The Hobbitmovies make significant changes toJ.R.R. Tolkien’s source material, and they miss a major element of the book — though that’s probably to be expected for the adaptations. Following Peter Jackson’sLord of the Ringsmovieswith a screen adaptation ofThe Hobbitfelt like a natural decision for Warner Bros., but the studio’s approach to the latter was questionable. Although the films were commercially successful, a lotwent wrong withThe Hobbittrilogy.
This was partially due to production issues, which caused the series to feel more rushed thanThe Lord of the Rings.However, the choice to splitThe Hobbitinto three movies — despite Tolkien only writing one average-length book — was also a dubious one. It certainly made Warner Bros. more money, but it also necessitated more subplots and action sequences than the source material demanded. Andthat gaveThe Hobbittrilogy a very different vibe than its book counterpart, missing one point of Tolkien’s original story.
The Hobbit Movies Miss A Major Point Of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Book By Focusing On The Action
The Exaggerated Action Distracts From Bilbo’s Evolution
The Hobbitmovies focus heavily on the types of action sequences theLord of the Ringstrilogy is praised for, butthose aren’t nearly as prominent in Tolkien’s book. While the original story does end with a major confrontation, Tolkien only describes it briefly — and the battles and action aren’t centered before that. By contrast, the films add several fights to Bilbo’s journey, and they play them up significantly. It turns a lighter adventure story with a few dark spots into a more epic, high-stakes tale.
This distracts from Bilbo’s evolution as he embarks on this adventure, which is the central focus ofThe Hobbit.
And this distracts from Bilbo’s evolution as he embarks on this adventure, which is the central focus ofThe Hobbit.This isn’t as true ofAn Unexpected Journey, butThe Desolation of SmaugandThe Battle of the Five Armieslose sight of the book’s main story. They favor the action, which isn’t all that surprising given the change in medium. However, it could have been balanced a bit better.
The Hobbit’s Increased Action Was Inevitable For Its Movie Adaptation
The Story Needed Expanding & Action Is A Crowd-Pleaser
It was probably inevitable thatThe Hobbitmovies would exaggerate the book’s action, as such sequences feel very cinematic and tend to please crowds. The battles inThe Lord of the Ringsfilms are still highly praised more than two decades later, and Warner Bros. likely hoped to repeat that success with The Hobbit. And financially, the studio did, thoughThe Hobbitfilms received a mixed reception when it came to their approach to the source material.
10 Harsh Realities Of Rewatching The Hobbit Trilogy, 11 Years After It Ended
Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit emerged in 2012, and has aged well in some respects, but not as well in others, with certain harsh realities evident.
Additionally, splittingThe Hobbitinto three films meant dragging out Tolkien’s original story somehow. Since the action in the book is less detailed, it was an obvious thing to expand on — even if it resulted in the story having a very different feel.The Rings of Powerproves that too many new additions to a text can be controversial, but battles are bound to be fleshed out further on-screen. AndThe Hobbit’s final fight makes for a compelling climax, even if the film leans a bit too far on the action.
