Huge Plot Points From 'Lord Of The Rings' That Changed For The Films
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Aragorn's Fellow Dúnedain Descendants Are Missing
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As a Ranger of the North, Aragorn's job entails more than just wandering around. He is a descendant of the Dúnedain, an ancient race of Men whose purpose is to stalk the free lands, smiting evil wherever they can. They are superior warriors and live three times as long as normal humans, which explains why Aragorn is 87 years old in the movies despite looking relatively young.
In the books, Aragorn is the leader of the Rangers of the North, and the Grey Company (a division within the group) assists him throughout the War of the Ring. From The Two Towers on, the Grey Company supports basically everything Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas do, but the group is totally absent from the films.
Should this be in the movies? - 2
Arwen's Brothers Are Nowhere To Be Seen
The movies feature Elrond's daughter, Arwen, but there's no mention of the Lord of Rivendell's twin sons, Elrohir and Elladan. In the books, not only are they companions of Aragorn's father, they also work closely with the Rangers of the North (and Aragorn himself) prior to the War of the Ring. During the war, they accompany Aragorn through pretty much all the events of The Return of the King. These twin brothers stick by Aragorn's side all the way to the bitter end, yet Legolas is the only Elf depicted in the film's final battle.
Should this be in the movies? - 3
Merry Loses His Invaluable Barrow-Blade In The Films
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While exploring the hallowed Barrow-downs in The Fellowship of the Ring, Tom Bombadil helps the Hobbits find several Barrow-blades, ancient daggers crafted by the Dúnedain. They forged these special weapons to conquer evil, and the Fellowship's eventual triumph over the Witch-king of Angmar (the leader of the Nazgûl) is only possible because of the Barrow-blades.
In the films, Aragorn gives the Hobbits their Barrow-blades, since the adventure through the Barrow-downs never happens. But Merry and Pippin lose their daggers when they're captured late in the first film, and they're never explicitly seen retrieving them. For this reason, when Merry and Éowyn later succeed in killing the Witch-king, it doesn't make much sense.
While the movies accurately depict how the heroes slay the Witch-king, they shouldn't be able to kill him - the weapon Merry stabs him with was not created by the Dúnedain to vanquish evil. This inconsistency led some fans to speculate that in the films, the Witch-king is temporarily disabled, but not fully killed.
Should this be in the movies? - 4
The Ents Don't Go To War During The Entmoot
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In the film version of The Two Towers, Merry and Pippin make a concerted effort to convince Treebeard and the Ents that they need to destroy Saruman. Somehow, these ancient spirits of the forest are completely oblivious to the evil wizard actively destroying their home. They hold their Entmoot, but ultimately decide not to go to war.
In the books, the Ents are much more willing to go and stand up to evil, and are totally down to engage in brutal warfare. Their decision isn't influenced by Hobbit coercion - Treebeard and his allies are already committed to the cause.
Should this be in the movies? - 5
The Shire Isn't Taken Over By Saruman At The End
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In the movies, the Hobbits live happily ever after (for the most part) once the War of the Ring ends, but that's not what happens in the books. Originally, Frodo and his fellow Hobbits return to the Shire to find it's been overrun by Saruman (operating under the name Sharkey) and his cronies. They're thrust into the Battle of Bywater, wherein the four returning heroes lead their fellow Hobbits into battle against Saruman.
Considering how long the extended cut of The Return of the King already is, it's no surprise this part is missing from the film. But the vision Frodo sees in the Mirror of Galadriel does allude to it.
Should this be in the movies? - 6
The Hobbits Never Explore The Barrow-Downs
In the books, the Hobbits leave Tom Bombadil's hospitality only to run into more trouble pretty much immediately. A few hours after their departure, Frodo and company decide to stop for lunch on the Barrow-downs, a once-peaceful resting place for those cursed by the Witch-king of Angmar. One of the king's evil spirits (a Barrow-wight) pulls the Hobbits into a tomb, and Frodo calls out to Bombadil, who returns to save the day. In the tomb, the Hobbits each collect ancient Dúnedain knives, which do not appear in the movies.
Should this be in the movies? - 7
Wormtongue Doesn't Kill Saruman At The End
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While the extended cut of The Return of the King includes the scene where Wormtongue murders Saruman, it wasn't in the theatrical version, and the bonus scene is only loosely based on the events of the book. Originally, Wormtongue kills Saruman at the very end of the story, after the Battle of Bywater at the Shire. Once the battle concludes, Wormtongue slits Saruman's throat right on Frodo's doorstep. After that, Wormtongue is shot down by a bunch of arrows. While Wormtongue does get killed by arrows after killing Saruman in the extended film, the specifics of the scene exclude the fight at the Shire.
Should this be in the movies? - 8
The Movies Skip Over Major Battles
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While the Lord of the Rings films are full of epic battles, a number of conflicts are completely absent. In the books, the War of the Ring takes place on a much grander scale than the films depict, with battles taking place at Dale (the city of Men in the shadow of the Lonely Mountain), Mirkwood (the Elven forest kingdom located in Eastern Rhovanion), and Lórien (the Elven kingdom ruled by Galadriel, south of the Misty Mountains). The Battle of Lórien is vaguely shoehorned into The Two Towers, as the Elven warriors who assist at the Battle of Helm's Deep don't appear there in the books.
Should this be in the movies? - 9
Tom Bombadil Is Nowhere To Be Seen
In a world filled with strange, enigmatic characters, Tom Bombadil stands above the rest. The Elves call him Iarwain Ben-adar, which means "Oldest and Fatherless" in the Common tongue, and he may indeed be the oldest being in the world of Arda. He lives right by the Shire, and in the books, Frodo and his Hobbit companions run into him shortly after entering the Old Forest.
He saves Merry and Pippin from Old Man Willow (who's also missing in the films) and hosts the Hobbits in his home. What's more, Bombadil is completely impervious to the One Ring's effects, and it doesn't make him invisible when he puts it on.
Should this be in the movies? - 10
Arwen Replaces Glorfindel
Glorfindel is one of the Firstborn Elves and plays a significant role in the history of Middle Earth. During the events of The Lord of the Rings, Glorfindel almost becomes a member of the Fellowship and makes the group's formation possible. In the films, Arwen steps up and takes over most of Glorfindel's responsibilities.
When Arwen rescues Frodo after the Nazgûl stabs him, she's doing a job that belonged to Glorfindel in the book. This change gives her character more of a purpose than just being a love interest.
Should this be in the movies? - 11
Radagast The Brown Should Have Been In The First Movie
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The quirky, animal-loving wizard Radagast the Brown finally appeared in the Hobbit film trilogy, which is a little strange considering how he was only briefly mentioned in the book. Radagast appears in the Fellowship of the Ring book, though he doesn't play a large role.
In the movies, Gandalf and the Hobbits initially part ways so the Grey Wizard can seek Saruman's guidance. In the books, Saruman sends Radagast to seek out Gandalf and tell him to come to Isengard.
Should this be in the movies? - 12
The Films Cut Fatty Bolger's Role
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Originally, Frodo's crew of Hobbits included one more pint-size pal. In the books, Fredegar "Fatty" Bolger is a close friend to Frodo, and though he ends up backing out of the expedition to Rivendell at the last moment, he does serve a purpose by staying in the Shire. His job is to fool the rest of the community so they don't realize Frodo is missing. When the evil wizard Saruman invades the Shire at the end of the book trilogy, Bolger is also heavily involved in the ensuing battle. In the Fellowship movie, Bilbo does mention the Bolgers during his birthday speech, but not Fredegar specifically.
Should this be in the movies? - 13
Old Man Willow, The Spirit Of The Old Forest, Was Chopped
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In the Fellowship of the Ring book, just after the Hobbits leave the Shire on their quest to Rivendell, they enter the Old Forest and quickly run into trouble. They're forced to deal with Old Man Willow, an ancient willow tree who uses his powers to make them fall asleep. Merry and Pippin are hapless enough to fall asleep against his trunk, allowing him to consume them. Fortunately, Tom Bombadil saves the day, singing the ancient tree to sleep and rescuing the Hobbits.
Should this be in the movies? - 14
Sauron Never Regains His Body In The Movies
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The first film's depiction of Sauron losing the One Ring is quite true to the books. The sorcerer loses his corporeal form, but his essence remains alive because the Ring isn't destroyed. But by the start of the War of the Ring, he regains his physical form in the books.
The flaming eye depicted in the movies is one of Jackson's more original creations. The eye is Sauron's symbol, but in the books it's not the literal manifestation of his being. Sauron's corporeal form doesn't really factor into the story in the books, so the exclusion doesn't fundamentally change the story in the films.
Should this be in the movies? - 15
A Bunch Of Songs And Poems Are Missing
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In the final LOTR film, the men of Gondor ride to their inevitable deaths as Pippin sings a hauntingly beautiful song. The lyrics come straight from the book, yet it's the only one of Tolkien's songs that features in the movie trilogy. The one included song is a testament to what could have been if Peter Jackson had dipped more liberally into the series' rich collection of songs. For example, in the books, Frodo sings a little tune at the Prancing Pony, which makes him come across as less despondent than his dour film counterpart.
Should this be in the movies?
