Peter Jackon is the man behind bringing Tolkien’s books to the big screen in what is arguably some of the best books to movie adaptations ever made. Of course, with any adaptation, there are changes made due to time constraints, generally with lots of content being cut, but Jackson did the complete opposite and afforded The Hobbit three separate films, meaning he could add a lot more content in.
Jackson also took the liberty of making some changes to the characters, portraying them differently in the films than they are in the book. While some characters definitely benefited from Jackon’s creative changes, others were not so lucky.
10 BENEFITED: Radagast
Due to Jackson extending the book’s content into three films, there is a lot of material that was added by utilizing Tolkien’s extensive works that centered around Middle-earth. There are many smaller characters that benefited, with their existing roles in The Hobbit either being expanded upon, or their presence being added entirely where previously they had not been mentioned in The Hobbit, such as Saruman and Galadriel.
Radagast is one of these roles that greatly benefited, as in the book he is only briefly mentioned by Gandalf during a conversation at Rivendell. Jackson made Radagast’s role far more important, as it is Radagast who directs Gandalf to investigate Dol Guldur and the Necromancer.
9 DID NOT BENEFIT: Legolas’s Mother
Though Legolas‘s mother, the wife of Thranduil and Queen of the Woodland Realm, is not mentioned in The Hobbit book or any of Tolkien’s other works for that matter, she is mentioned in the films by a few of the characters.
According to Jackon’s creative vision, she is long dead by the time of The Hobbit film trilogy, but viewers discover that she suffered a rather tragic end. Legolas explains to Tauriel that his mother was taken to Gundabad as a prisoner and was eventually murdered. This backstory serves to add motive to some of Thranduil’s actions within the films and the reason for him wanting to reclaim a necklace that was meant for his wife from Erebor.
8 BENEFITED: Azog
Azog is the father of Bolg, who serves as the main orc leader in The Hobbit book. However, in the films, it is Azog who is controlling the orc army, with his son also serving under him. According to true Tolkien lore, Azog was killed by Dáin during the Battle of Azanulbizar, but the films have him survive this battle, instead only losing an arm to Thorin during the fray.
In this sense, Azog greatly benefits from Jackson’s treatment of the source material as he is given a much larger role and this then adds a sense of personal vendetta to the film, with Azog and Thorin both having unfinished business with one another.
7 DID NOT BENEFIT: Kili
Kili became one of the main characters of The Hobbit films due to his love story with the elf Tauriel, which does not exist in the book. While it could be argued that he benefited from this as it gave him a larger role, it made his character all the more tragic when he was brutally struck down in front of Tauriel.
Additionally, it was a less noble death than he received in the book, where he dies protecting Thorin from the orcs. Furthermore, the films have him injured and left behind in Laketown when the dwarves go on to find the secret door at Erebor, missing out on the climax to their quest. In the books, he is with the dwarves as they arrive at the Lonely Mountain and he even helps Bilbo to discover the door.
6 BENEFITED: Legolas
Legolas certainly benefited from Jackson’s films, as he gains a large role in the second and third films in the trilogy. Legolas is not mentioned at all during The Hobbit book, but as he is the son of Thranduil, it makes complete sense that he would have been around for the events in some capacity.
Arguably, it was pure fan service and the want to link The Lord of the Rings films to The Hobbit trilogy that made Jackson include Legolas, but it was an effective choice that went down well with fans. Viewers enjoyed seeing a younger Legolas so they could learn more background about the elven prince.
5 DID NOT BENEFIT: Gandalf
In Tolkien’s works, Gandalf has been actively searching for traces of Sauron for the last two thousand years and is well aware of the Necromancer, with suspicions that it is Sauron. In the book, he has already visited Dol Guldor, as this is where he found Thorin’s father, Thain, in the dungeons and received the map and key for Erebor.
However, in the films, he is shown to be far less knowledgeable as he doesn’t yet know of the Necromancer. Another poor moment on Gandalf’s behalf in the films is getting captured at Dol Guldor and having to be saved by Galadriel, which never happens in the book. Additionally, Gandalf also loses a couple of key moments of heroism or smart-thinking to other characters in the adaptations.
4 BENEFITED: Tauriel
Tauriel most definitely benefited from the films, as she doesn’t exist anywhere else. She is a creation of Jackson’s and offered up a strong, fierce female character in what would have otherwise been a completely male cast of heroes, especially as Galadriel is not in the book either, though she has appearances in the films.
Tauriel also gave fans a beautiful, yet tragic love story, as well as giving fans insight into the lives of elves and their hierarchy — for example, Thranduil not wishing his son to be with a “lowly Silvan elf”. This is because according to Tolkien’s lore, Thranduil, and by extension Legolas too, are both Sindar elves.
3 DID NOT BENEFIT: Beorn
Beorn is a skin-changer who has the power to change into a great black bear. Though he still plays a role in The Hobbit trilogy, Jackson strips him of his noblest moments from the book. In The Battle of the Five Armies, Beorn is briefly shown to be taking part in the battle as he jumps from the back of an eagle and transforms to fight.
However, in the book he has a much larger role. It is Beorn who kills Bolg in the book, the leader of the orcs, and Beorn also carries the injured Thorin away from the battlefield. Regrettably, he loses these scenes in the films to make for a more dramatic ending for Thorin and company.
2 BENEFITED: Bilbo Baggins
Bilbo Baggins is the protagonist of The Hobbit, and as such, he’s one of the most well-known characters from the franchise. Jackson does the little hobbit a lot of justice and the character benefits greatly from the changes made in the films.
In the films, Bilbo is shown to be far cleverer than he is in the book. One example of this is in An Unexpected Journey, where it is he who saves the dwarves by tricking the trolls until dawn rises, which causes them to turn into stone. However, in the book, it is actually Gandalf who tricks the trolls by throwing his voice and causing them to bicker amongst themselves.
1 DID NOT BENEFIT: Thranduil
Thranduil is a character that did not benefit from Jackson’s treatment. Though he remains one of the coolest characters in the films, arguably more impactful than he was in the books, his personality is more hardened and his backstory more tragic. In the films, Thranduil is a widower who still greatly mourns his wife and is obsessed with the gem necklace that was meant for her.
He has a burned face that he attributes to the “serpents of the north”, this is completely fabricated by Jackson and there is no mention anywhere of elves being able to hide wounds like this in Tolkien’s books. Additionally, his personality is far more severe in the films, with him seeming unfeeling and uncaring, even telling Bard that he did not come on their behalf when bringing aid, but because he wanted to reclaim the gems of Lasgalen.
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