Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies made several changes to their source material, some of which were taken way too far. Though adjustments to canon are often necessary for book-to-screen adaptations, the works of J.R.R. Tolkien are heavily protected by the fandom. In many ways, Jackson remained true to the beloved author with The Lord of the Rings (though less so with The Hobbit), and what changes were made benefitted the story. However, other alterations missed the mark entirely.

Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has been heavily criticized for the changes made to Tolkien canon. The timeline has been condensed, characters have been added or removed from the Second Age of Middle-earth, and much, much more. It’s not uncommon to hear Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films brought up in comparison since they are considered an example of a faithful screen adaptation. Still, it’s important to remember that even Jackson made divisive changes to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit in his films—some of which were especially tough to swallow.

Some Lord Of The Rings’ Action Sequences Were Over The Top

As a visual medium, it’s unsurprising that a movie would contain much more action than a book. Only translating what was described in the book could appear boring on the screen, so a little added flare is necessary. However, there were several situations—especially regarding Legolas—where this was taken too far in Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies. A commonly criticized moment is the scene in which Legolas used a shield to surf down some stairs or when he took down an Oliphaunt all on his own. It was outrageously over the top in a way that Tolkien would have surely not approved of.

Peter Jackson’s Lord Of The Rings Movies Butcher Frodo’s Timeline

In all, Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy made Frodo younger, softer, and whinier than he had been in the books. Though he is still a good character who represents the “underdog hero” archetype, Frodo didn’t come across as the hero he had been in the books. This has a lot to do with the fact that movies can’t explore inner dialogue in the same way, but it also came down to the lack of character development resulting from condensing Frodo’s timeline. The hobbit’s Lord of the Rings Shire exit took nearly 20 years in the books, so he was older and more established by the time he set out on his journey—certainly not the case in the movies.

Elrond’s Doubt Toward Aragorn Ruined Their Backstory

Aragorn and Arwen’s love story was brought to the forefront of the Lord of the Rings movies, and this was a great choice on Jackson’s part. Their relationship was only described in the appendices of Tolkien’s books, and Arwen herself wasn’t even given any in-plot lines or impactful scenes. Unfortunately, this change wasn’t done quite perfectly. To add more tension to the romance, Jackson made Elrond into a bit of a jerk in The Lord of the Rings. He disapproved of Aragaorn’s relationship with Arwen and seemed to dislike him in general. This differs greatly from the books, where Elrond raised Aragorn at Rivendell and loved him like a son.

Faramir’s Ring Temptation Completely Changed His Character

Boromir was an important character in both the Lord of the Rings books and movies since he demonstrated the way that the One Ring could influence Men. However, his brother Faramir’s equally as important role was significantly altered by Jackson’s movies. In the books, Faramir refused to even look at the One Ring since he immediately recognized that Boromir’s desire for it had been his downfall. Faramir deeply loved his brother, but he was wise, recognized his faults, and learned from them. On the other hand, the movies saw Faramir repeat Boromir’s mistakes (though with lesser consequences), thus diminishing his part in the story.

Saruman’s Story Is Never Finished

Though Sauron was an ever-looming presence, Saruman’s transformation into a villain in Lord of the Rings made him the true threat of the first two installments. He was everything audiences love to see in a villain—vain, intelligent, conniving, powerful—which meant his arc drew a lot more attention than Sauron did. In fact, in the Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Saruman was the final bad guy of the series to be defeated. This was left out of the movies, where after being trapped within Orthanc, he was forgotten. A deleted scene showed Saruman dying in Isengard in The Lord of the Rings, but even this wasn’t satisfying.

Gimli’s Character Was Ruined For Comedic Effect

Dwarves have always been somewhat comedic characters, even in the Lord of the Rings books. They starkly contrast with the elves, who are so often seen as regal and diplomatic. This makes dwarves lovable in their way, which was certainly the case for Gimli. Still, the Lord of the Rings movies took this several steps too far. Though the dwarf member of the Fellowship of the Ring was a powerful fighter and deeply respected, he was little more than a joke in the films. He was always bumbling along after the group, saying something silly or complaining—very different from his book counterpart.

The Hobbit Movies Stretched The Original Story Too Much

The Lord of the Rings book series comprises six novels, but Jackson condensed them down to three movies. Really, the filmmaker could have gotten away with expanding them more, but in all, the trilogy worked well. Unfortunately, Jackson did the opposite with The Hobbit. Tolkien wrote this single novel before The Lord of the Rings, and it was a much simpler story with a far more light-hearted feel than the books that would come later. For some reason, Jackson felt the need to stretch this short tale over three full movies. Of course, this required the addition of new characters and subplots in a way that did nothing to benefit the story.

Why Is Legolas In The Hobbit?!

As an immortal elf born near the beginning of Middle-earth’s Third Age, it’s not outside the realm of imagination that Legolas would have been around during the events of The Hobbit. In the book, Bilbo and his gang of dwarves went to Mirkwood and met Thranduil, Legolas’ father. This would have been a fun enough feature of the movies, especially since Jackson’s costume design seemed to take Legolas into account. Unfortunately, the Hobbit movie took this several steps further by including Legolas himself, not just in Mirkwood, but throughout the remaining plot—and this ultimately felt like some uncomfortable pandering.

The Hobbit’s Love Triangle Was Unnecessary

Tauriel, an original character Jackson added to his Hobbit trilogy, could have been an entirely acceptable change. Since Tolkien’s works lacked prominent female characters, the Mirkwood elf should have added a much-needed element to the films. Unfortunately, any potential she had was ruined by the love triangle she was thrown into. This was made even worse by the fact that this romance included Legolas—who shouldn’t have even been part of the plot—and Kili, the dwarf—who should have served the story more purposefully. Overall, this entire subplot was unnecessary and felt like an uninteresting way to fill time.

The Implied Gandalf & Galadriel Romance Was Ridiculous

Gandalf and Galadriel’s history together goes way back in Tolkien canon. They were immortal beings, members of the White Council, bearers of two of the Three Elven Rings, and both called Valinor home. It was largely thanks to them that Middle-earth was saved in the long run, and they returned to Valinor on the same ship to live out their days together. Still, there was never any implication that there was something romantic between them. Though Jackson’s Hobbit movie never came out and said it, a recognizable tension was written into the characters that certainly made audiences question whether they had ever been a thing in Lord of the Rings.