10 Best Changes to the ‘Lord of the Rings’ Movies

Since it was first published in 1954, The Lord of the Rings has reigned as the undisputed king of fantasy novels and served as the foundation for the modern fantasy genre. Written by the teacher JRR Tolkien, tells the story of the Third Age of Middle-earth, where a band of heroes must venture to save the land from the Dark Lord, Sauron (Alan Howard), by destroying his ring, which contains a large amount of his soul and power From 2001 to 2003, director Peter Jackson adapted the story into three films, which continue to dominate popular culture thanks to their stunning effects, stellar acting and powerful cinematography.

That being said, Jackson and his team had to make a lot of changes to the original books to make the story work for the cinematic realm. Tolkien fans and scholars are divided on many of these changes, but some of them are not too detrimental to the story.

10 Replacing Erkenbrand with Eomer

Replace unimportant characters with one that matters

With the death of Theoden's son (Bernard Hill), Theodred, his nephew, Eromer (Karl Urban), will be the next king of Rohan. The film sadly reduces his role from the book and cuts many moments of companionship between him, Aragorn (Vigo Mortensen), and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies). However, they do give him a pretty powerful moment when he arrives with reinforcements at the Battle of Helm's Deep, replacing the book character of Erkenbrand.

The main reason for Eomer being the one to arrive is because he was exiled by Theoden's traitorous advisor, Grima Wormtongue (Brad Dourif). Despite this, he continues to fight for his uncle and his country by gathering horsemen to fight the marauding orcs that cross their border. While it would have been nice to see his interactions with the main characters, his arrival at the end of the battle, and his decision to stay loyal to his uncle, they do a good job of highlighting why he is worthy of the throne.

9 The Warg Attack

An additional action scene with drama and comedy

To protect the people of Rohan from the armies of the fallen wizard Saruman (Sir Christopher Lee), King Theoden orders them to proceed to the fortress of Helms Deep. Unfortunately, Grima Wormtongue informs Saruman. He decides to unleash a hunting party of orcs mounted by giant wolves called wargs, who ambush Theoden's people on the road.

This attack doesn't happen in the book, but it's honestly one of the most memorable action scenes in the movie. It's a brutal battle of cavalry against enemies where both mount and rider are equally deadly, and ends with Aragorn falling off a cliff and temporarily separated from the group. There are also a few moments of levity in the battle with Gimli, who is buried under corpses while trying to be a villain.

8 Gandalf does not want to go to Moria

Change character motivations for drama

When the Fellowship leaves Rivendell, there is some debate among the group about which path to take to reach Mordor. They initially try to cross Mount Caradhras, only to be defeated by Saruman's magic. The wizard of the group, Gandalf the Gray (Sir Ian McKellen), then suggests that they travel through the ancient dwarven kingdom of Moria.

In the film, it is Gimli who insists that they travel through Moria, with Gandalf refusing until there is no other choice. This change was likely made to emphasize the danger of Moria and built up to the Balrog's reveal. Speaking of the Balrog, its revelation came as a surprise to everyone in the book, but in the film, both Gandalf and Saruman are aware of its existence, fueling Gandalf's fears.

7 Arwen's Expanded Scroll

More screen time for the sake of a love story

Lord Elrond's daughter (Hugo Weaving) of Rivendell, Arwen (Liv Tyler) is in love with Aragorn, to the point where she is willing to give up her immortal life as an elf for a mortal one with him. Since Arwen is in Rivendell, she doesn't do much in the books outside of making Aragorn's royal standard. For the film, Jackson and company decided to give Arwen an expanded role so they could add a romantic subplot to the film.

For the most part, Arwen's story is harmless and focuses on her debate between staying in Middle-earth for Aragorn or leaving with the elves to never know the pain of loss. Ultimately, he chooses to stay, for while a mortal life will have loss, it can also have life and joy. He also appears before his book counterpart when he comes to the aid of an injured Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) to reach his father before he succumbs to his wounds.

6 Beacon lighting

One of the most epic moments in cinema

As the armies of Mordor prepare to attack the capital of Gondor, Minas Tirith, Gandalf and the hobbit Peregrine Took (Billy Boyd) arrive in town to lend aid. Unfortunately, they find that the butler, Denethor (Joan Noble), has succumbed to despair and madness after the loss of his eldest son, Boromir (Sean Bean). To ensure the survival of the city, Gandalf sends Pipin to light the beacons to call for help from Rohan, but this is a movie-only situation.

In the book, the Beacons call out to the army of Gondor, and Rohan is summoned by a rider carrying a red arrow. Denethor is also a bit more capable in the book and has already lit the beacons before Gandalf and Pipin arrive. This change ends up working because it helps sell the idea of ​​hope being rekindled among the kingdoms of men, and is told through some really beautiful mountain imagery accompanied by Howard Shore's score.

5 Sam and Frodo's conflict

Last-minute drama that Gollum builds

While traveling to Mordor, Frodo and his friend Sam (Sean Astin) forces the previous owner of the ring, Gollum (Andy Serkis), to lead them to Mordor by hidden paths. Although Frodo wants to believe that Gollum can be redeemed, Sam never trusts him and constantly watches to make sure he doesn't try anything. Unfortunately, Gollum sneaks in among the friends by removing their food and framing Sam, causing an exhausted Frodo to banish the group.

For the film, this scene works because it helps show Gollum's devious nature and adds another wrinkle to this final leg of the journey. It's heartbreaking to see Frodo so consumed by the dark thoughts of the ring that he sees Sam as an enemy. It also helps demonstrate why Gollum is such a dangerous foe: while he's not physically threatening, his time as a slave to the ring means he knows how to play on other people's obsessions to bring out their worst qualities.

4 The fragments of Narsil

Changing its location for Aragorn's story

During the final battle against Sauron in the Second Age, the King of Gondor, Isildur, defeated Sauron by cutting the One Ring from his hand using the shards of his father, Narsil's sword. After his death, the shards of Narsil passed through his bloodline, eventually landing in Aragorn's possession. When Aragorn joins the Brotherhood, the sword is forged into Anduril, the Flame of the West.

Jackson decided to separate Aragorn from Narsil, keeping the shards on display in Rivendell. The sword doesn't reforge fine either The return of the king, where he is symbolically introduced to Aragorn to show the culmination of his journey from ranger to king. It would also, admittedly, seem silly if, in the film, Aragorn tried to fight his enemies with a broken sword before the quest began.

3 Frodo and Gollum's final struggle for the ring

Turning the ring's best defense into its means of destruction

After a climactic journey to take the ring to Mount Doom, Frodo finally succumbs to its corrupting influence and refuses to destroy it. Just then, Gollum ambushes him and bites his finger, claiming the ring for himself before losing his footing and falling with it into the magma. However, Jackson decided that Frodo would make one last attempt at the ring and knocked Gollum off the ledge as the two fought.

This change is small, but adds a lot to the overall narrative. Most importantly, it gives Frodo a more active role in destroying the ring, rather than Gollum being clumsy. Also, having the two fight for the Ring shows that their best defense is ultimately what brought about their destruction.

2 Aragorn's character arc

A reluctant hero works best for cinema

As the only living descendant of Isildur, Aragorn, son of Arathorn, is the rightful king of Gondor. He was kept hidden and raised among the Dunedai Rangers for most of his life, and actively works to reclaim his throne by fighting the forces of evil. In the movies, however, Jackson and the writers gave Aragorn more flaws, such as doubting whether he was worthy of his birthright.

While it's debatable whether this change was better or worse than Tolkien's version of Aragorn, it works better for a film trilogy. Giving Aragorn self-doubt gives him a flaw to overcome and makes many of the scenes where he chooses to fight and die alongside his fellow man carry more emotional weight. When he is finally crowned after the defeat of Sauron, it seems that he really went through hell and back to get to this moment.

1 The death of Boromir

More time to show your ups and downs

Perhaps the most tragic member of the Brotherhood is Boromir, the eldest son of Denethor, Steward of Gondor. Worn out by his countrymen giving their lives as a bulwark against the forces of Mordor, he suggests using the ring against Sauron, and when rebuffed, decides to join the Fellowship to see him destroyed. Unfortunately, he succumbs to the ring's temptation and tries to take it from Frodo, then gives his life protecting the hobbits Merry and Pippin from Uruk Hai.

Thanks to the fact that the film is not wedded to one character's point of view, the audience sees Boromir during the last moments of his life, fighting bravely to the end, even though his body is riddled with arrows . His final moment with Aragorn is heartbreaking, thanks in large part to Bean's phenomenal performance. He separates from Aragorn in friendship, eventually calling him “my king” after rejecting the idea of ​​a king of Gondor at the Council of Elrond.

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