When J. R. R. Tolkien wrote The Hobbit in 1932 and the Lord of the Rings series in the 1940s, I imagine he had no idea the effect it would have over millions of readers. I’m certain he had no idea the way it would take over Hollywood and the film industry. He didn’t know the name Peter Jackson or Orlando Bloom. He probably didn’t even know that his works would come to life on the big screen one day or that they would exist outside of the imaginations of his readers. Not only have they become must-see movies for all, but they have set the standard that most fantasy movies strive to reach.
While the book The Hobbit is an excellent work in its own right, it isn’t as easy for people of this modern age to comprehend. It is full of phrasing, language, and idioms that most people would find irrelevant today. Consider Thorin’s address to the company on page 16 of The Hobbit, “May the hair on his toes never fall out!” Tolkien had his own personal flair with language. Peter Jackson’s film adaptations of the book bridge that gap. Throughout the movies, we see the ideas, themes, and characterizations that are so important to the work of Tolkien.
Tauriel is the perfect example of an expansion to the book. She is not only a strong character on her own, but her character gives the audience a chance to connect to the Dwarves in a way that isn’t in the book. Through her interest in Kili we get to see more of the dwarves and even their backgrounds. They aren’t just gold-loving simpletons who carry axes, but rather much more similar to other types of characters in the book. Through Tauriel, we get a more fleshed-out version of Kili. His death was made much more important than in the book, where his killer is unknown. Tauriel has a deep connection with Kili that causes her to fight to save his life and mourn when he is killed.
While Bard is a character in the book, Jackson’s additions to his character give the movie something the book might have lacked. Bard brings down the dragon, Smaug, in both the film and the book, but we see an entire background on Bard in the movie. On page 250 of The Hobbit, Tolkien writes, “The flames were near him. His companions were leaving him. He bent his bow for the last time.” Bard’s entire character is explained in just a few lines. He’s strong, brave, and determined. Leadership is a heavy theme in Tolkien’s writing, Jackson layers on ideals of strong leadership and guidance to Bard in the way that he takes charge of the people of Lake-town and acts as their voice. While he does kill the dragon in the book as well as the movie, we see more of the bravery and likeness to an ordinary hero, much like we do in the Hobbits.
The movie doesn’t just center on Bilbo and the Company, it also follows another “side-quest.” Gandalf, Radagast, Galadriel, Saurimon, and Elrond face off against Sauron. While they do win the battle, it is just that—a battle in a much larger war. It is one of the many ways that Jackson connects Bilbo’s quest to Frodo’s.
Tolkien was also a poet. He wrote “Far Over the Misty Mountains Cold,” which appears in the first chapter on page 14. In the movie, Jackson juxtaposes the scene of the solemn dwarves humming the song of their history to follow shortly after the busy, happy scene of the dwarves invading Bilbo’s house. It evokes feeling and emotion in a way that isn’t quite accomplished by just reading the lines on the page.
Legolas is a great transition between what is gained and what is lost with the films. While I can see his appearance in the movies as a means to get some bigger names on the credits, he also is a great character to link to the Lord of the Rings movies. His love triangle with Kili and Tauriel feels a bit like a Hollywood stamp on the film, but it also acts as a way to give us more background on the dwarves (through Kili). In regards to plot advancing, Legolas’s role in the movies neither added any new information to the story or clarified other aspects of Tolkien’s The Hobbit.
While there are three movies detailing the journey of Bilbo and the company of dwarves, it seems as though far less time takes place than the book portrays. There seem to be very few scenes of nighttime in the movies, which makes the journey from Bag End to the Lonely Mountain feel much shorter than that of its literary counterpart. In a way, the story feels shorter when it gets dragged out over three movies than it does in the 300-page book. Bilbo is gone from his home for a little over a year, but the movie doesn’t seem to highlight that at all.
Tolkien moved the genre of fantasy in ways that have persisted across many generations. His books tell stories of brave men who take up the call to achieve greatness. The core of his writings center on leadership, courage, and honor—traits that people spend their entire lives trying to attain. But Tolkien doesn’t just build made-to-order heroes or cookie-cutter characters, he plants the seed of true leadership into an ordinary being, like you or me, and grows it until a true hero is born. Peter Jackson seems to understand that concept. In a world where fewer people are getting lost between the pages of literature written nearly one hundred years ago, filmmakers such as Jackson provide a cinematic equivalent of the same ideals Tolkien felt inclined to portray. I find that I am partial to the literary telling of Bilbo, Thorin, and the other dwarves, but I would be remiss not to praise the many additions Jackson gave to an unforgettable story.
Works Cited
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Directed by Peter Jackson, Warner Brothers, 2012.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Directed by Peter Jackson, Warner Brothers, 2013.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. Directed by Peter Jackson, Warner Brothers, 2014.
Tolkien, J. R. R. The Hobbit. New York, Del Rey Books, August 1965.
A.B. Lee Writes 