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JulianW.

Efird
AbigailPowell
EnglishIV
20February2015
TheHobbit:FromBooktoScreen
AsaloveroftheHobbit,theLordoftheRings,theSilmarillion,andallother
worksofmiddleearthIwasdelightedtohearthatthehobbitwouldbemadeintoa
movie.IregardtheLordoftheRingsasthegreatestmoviesevermadebecausethey
wereabletoadaptanextremelycomplexandadvancedbookwithoutstrayingtoomuch
fromthestory,andatthesametimepreservedthedepthandbeautyofmiddleearth.
SoitcameasashockwhenIsawtheHobbitandfoundouthowbadlythebookwas
adapted.ThemoviefeltlikeawholedifferentstorytomeandIthoughtinsultedTolkien
andhisnovelgreatly.Themovielackedacertainelegancethebookcarriedandwas
toosillyinsomepartsandyettooseriousinothers.ThemovietriestoturntheHobbit
intoagiganticepictaleliketheLordoftheRingsbutatthesametimemakesthe
adventurefartooimmature.InthenextfewparagraphsIwilldiscussthechangesfrom
booktomovie,thedifferentportrayalofcharacters,andtheexpansionofthemovieinto
somethingthebookwasnot.
Ifeelthatasamoviedirectorwhoisadaptingabooktoscreenitistheirnumber
onejobtobringthebooktolifeasaccuratelyaspossiblewithoutstrayingtoomuch
fromthestory.Itisnottheirstoryafterall.IntheHobbitsomanychangesweremadeit
ishardtolistthemall,butIwilldiscussthemajorones.Allthroughoutthemovies

ThorinandCompanyarechasedbyaorcandhisfollowersbythenameofAzog.Azog
canreallybeconsideredthemainvillainofthestorydespitethefactthatheissupposed
tobedead.Theorcwaskilledalmost150yearsearlierbyThorinscousinDainas
explainedintheLordoftheRingsappendix.ThedwarveshuntedAzogandmany
battleswerefoughtbeneaththeearth.Afternineyearsofwar,beforethegatesofMoria
itselftheclimacticBattleofAzunulbizarwasfought.InthatbattleAzogwaspursued
throughthegatesofMoria,killedandbeheadedbyDain,sonofNain.(TheLordofthe
Rings,AppendixAIII:DurinsFolk).Anotherhugechangeistheadditionofanelf
namedTauriel.SheisintroducedinthesecondmovieandfightsalongsideLegolaswho
isalsonotinthebook.Taurielhasabigroleinthestoryandevenfallsinlovewithone
oftheyoungerdwarvesnamedKili.InthemovieasubplottakesplacewhenGandalf
leavesthedwarves.InthebookallthatweknowisthatGandalfhasbusinesstoattend
tointhesouth.Itisnousearguing.IhaveasItoldyou,somepressingbusinessaway
southandIamalreadylatethroughbotheringwithyoupeople.(Hobbit136).Inthe
moviehoweverahugefighttakesplacewiththeNecromancer,andfourpowerscome
toGandalfsaid.Elrond,Galadriel,Saruman,andRadagastcomehelpthewizard,three
ofwhichwerenotinthebook.Oneexampleofthejourneybeingquitesillyoccurswhen
theyfirstmeetRadagasttheBrown,alsonotinthebook,andhehelpsthemescape
Azog.Thefactthathewaspulledaroundbyrabbits,andthathehadbirdpooponhis
headisallIneedtosaytoexplainwhynooneisabletotakehimseriously.Thelast
majorchangeIamgoingtomentionisthefirstencounterwithSmaugthedragon.Inthe
bookBilbofirstseesSmaugasleepandlaterhasaconversationwithhiminriddles.The

dwarvesneverevengetclosetoSmaugandtheycertainlydonottryandbattlehim.
HoweverinthemoviethereisawildbattlearoundthehallsoftheLonelyMountain
whereSmaugiscoveredinmoltengoldandthedwarvesbarelyescapewiththeirlives.
ThenexttopicIwouldliketocoveristheportrayaloftwomaincharacterswhichI
thoughtdifferedfrombooktomovie.ThefirstcharacteristheleaderofthequestThorin
Oakenshield.Notonlywasheportrayeddifferentphysicallyashewassupposedtobe
theoldestmemberofthecompany,buthispersonalitywasalsodifferent.Inthebook
Thorinisverygreedyandselfishandcanevenbeseenastheantagonistneartheend
ofthebook.Thorinwasobsessedwithhistreasureandnothingelsewasmore
importantthangettingitback.HewasevenwillingtoletBilboriskhislifeanddothe
hardworkwhilehesatbackinthetunnel.Thethoughtofhimbecomingleaderofthe
LonelyMountainwasreallysecondarytohimclaiminghistreasure.InthemovieThorin
isportrayedasaflawlessheroofhispeoplewholeadsasadhomelessbunch
determinedtoregaintheirhomeland.Itsnotthattheywerenttryingtoregaintheir
homelandinthebook,buttheyweredefinitelynotabunchofhomelessdwarves
followingtheirselflessleaderwhoapparentlyalsohadaneternalfightwithagoblin
tryingtowipeoutalldwarves.Movingtotheendofthejourneywemeetamannamed
BardtheBowmanwhoiscaptainofthearchersinlaketown.Bardseemstocarelittle
aboutwhatthedwarvesaredoingandheonlywantstoseehispeoplekeptsafe.He
andthemasteroflaketownseemtohaveagoodrelationship.Inthemovieweseea
muchdifferentBard.InsteadofBardtheBowmanheisBardtheBargemanhauling
barrelsupanddowntheriver.Heandthemasterhaveaconflictwithoneanotherand

Bardisthrowninjailfromwhichhelaterescapes.Barddoesbecometheleaderof
laketownbutonlyafterthemasteriscrushedbySmaugsfallingbody.
Themajorchangeandflawoftheadaptationfrombooktomovieisquitesimply
changingasimplestoryintosomethingitisnotandcreatingamonsterintheprocess.
BilboexplainsitperfectlyintheLordoftheRings.Ifeelthin,sortofstretched,like
butterscrapedovertoomuchbread.(FellowshipoftheRing).Tryingtocraminso
muchinformationandatthesametimemakingthewholethingflashyandfunnyruined
thetoneofthestoryandbroughtmorefocustoothercharactersinsteadofcenteringon
thetrueheroBilboBaggins.TheHobbitisonethingandtheLordoftheRingsis
somethingentirelydifferent.TryingtomaketheHobbitintoanotherLordoftheRingsis
impossible.
WhenTolkienwrotetheHobbithecreatedatimelessnovelthathumanswill
relatetoforagestocome.Thebeautyofhisworkandsheermagnitudeofhisworldare
beyondanyfantasyworktodate.Ithinkbecauseofthisitisagreatchallengetomake
amoviefromsuchawork,butaswesawinLordoftheRingsitcanbedone.Iwould
havebeenmuchhappiertoseeonemovieinsteadofthreewhichwouldhavelimited
theamountofnonsensethrownintothemovie.AttheendofthedaytheHobbitisstill
greatandnomoviecaneverchangethat.

WorksCited
1.
Tolkien,J.R.R.
TheHobbit,Or,ThereandBackAgain
.Boston:HoughtonMifflin,1966.Print.
2.Tolkien,J.R.R.
TheFellowshipoftheRing:BeingtheFirstPartofTheLordoftheRings.

Boston:Mariner/HoughtonMifflinHarcourt,2012.Print.

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