The Hobbit was adapted into a new blockbuster movie franchise in the 2010s, but never lived up to Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies, due to some crucial missteps during development and production. The trilogy that dominated pop culture at the beginning of the 2000s changed the fantasy genre with its unprecedented scale, production value, epic storytelling, and a slew of Oscar wins, culminating in Best Picture for Return of the King in 2004. However, the comparison between the Oscar nominations received by the two trilogies alone demonstrates that The Hobbit is simply lacking something.

The Hobbit movies are sometimes as good as The Lord of the Rings, with a return to the magical yet foreboding setting of Middle-earth, and themes of taking up an adventure to better the world around yourself. However, the source material is fundamentally different, with The Hobbit being based on a single shorter fairytale-inspired book versus a three-part epic saga. The Hobbit has been criticized for its bloated runtime and unnecessary plot elements, but it also fell into the trap of trying to be both like its original text and the previous award-winning movies.

The Hobbit Trilogy Couldn’t Decide If It Wanted To Be Like The Book Or The LOTR Movies

Different Points In The Hobbit Movies Lean Into The Book Or The LOTR Trilogy

The Hobbit is a succinct, to-the-point story, and was written with a younger audience in mind than The Lord of the Rings. It is ultimately much more lighthearted and, at times, much goofier, with unexpected dinner parties, slapstick conflicts with trolls, and characters engaged in riddle compeтιтions. There is some tragedy towards the end, but it is more about Bilbo’s self-realization and his going on an adventure than the wider-reaching conflict of The Lord of the Rings — as the тιтle The Hobbit suggests. At least in the beginning, The Hobbit as an adaptation was committed to this difference.

Infamously, Guillermo del Toro was supposed to helm a two-part The Hobbit adaptation before Peter Jackson stepped back into the role as director and the story was overhauled. However, when this happened, much of the whimsical and more faithful nature of what del Toro’s movies could have been was thrown out. The Hobbit started to lean more into trying to recreate The Lord of the Rings, but certain moments show the filmmakers trying to have it all and making it unclear what tone they want to achieve.

The Hobbit Movies Trying To Emulate Both Ensured They Didn’t Reach The Heights Of Either

Sequences In The Hobbit Movies Stand In Opposition To Each Other

The first The Hobbit movie starts with a cheerier tune than Fellowship of the Ring, suggesting a cozier atmosphere — but then goes right into the CGI-laden flashback of the dwarves’ kingdom being overthrown. Things like the dwarves’ upbeat song mocking Bilbo and the confrontation with the trolls are silly, but the battles with the Orcs and the appearances of characters like Galadriel (Cate Blanchette) and Elrond (Hugo Weaving) are clearly trying to emulate the older movies. And so, these different aspects distract from each other and neither comes across the way it is supposed to.

There is less commitment to the production value, as many of the sets and monsters are cheaper-looking than in the movies that came out a decade earlier, and the cartoon elements are out of place. Admittedly, Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and Bilbo’s first meeting is delightful, and Martin Freeman is charming as the latent adventurer but nervous тιтular character. The Hobbit movies then weighed themselves with too many conflicting factors, when many would agree that they should have remained dedicated to the book as The Lord of the Rings once did with its own origins.

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  The Hobbit

  The Hobbit film series is a fantasy adventure trilogy directed by Peter Jackson, based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel The Hobbit. Set 60 years before The Lord of the Rings, the films follow Bilbo Baggins’ quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug. The series grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide and is known for its elaborate visuals and epic storytelling.

  Created by

  Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Guillermo del Toro

  First Film

  The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

  Cast

  Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans, Lee Pace, Orlando Bloom

  Character(s)

  Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf, Thorin Oakenshield, Smaug, Legolas, Tauriel, King Thranduil, Bard the Bowman

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  The Lord of the Rings

  The Lord of the Rings is a multimedia franchise consisting of several movies and a TV show released by Amazon тιтled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The franchise is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book series that began in 1954 with The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings saw mainstream popularity with Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.

  Created by

  J.R.R. Tolkien

  First Film

  The Lord of the Rings (1978)

  Cast

  Norman Bird, Anthony Daniels, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, Andy Serkis, Brad Dourif, Karl Urban, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Morfydd Clark, Mike Wood, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Charlie Vickers, Markella Kavenagh, Megan Richards, Sara Zwangobani, Daniel Weyman, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Lenny Henry, Brian Cox, Shaun Dooley, Miranda Otto, Bilal Hasna, Benjamin Wainwright, Luke Pasqualino, Christopher Guard, William Squire, Michael Scholes, John Hurt

  Character(s)

  Frodo Baggins, Gandalf, Legolas, Boromir, Sauron, Gollum, Samwise Gamgee, Pippin Took, Celeborn, Aragorn, Galadriel, Bilbo Baggins, Saruman, Aldor, Wormtongue, Thorin Oakenshield, Balin Dwalin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Fili, Kili, Oin, Gloin, Nori, Dori, Ori, Tauriel, King Thranduil, Smaug, Radagast, Arondir, Nori Brandyfoot, Poppy Proudfellow, Marigold Brandyfoot, Queen Regent Míriel, Sadoc Burrows

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