The Lord of the Rings is a massively successful franchise for a reason. Be it J.R.R. Tolkien’s original books or Peter Jackson’s movie adaptations, these stories and the characters within them are beloved. In fact, the novels are considered among the best fantasy books ever written, and the movies are likewise seen as some of the best fantasy movies of all time. With that level of popularity, it may be difficult to imagine that there are aspects of The Lord of the Rings that don’t really work.
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While there have been many criticisms of the trilogy of movies based on The Hobbit as well as the ongoing The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Prime Video streaming series, fans tend to be much more protective of the original trilogy of movies, comprising The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. These movies are unquestionably excellent, but these 5 aspects of the movies are also true—and many fans don’t want to admit it.
The Movies Are Too Long To Entice Casual Viewers
It’s clear that Peter Jackson poured his heart into his movie adaptations with the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, and part of that was the level of detail he captured in the movies and how much he (generally) stuck to the source material. Yes, he left out some storylines, such as the Fog on the Barrow-downs story in The Fellowship of the Ring, but overall, Jackson worked hard to remain loyal to the original stories.
The flip side of that positive aspect of the movies, though, is that they are incredibly long, arguably too long for casual viewers to sit down and watch. In terms of the original cuts of the movies, The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers were just under 3 hours each—literally by a matter of minutes—and The Return of the King was over 3 hours. With the extended cuts, those numbers jump up by a full hour, respectively. That’s great for the fans who love the movies, but it makes it difficult for casual fans to get started.
Frodo’s Age Makes More Sense In The Books
Elijah Wood was absolutely brilliant in the role of Frodo, and that’s no doubt in part why he will be back in at least one of the upcoming Lord of the Rings projects, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. Even so, it’s true that Wood was quite young to be playing the role. When he began playing Frodo, Wood was just 18 years old.
That’s certainly impressive, but it makes him a significantly younger Frodo than the book version, who is in his 50s when he sets out on his quest. This shouldn’t undercut the fact that Wood’s performance was excellent; however, it is a valid criticism of the movies that fans often don’t want to hear.
The Lack Of Women Is Actually A Problem
One of the biggest criticisms Jackson’s original trilogy of movies has faced is regarding the lack of women in the movies. In terms of major roles, there are really only three women characters: Arwen, Galadriel, and Éowyn. Yes, all three characters are wonderful representations of women, but that doesn’t really excuse the issue.
Likewise, many would argue that the movies are just working with the source material, and Jackson therefore didn’t have much ability to incorporate more women. Whether that argument holds up or not, though, that doesn’t really change the fact that the lack of women in the movie is notable and a problem.
The Army Of The Dead Makes Things Too Easy
Aragorn taking his rightful place as the King of Gondor in The Return of the King is a pivotal and very emotional plot point, and convincing the Army of the Dead to fight beside him was a key part of that. In that sense, the Army of the Dead plot is a captivating one. However, it does make things a bit too easy.
The war, up to that point, seemed dismal when it came to the survival of men. After all, this attack on Gondor was Sauron’s true final attack, and the odds were therefore heavily against them. Yet, when Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli arrive with the Army of the Dead, the battle is effectively over. The army runs through the battlegrounds, killing as they go, and that’s pretty much it. Even fans should be able to admit that this is a bit too easy.
The Franchise Is Never Going To Be Exactly What It Was
Finally, the hardest truth for fans of The Lord of the Rings to admit is that the franchise will never be what it was in the original movie trilogy. That isn’t to say that upcoming projects aren’t exciting—they absolutely are. Yet, fans don’t really seem to want new projects, even if they are good; they want more of the original trilogy.
That became clear when there were demands for Viggo Mortensen to play Aragorn in The Hunt for Gollum, which wasn’t realistic for a number of reasons. It makes sense that fans would be struggling to accept that an era has ended and it’s time to move on, but that is sadly the case. The original Lord of the Rings trilogy of movies was essentially lightning in a bottle, and while the franchise can absolutely still be great, it can never be exactly what it was before.
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