I finally finished reading The Hobbit and the LOTR trilogy. Granted there were very many details that I skimmed over - the entire series were great. JRR Tolkien was and is a great author who has created a new world unparalleled except I guess by our real world. The funny thing about reading the books was that my mind was completely free and open to the Hobbit because I hadn’t seen the movie while my mind was wholly tainted by the movies which I think made the LOTR books less interesting. There are a lot of differences between the movie and the book, obviously. Keep in mind that I am a LOTR noob and that, honestly, my opinions don’t matter that much and so if you’re offended by them, get over it.
My opinion on the differences:
- I’m glad that Arwen was given a larger role in the movie. In the books, even though Eowyn inquires about Aragorn’s love life, he doesn’t give her a straight answer. There’s no mention of Arwen really except for at the dinner at Rivendell. I think that Liv Tyler did a great job as Arwen and her hope and spirit added to the movie. Also, there should be more than one great female character.
- There definitely are a lot of minor details that pop up at the end after the ring is destroyed. Aragorn’s relationship with Arwen isn’t really cemented until their wedding at the end. Rosie Cotton isn’t introduced until the end. So I love that Peter Jackson gave Sam’s character a deeper level by introducing his crush on Rosie Cotton earlier on in the movie.
- Saruman’s comeback in the Shire. I think this would’ve made a great addendum to the film. Maybe as a bonus track… I don’t want to spoil this for people who haven’t read the books, but this was a great moment of glory for Sam, Merry, and Pippin.
- Did you all know that Frodo is supposed to be 50+ years old when he starts the adventure out of Hobbiton? He is in possession of the ring for more than 20 years before Gandalf comes to tell him what he has discovered. Overall, I think the distribution of time is kind of odd in the books. Although it takes over 20 years for the truth about the ring to be discovered, the time it takes for Frodo to make it up the black stairs and into Shelob’s lair is like less than 2 days. This might not make too much sense haha but when I was reading the book and then JRR Tolkien drops the time difference, I was like whaa?
Overall though, I’m glad that I read this epic story. Epic isn’t really a good word because this kind of imagination is truly genius and once in a lifetime.. I guess I should quote Gandalf in his description of hobbits in relation to books,
“Hobbits (BOOKS) really are amazing creatures. You can learn all there is to know about their ways in a month, and yet after a hundred years they can still surprise you.
I think that the Hobbit and The LOTR books have a lot to offer and I appreciate it for its wealth of creativity. However, I dont think that I’ll be drawing maps or cosplaying anytime soon.
