Justice for Farmer Maggot!
No fantasy work has dominated the look and feel of the genre like J. R. R. Tolkien‘s The Lord of the Rings. The epic and breathtaking saga takes audiences to the land of Middle-earth, threatened by the dark lord, Sauron, who can only be defeated when his One Ring is destroyed. A group of brave individuals from different races band together on a perilous journey to destroy the ring in the fires of Mount Doom.
From 2001 to 2003, Peter Jackson adapted the story into one of the most successful and beloved film trilogies ever made. Despite the films being faithful to the books in many ways, some moments were cut and condensed, and other choices were made to make the story work for the film. These adaptations resulted in several characters feeling underutilized compared to their literary counterparts, from beloved main characters to forgettable supporting players.
10 Sauron
Played by Alan Howard
The greatest lieutenant to the original Dark Lord, Morgoth, Sauron took up his master’s mantle when he was defeated and attempted to conquer Middle Earth instead of corrupting and destroying it. His plan to control the leader of the free peoples with the legendary rings of power almost succeeded, but he eventually fell, and the One Ring was cut from his hand. However, the ring wasn’t destroyed, so Sauron regained his power and began a new war of conquest.
Jackson’s version of Sauron has left its mark on popular culture, especially through the image of his spirit as a single, lidless eye of fire atop his fortress of Bara Dur. However, while he feels like a powerful, unstoppable physical force, the movies don’t quite capture Sauron’s cunning mind and skill at manipulation. Instead, he is an archetype, the idea of evil embodied by a flaming eye. While not bad, this approach makes the Dark Lord feel pigeonholed.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
- Release Date
- December 19, 2001
- Director
- Peter Jackson
- Cast
- Elijah Wood , Ian McKellen , Orlando Bloom , Sean Bean , Alan Howard , Sean Astin , Andy Serkis , Viggo Mortensen
- Runtime
- 178 minutes
9 Saruman
Played by Sir Christopher Lee
To combat the evils of Sauron, Saruman (Sir Christopher Lee) and four other wizards travel to Middle Earth to aid the free people against his tyranny. Saruman becomes the head of the order and is tasked with facing Sauron head-on, spending much of his time studying ancient lore about the rings of power. Unfortunately, this leads him to corruption, and he joins forces with Sauron.
Lee’s portrayal of Saruman is one of the strongest aspects of the first two movies. However, his efforts are unfortunately undercut due to the baffling decision to cut Saruman’s death from the beginning of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. This omission leaves Saruman’s story with no proper conclusion except Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellen) vaguely saying that he has no more power, which feels like a massive oversight given Saruman’s deadly intellect. Then there is the absence of Saruman’s takeover of the Shire, which many fans lament due to its thematic importance to Tolkien’s narrative.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
- Release Date
- December 18, 2002
- Director
- Peter Jackson
- Cast
- Bruce Allpress , Sean Astin , John Bach , Sala Baker , Cate Blanchett , Orlando Bloom
- Runtime
- 179 minutes
- Writers
- J.R.R. Tolkien , Fran Walsh , Philippa Boyens , Stephen Sinclair , Peter Jackson
8 Elrond
Played by Hugo Weaving
The lord of the elven valley of Rivendell, Elrond Half-elven (Hugo Weaving), was born of a human and elf pairing in the First Age. He is among Middle Earth’s wisest beings and willing to share that wisdom with those in need. He also fostered the heir to the kingdom of Gondor, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), and wields one of the three elven rings, Vilya, the ring of air.
Jackson0s many changes to Aragorn’s storyline unfortunately bled into Elrond’s character. He’s depicted as having a very low opinion of humanity due to Isildur’s (Harry Sinclair) inability to destroy the ring. Thus, he treats Aragorn with contempt, especially as the future king pursues a romantic relationship with his daughter, Arwen (Liv Tyler). Elrond even goes so far as to lie to Arwen about her future with Aragorn to get her to leave Middle Earth, which altogether makes him feel more mean-spirited than the wise, fatherly figure he’s meant to be.
7 Éomer
Played by Karl Urban
The nephew of Theoden (Bernard Hill), king of Rohan, Éomer (Karl Urban) serves his uncle faithfully as Marshal of the Mark. Unfortunately, Grima Wormtongue (Brad Dourif), Theoden’s advisor who switched allegiance to Saruman and helped poison Theoden’s mind, banishes him from court. Yet even in banishment, Éomer refuses to ignore his duties and leads the riders of Rohan against Saruman’s raiders until the King’s mind is cleared.
In the film, Éomer is a supportive ally of the Fellowship but isn’t given many chances to flesh out his character, especially compared to his book counterpart. His relationship with Aragorn, Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), and Legolas (Orlando Bloom) is standoffish in the films, and even when they form a friendship through battle, it never feels very close. Éomer also loses out on his speech during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, which was instead combined with Theoden’s speech before the Rohirrim charge.
6 Arwen
Played by Liv Tyler
The daughter of Elrond and granddaughter of the Lady of Lothlorien, Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), Arwen was said to be the most beautiful of the final generation of elves on Middle Earth. She met Aragorn while he was raised at Rivendell and the two developed a deep love for one another. Even though choosing to marry Aragorn would mean giving up her immortality, Arwen never wavered in her choice.
Arwen has an expanded role in the Lord of the Rings movies compared to her book counterpart, which can be seen as an improvement, adding more time to develop her romance with Aragorn. However, the filmmakers don’t give Arwen much to do: she spends most of her time debating whether to leave and still barely interacts with Aragorn since he’s off saving the world. Perhaps the most tragic loss is that she doesn’t knit Aragorn’s royal banner in the film, which is a beautiful way to show that Arwen never lost faith that Aragorn would become king and see evil defeated.
5 Denethor
Played by John Noble
As the current steward of Gondor, Denethor (John Noble) oversees and protects the country until the true king returns to his throne. When the One Ring is rediscovered, he sends his eldest son, Boromir (Sean Bean), north to recover it as a weapon against Sauron’s armies. Yet as the war rages on, and it seems unlikely that good will prevail over evil, Denethor gives into madness and despair.
The trilogy’s version of Denethor is a pale shadow of what he could have been. The movies capture his descent into madness and misery but not the image of the proud, wise, and noble ruler he was before breaking. In the books, he does a better job preparing the defense of Minas Tirith and even lights the beacons himself before Gandalf and Pippin (Billy Boyd) arrive. Most egregiously, the film doesn’t explain that his corruption comes from using one of the seven Palantir to try and combat Sauron, which allowed the Dark Lord to feed him misinformation and darken his thoughts.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
- Release Date
- December 17, 2003
- Cast
- Noel Appleby , Alexandra Astin , Sean Astin , David Aston , John Bach , Sean Bean
- Runtime
- 201 minutes
- Writers
- J.R.R. Tolkien , Fran Walsh , Philippa Boyens , Peter Jackson
4 Gimli
Played by John Rhys-Davies
Son of Glóin, one of the thirteen dwarves who retook the kingdom of Erebor with Bilbo Baggins (Sir Ian Holm), Gimli attends the Council of Elrond with his father as representative of the dwarves to decide the fate of the One Ring. He joins the Fellowship to ensure the One Ring’s destruction and to investigate the fate of his cousin, Balin, who led an expedition into the Mines of Moria. During his travels, Gimli develops a bond with the elf, Legolas, despite the age-old hatred between their people.
Jackson and his crew made Gimli one of the trilogy’s main comic reliefs, painting a different picture of the character despite Rhys-Davies’ admittedly phenomenal job. Movie watchers miss out on Gimli’s love for beauty, especially when it formed naturally like in caves. His vivid description of the caves at Helms Deep convinced Legolas to check them out once the war was over, and the two bonded over their shared love of nature just as much as their rivalry in battle.
3 Frodo
Played by Elijah Wood
The nephew and chosen heir of Bilbo Baggins, Frodo (Elijah Wood) inherits many of his uncle’s eccentric habits, such as a love of maps and an inquisitive nature for the world beyond the borders of the Shire. Receiving Bilbo’s possessions following his departure on his 111th birthday, Frodo becomes the Ring Bearer and sets off to destroy the One Ring while battling its influence every step of the journey.
The biggest in the Lord of the Rings films is making Frodo more helpless compared to his literary and animated self. Many of his moments of courage and competency are stripped away to make him more vulnerable and help better showcase the physical and mental anguish he is under due to the One Ring’s influence. The trilogy also cut out the seventeen-year gap between Bilbo and Frodo’s departures from the Shire, meaning that film Frodo is lacking in life experience and maturity when he sets out.
2 Faramir
Played by David Wenham
The second son of Denethor, Faramir (David Wenham) spends his life protecting Gondor. Though not as well-loved as his older brother, Boromir, Faramir fosters loyalty among his men but can never win his father’s approval. An opportunity presents itself when he meets Frodo and has a chance to deliver the One Ring to Denethor.
Jackson wanted to save Frodo’s meeting with the monstrous spider, Sheelob, for the third film. To make a new climax for Frodo in the second movie, Faramir’s character was altered. He ends up feeling like a second Boromir, succumbing to the temptation of the Ring and trying to take it to Gondor, only to relent after witnessing Frodo almost give the ring to a Nazgûl. In contrast, the book’s version of Faramir is wise enough to realize that Boromir fell to corruption. He is one of the few characters to refuse the ring, which does a much better job of showing his quality compared to the films.
1 Farmer Maggot
Played by Cameron Rhodes
One of the many hobbits living in The Shire, Farmer Maggot wants to be left to his devices and work his land in peace. Unfortunately, younger hobbits love to try their luck at raiding his fields for vegetables and mushrooms, forcing him to keep vigilant. When the terrifying Nazgûl come riding along looking for “Baggins,” Maggot points them towards Frodo.
Farmer Maggot might be the most mishandled character in the films. Rather than telling the Nazgûl where to go, the book’s version of Maggot stood up to the black riders and demanded they leave his land, then helped get Frodo and his companions to Buckleberry Ferry despite the inherent danger. It might not be a large role, but it is a moment that cuts to the heart of Tolkien’s themes: the actions of normal, good-hearted folks will bring down evil, and a seemingly minor action can have great repercussions.
This article was originally published on collider.com