Highlights
- Some major plot points and characters from the Lord of the Rings books, such as Fatty Bolger and Old Man Willow, were omitted from the film trilogy due to timing constraints.
- Tolkien fans were disappointed that Tom Bombadil, who plays a significant role in the books, did not make an appearance in the films.
- The film adaptation also made changes to certain rescue scenes, such as having Arwen rescue Frodo instead of Glorfindel, and omitted important characters like Arwen’s brothers and Saruman’s involvement in the Battle of Bywater.
In the early 2000s, Peter Jackson did what was unthinkable and turned The Lord of the Rings book series into a trilogy of films. The famed director took some of the best plot points from the book and put them in his series to create one of the most beloved film trilogies of all time.
RELATED: Lord of the Rings: Best Frodo Baggins QuotesHowever, not every plot point from The Lord of the Ringsbooks made it into the films. Some big plot points for Tolkien fans were actually left out due to timing. These storylines and characters could still find their way to the screen at a later time.
10 Fatty Bolger
The Fellowship of the Ring
This omission is probably the easiest for Tolkien fans to digest as Fatty Bolger doesn’t play a major role in the story. He accompanies the Hobbits to Crickhollow before returning to the Shire to keep Frodo’s house looking like someone is still living there.
While that is an important part of the illusion, it’s also completely unnecessary to be shown in the films. Fatty Bolger’s inclusion might add some flavor to the story, but it’s easy to understand why this character was cut.
9 Old Man Willow
The Fellowship of the Ring
Old Man Willow is a sentient tree the hobbits stumble across while initially leaving the Shire. Frodo and company are taking a shortcut to avoid the Black Riders, but they end up going through the Old Forest where they get strangely drowsy.
Old Man Willow uses the Old Forest to conspire against the Hobbits and convince them to rest under his branches. This tree causes plenty of mischief for the Hobbits until someone comes along to save the day.
8 Tom Bombadil
The Fellowship of the Ring
Tom Bombadil may be the character and plot point that Tolkien fans were most upset about not being in the films. The ancient and mysterious Tom Bombadil is the one who saved the Hobbits from Old Man Willow and took them to his home to meet his wife Goldberry.
RELATED: Lord of the Rings: Worst Decision Made By CharactersIn the book, Old Tom is vital to the Hobbits’ first journey from the Shire to Bree. He delivers them from evil several times and provides them with food and shelter. Tolkien’s fans were hoping to see him in the films.
7 Barrow-downs
The Fellowship of the Ring
The second time Tom Bombadil had to step in and save the Hobbits was during the events at Barrow-downs. An undead wight took the Hobbits captive until Tom shows up to rescue them. There was plenty of potential to bring this scene to the big screen, but the omission of Tom Bombadil led to the omission of Barrow-downs.
Tom Bombadil banishes the evil spirit and provides blades to the Hobbits that are used to kill the Ringwraiths. While the blades were introduced during the film, they were given to the Hobbits by Aragorn instead of Tom Bombadil.
6 Glorfindel Rescues Frodo
The Fellowship of the Ring
While Frodo’s rescue was present in the film, the circumstances surrounding it were changed. In the film, Arwen rescues Frodo after he’s been stung by a Ringwraith’s poisoned blade. It provides a nice moment for a strong feminine character, but it’s not what Tolkien originally wrote.
In the book, Glorfindel steps up to save Frodo. The Elven lord had fought any many battles and his name would be known by the followers of Sauron as someone not to be trifled with. While Arwen taking on this rescue didn’t harm the film’s narrative, it didn’t really make sense to not have Glorfindel save Frodo since he still appeared in the film.
5 Arwen’s Brothers
The Return of the King
While Elrond’s daughter, Arwen, and her love story with Aragorn are major factors in the entire film series, her brothers, Elrohir and Elladan, are never mentioned in the films. In the books, the pair of Elves worked with Aragorn’s father and the Rangers of the North before the war.
Their biggest roles in the books come in The Return of the King when they accompany Aragorn on his journey back to the throne of Gondor. These Elves were with Aragorn every step of the way even though Legolas is the only one shown in the films.
4 The Ents Decide To Go To War
The Two Towers
While the Ents taking the battle to Saruman is depicted in the films, it’s the complete opposite of how Tolkien presents it in his books. In the film, after the Ents decide against going to war, Merry and Pippin convince Treebeard to try to pass near Isengard to show him what Saruman is doing.
In the books, when the Ents hold their Entmoot, the race of giant trees is immediately willing to stand up to Saruman. They quickly resort to brutal warfare against the evil wizard rather than needing to be manipulated by tiny Hobbits.
3 Saruman Takes Over The Shire
The Return of the King
In the film trilogy, Saruman is quickly defeated at the beginning of The Return of the King and is pretty much left out of the rest of the film. The Hobbits are able to live happily ever after, mostly, when they return to the Shire. But in the books, Saruman is still alive and scheming following the War of the Ring.
RELATED: Lord Of The Rings: Best Samwise Gamgee QuotesSaruman, now going by the name Sharkey, attacks the Shire, thrusting the Hobbits into the Battle of Bywater. The four main Hobbits lead their fellow Hobbits into battle to defeat the evil wizard. While this isn’t directly shown in the film, the vision Frodo sees in the Mirror of Galadriel hints at its possibility.
2 Wormtongue Kills Saruman
The Return of the King
A version of this plot point appears in the extended cut of The Return of the King, however, nothing appeared in the theatrical version and even the extended cut version was slightly changed from the books. In the extended film, Wormtongue kills Saruman and then is killed by arrows himself, but it doesn’t include their previously mentioned actions in the Shire.
In the books, following their defeat at the Battle of Bywater, Wormtongue slits Saruman’s throat on Frodo’s doorstep. Just like in the extended cut, Wormtongue was taken down by arrows as he attempted to flee.
1 Major Battles Missing
All Three Films
In the books, the War of the Ring is far grander than it is in the films. While the films show battles at Helm’s Deep and Gondor, there were several other battles not depicted in the films. There were battles at Dale, Mirkwood, and Lórien that weren’t shown.
The films do kind of shoehorn the Battle of Lórien into The Two Towers by putting Elven warriors at Helm’s Deep. Those Elves were never at Helm’s Deep in the books, instead fighting their part of the battle in Lórien.
The Lord of the Rings
- Created by
- J. R. R. Tolkien
- Where to watch
- HBO Max
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