaptedThe Lord of the Rings,brought Bilbo and his adventures from the page to the silver screen. But not everyone was happy with the results. Jackson and his team took many creative liberties with the source material. Here are 10 of the worst changes betweenThe Hobbitmovies and the book that likely have J.R.R. Tolkien rolling in his grave.
10Gratuitous Inclusion of LOTR Characters
One of the cool things aboutThe Hobbitmovies is thatit brings back some of the most beloved characters fromThe Lord of the Rings, like Bilbo, Gandalf (played again by Ian McKellan), and Gollum (played again by Andy Serkis). And it makes sense. These characters all appear prominently in Tolkien’s book. But that wasn’t enough for Peter Jackson and company.
The filmmakers brought back a host of characters who never appeared inThe Hobbit,such as Legolas, Frodo, Galadriel, and Saruman. Adding all these characters felt like gratuitous fanfare – but even the fans weren’t crazy about these characters' inclusions.
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9The Deaths of Kíli and Fíli
For a children’s book, there are a surprising amount of deaths inThe Hobbit.Three of the dwarves – Thorin and his two nephews, Kíli and Fíli – all meet untimely fates.
During the Battle of the Five Armies, Kíli and Fíli are slain while defending their mortally wounded uncle. They both die like heroes in an act of self-sacrifice. In the films, however, Kíli and Fíli are savagely murdered by Orcs, simply to provoke Thorin. Many fans felt like this change was a disservice to Kíli and Fíli, depriving them of their noble, heroic deaths in the books.
8Bogging Down the Story with Battles
As a children’s book,The Hobbitfollows a very simple story. Its unassuming hero, Bilbo Baggins, joins Gandalf and thirteen dwarves on a quest to reclaim the dwarves' home and treasure from a dragon. It’s the classic hero’s journey. But Jackson’s trilogy bogs down this delightfully simple, straightforward plot by adding too many unnecessary battles and action sequences.
The Battle of the Five Armies, for example, spans only a couple of chapters in the book. And yet, it receivedan entire three-hour film that was literally called,The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.And speaking of the Battle of the Five Armies.
7Beorn’s Role in the Battle of the Five Armies
Beorn is a beloved supporting character inThe Hobbit.He’s a skin-changer, a man who can transform into a bear at will. He proves to be a significant character in Tolkien’s book, as well as Middle-earth history. It’s Beorn who delivers the finishing blow to the enemy, killing the goblin general and winning the Battle of the Five Armies.
Beorn is present during the battle in the films, pulverizing Orcs in his bear form. But it’s Thorin, not Beorn, who claims victory over the goblin general. A good segue into our next point…
6Including Azog in the Story
Azog the Defiler is an Orc chiefand a legendary figure in Tolkien’s history of Middle-earth. And he’s already long dead by the timeThe Hobbitbegins. This character doesnotappear in the book. He’s mentioned only in passing – literally in a single sentence – as having killed Thorin’s grandfather, Thrór. The goblin general, who Beorn slays in the Battle of the Fire Armies, is unnamed inThe Hobbitbut is now known as Bolg, the son of the late Azog. In the films, Jackson altered Tolkien history (a big no-no for many fans) and turned Azog into the trilogy’s primary antagonist. Bolg appeared in the films, too, as a secondary antagonist.
It wasn’t just the historical inaccuracy that upset fans. They also disliked how Azog’s presence took away from the story’s true antagonist, Smaug. Azog’s CGI-heavy appearance was also widely condemned.The Lord of the Ringstrilogy won Oscars for its make-up and practical effects, and many fans were disappointed thatThe Hobbitfranchise veered away from this stylistic choice.
5Too Much Focus on Thorin
A Dwarf-King living in exile, Thorin Oakenshield is the head dwarf in bothThe Hobbitbook and movies. His group of thirteen dwarves is literally called Thorin’s Company. He’s an important character in the story, leading the charge against the dragon, Smaug. But many fans felt that Thorin’s role inThe Hobbitmovie was a littletoosignificant, putting him at center stage over Bilbo.
As mentioned earlier, it’s Thorin, not Beorn, who defeats the goblin general in the films. Fans also took issue with the character’s portrayal, which made him seem more arrogant and less sympathetic than he was in the book.
4How Bilbo Got His Sword, Sting
There are many iconic weapons inThe Lord of the Ringsfranchise, and Bilbo’s short sword, Sting, is one of them. A large Elvish dagger, it glows blue whenever Orcs are near. Sting is a significant piece of Bilbo’s character development in the book. He happens to come across Sting while rummaging through a troll hoard and later uses it to fend off giant spiders. After his victory, Bilbo bestows the dagger with the name “Sting,” a pivotal moment that signifies his acceptance of this adventure and the ancient world he’s now found himself in.
But in the films, Bilbo is merely given the dagger by Gandalf. It’s a moment of lazy writing that marks yet another departure from Tolkien’s history.
3Tauriel and Her Love Triangle
Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly) isan original charactercreated forThe Hobbittrilogy, appearing in the second and third movies. A Woodland Elf, she’s the female version of Legolas, a warrior who expertly wields a bow and arrow.
Most fans disliked Tauriel’s character and felt like she was an unnecessary addition. Even more unnecessary, they felt, was Tauriel’s love triangle between Legolas and the dwarf, Kíli. To fans, it was just another useless subplot that took away from the original story.
2Not Enough Focus on Bilbo
As we’ve already established, Bilbo is the protagonist ofThe Hobbit.This is supposed to behisstory.The Hobbittrilogy, however, makes Bilbo feel like an ancillary character. All three movies seem to focus on Thorin over Bilbo, on the conflict with Azog over the central conflict with Smaug.
And it’s no surprise. Thorin represents the standard Hollywood hero, an attractive protagonist with a glorious destiny. He’s basically the Aragorn ofThe Hobbitfilms. But at least, withThe Lord of the Rings,the movies still feel largely like Frodo’s story.
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1Splitting One Book Into Three Movies
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
The worst change from Tolkien’s book is the sheer length of this adaptation.The Hobbitis a 300-something-page children’s book. And Peter Jackson and company turned it into 3 three-hour films. Look, we get it. Jackson wanted to make an epic trilogy that was reminiscent ofThe Lord of the Rings.But there just wasn’t enough source material to make three quality films.Maybetwo, but certainly not three.
Because of that, Jackson and company dragged out this story with weak subplots, unnecessary characters, and bloated battle sequences. Doing so took away fromThe Hobbit’ssimple but special story, making it feel as though these movies only exist to set upThe Lord of The Rings.
