“You need people of intelligence on this sort of mission… quest… ranking.”
In 1937, Professor J. R. R. Tolkien wrote The Hobbit, which was such a success that his publishers begged him to write a sequel. Known as The Lord of the Rings, it has become the definitive fantasy saga upon which the modern fantasy genre was built. Unsurprisingly, both books have been adapted several times, from animated undertakings in the 1970s and 1980s to two trilogies by director Peter Jackson in the 2000s and 2010s.
One of the reasons for Tolkien’s success was his ability to create memorable characters who, despite their heroic deeds and abilities, felt real thanks to their human struggles. Each adaptation of Tolkien’s work has to try to bring these characters to life in a way that fits the original text while fitting with the new medium. Some do it better than others, but each Lord of the Rings movie has at least one character who stands out.
1 Bilbo Baggins (Orson Bean)
‘The Hobbit’ (1977)
In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins (Orson Bean), who never had any adventures. This changes when Galdalf ropes him into a company of thirteen dwarves bent on retaking their ancestral home from the dragon Smaug (Richard Boone). Though initially reluctant to go on the quest, Bilbo changes his perspective when he discovers his courage and becomes an irreplaceable member of the company.
Bilbo Baggins is one of the greatest examples of a reluctant hero, and Rankin-Bass’ version does an admirable job of bringing the Hobbit to a visual medium. His story reminds audiences that a hero can come from the most unlikely of places, as well as the importance of taking some time to think before acting. Bean’s performance captures all of this while also providing Bilbo with a bit of a sharp wit, which gives the little Hobbit some fun retorts against his naysayers.
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2 Aragorn (John Hurt)
‘The Lord of the Rings’ (1978)
An ally of Gandalf’s (William Squire), Aragorn (Sir John Hurt) is chief of the Dunedai and patrols the wilds of Middle Earth as a Ranger known as Strider. When the One Ring is found in Hobbiton, he goes to Bree to meet up with Gandalf and the Ringbearer, Frodo Baggins (Christopher Guard), but upon losing contact with Gandalf, he agrees to take Frodo to Rivendell. It is later revealed that he is the heir to the throne of Gondor, the last of the great kingdoms of men.
This animated version by the legendary Ralph Bakshi captures the tone and feel of the books in some ways better than Jackson’s film. This quality can be best seen in Aragorn; he feels like someone who has lived through many perilous times, giving him the wisdom and experience needed to lead others. This is accentuated by John Hurt’s performance, which can make Aragorn sound friendly, authoritative, or terrifying with ease and the context of the situation.
The Lord of the Rings (1978)
- Release Date
- November 15, 1978
- Director
- Ralph Bakshi
- Cast
- Christopher Guard , William Squire , Michael Scholes , John Hurt , Dominic Guard , Anthony Daniels
- Runtime
- 132 Minutes
- Writers
- Chris Conkling , Peter S. Beagle
3 Gandalf the White (John Huston)
‘The Return of the King’ (1980)
In the final days of the War of the Ring, the wizard Gandalf the White (John Huston) and the hobbit Peregrin “Pippin” Took (Sonny Melendrez) ride to the city of Minas Tirith to defend the city from the armies of Mordor. Unfortunately, the city’s steward, Denethor (William Conrad), has surrendered to despair. When the orcs of Mordor arrive to take the city, Gandalf leads the defense, hoping that their allies will be able to defeat their enemies before the city falls.
Rankin-Bass’ The Return of the King is not the best of Tolkien’s adaptations due to its condensed narrative and questionable art design, but their version of Gandalf is a strong portrayal of the character. Huston’s delivery is powerful thanks to his sharp tone, which helps to capture how Gandalf the White is meant to lead the charge against evil. This adaptation does add a few new scenes where it seems like Gandalf is giving into despair, but to the film’s credit, seeing Gandalf fight on despite his misgivings makes him even more inspirational.
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4 Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen)
‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’ (2001)
Before becoming Gandalf the White, Gandalf was known as the grey wizard in the order of the five wizards. He made many visits to Hobbiton to see his friend, Bilbo, delighting young hobbits with his beautiful fireworks. With the return of the One Ring and the betrayal of Gandalf’s superior, Saruman the White (Sir Christopher Lee), he takes it upon himself to lead a Fellowship made up of hobbits, men, dwarves, and elves to see to the ring’s destruction.
Ian McKellen’s portrayal is legendary, especially when he plays Gandalf the Grey. He completely loses himself in the role of the wise, warm, and grandfatherly wizard who is always there to give advice and comfort when needed. Some of his best scenes are when Gandalf’s wrath is stoked, and he gives the characters, and by extension, the audience, just what kind of raw power is hiding beneath the surface. It’s a remarkable portrayal that dominates the entire movie and, in a just world, should’ve earned the actor the 2002 Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
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
5 Gollum (Andy Serkis)
‘The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers’ (2002)
Before Bilbo found it, the One Ring was held by a creature named Gollum (Andy Serkis). Many years ago, he went by Sméagol and was related to the hobbits of the Shire but was corrupted and twisted by the ring over centuries until he could barely remember who he used to be. In trying to reclaim the ring, he is captured by Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin), who force him to lead them into Mordor.
Serkis’ portrayal of Gollum remains widely acclaimed for his iconic voice and phenomenal motion capture. The actor perfectly depicts the duality of Gollum’s character: the crazed, devious monster willing to kill to get his precious back and the sweeter, innocent remnants of Sméagol, who loathes what he has become. Some of his best moments are when he’s talking to himself and swapping between the two personalities, adding a gleefully wicked tone to an otherwise straightforward movie.
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
6 Sam (Sean Astin)
‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’ (2003)
Employed as Frodo’s gardener, Samwise Gamgee joins his master’s adventure after overhearing his conversation with Gandalf regarding the ring. Sam proves himself to be a stalwart companion, bravely remaining with Frodo as he sets out for Mount Doom and keeping an eye on Gollum. Even against Sheelob—a demonic spider descended from a monster that fed on light—Sam shows no fear and wounds her enough to rescue Frodo.
Sam often ranks highly on people’s list of the best characters from the series because of his bravery and development. He represents the average person, coming from humble origins and having, perhaps, the largest impact on the quest thanks to his simple goals and values. Astin’s performance as Sam is undoubtedly the best version of the character from any adaptation, capturing his humility and courage perfectly and having a wonderful comradery with Wood to sell his and Frodo’s strong friendship.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
- Release Date
- December 17, 2003
- Director
- Peter Jackson
- 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
7 Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman)
‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ (2012)
Jackson and his crew made several questionable choices with the Hobbit films. However, one of their most successful was the casting of Bilbo (Martin Freeman). He looks like he could have been a younger version of Sir Ian Holm‘s version from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and his mannerisms perfectly capture Bilbo’s nervous, unwilling energy as he finds himself in one crazy situation after another. Still, his best ability has to be his nonverbal performances, which say so much more about Bilbo’s mental space than any words could.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is often considered the best in the trilogy because it is the only movie about Bilbo. Later films get bogged down by too many subplots and focus on other characters, like Thorin (Richard Armitage), which pushes Bilbo into a background position in his trilogy. Here, not only is Bilbo’s struggle between finding his courage and missing home the main emotional focus of the film, but it ends with a heartwarming moment between him and Thorin.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
- Release Date
- December 14, 2012
- Director
- Peter Jackson
- Cast
- Martin Freeman , Ian McKellen , Richard Armitage , Ken Stott , Cate Blanchett , Ian Holm , Christopher Lee , Hugo Weaving , James Nesbitt , Elijah Wood , Andy Serkis
- Runtime
- 169 minutes
- Writers
- Fran Walsh , Philippa Boyens , Peter Jackson , Guillermo del Toro
8 Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch)
‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ (2013)
Known as the chiefest and greatest calamity of the time, Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch) is drawn to the dwarven kingdom of Erebor because of its vast wealth. He takes the mountain from the dwarves and destroys the human kingdom of Dale before entering a long sleep with his ill-gotten gold. However, as evil begins to stir across the land, Gandalf decides to spark an expedition to defeat the dragon to strengthen the north of Middle-earth against the Dark Lord, Sauron.
Smaug is one of the greatest dragons in cinema and literature and the highlight of Jackson’s bloated Hobbit trilogy. Along with his fantastic CGI, the majority of his lines are taken directly from the book, accentuated through a truly sinister delivery from Cumberbatch that makes Smaug feel cunning and powerful. Unfortunately, it’s almost ruined by a terrible action sequence, but Smaug pulls it back with a chilling final line before the film ends.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
- Release Date
- December 13, 2013
- Director
- Peter Jackson
- Cast
- Martin Freeman , Ian McKellen , Richard Armitage , Benedict Cumberbatch , Evangeline Lilly , Lee Pace , Luke Evans , Ken Stott , James Nesbitt , Orlando Bloom
- Runtime
- 170 minutes
- Writers
- Fran Walsh , Philippa Boyens , Peter Jackson , Guillermo del Toro
9 Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage)
‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’ (2014)
Once in line for the throne of Erebor, Thorin Oakenshield and his family go into exile when the dragon Smaug takes their mountain. After losing his father and grandfather in battle with orcs, he meets Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellen), who encourages him to try for Erebor. After many trials and tribulations, Thorin retakes the mountain, but his victory brings new conflict as many different factions want a share of the treasure.
The Hobbit trilogy is full of disappointing changes that made for a lackluster experience, but the expansion of Thorin’s character was actually for the better. He is a noble soul hardened by decades of being looked down upon and abandoned, wanting nothing more than to give his people a home. The third film gives him the most attention due to a sickness of the mind that causes him to obsess over the gold, forcing him to re-evaluate what it means to be a king and an inspiration for his people.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
- Release Date
- December 17, 2014
- Director
- Peter Jackson
- Cast
- Martin Freeman , Ian McKellen , Richard Armitage , Evangeline Lilly , Luke Evans , Lee Pace , Benedict Cumberbatch , Cate Blanchett , Orlando Bloom , Hugo Weaving
- Runtime
- 144 minutes
- Writers
- Fran Walsh , Philippa Boyens , Peter Jackson , Guillermo del Toro
This article was originally published on collider.com