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Like most book-to-screen adaptations,The Lord of the Ringssaw some changes when Peter Jackson brought this epic fantasy trilogy to life for the big screen. Of course, a lot of material was left out. This is typically the fashion when books are adapted into movies, otherwise, most book-to-screen adaptations would be too long for an audience to sit through.
But inThe Lord of the Ringsmovies, there are also some changes made to the story and characters. For example, in the books, no Elven army comes to aid at the Battle of Helm’s Deep, but in the movies, the Elves come to the rescue of Rohan. Then the scene with Shelob, the great spider in the tunnel of Cirith Ungol, was changed for the movies as well. In the books, Frodo and Sam first fight her as a team until Gollum attacks Sam. In the movie, Sam doesn’t arrive until later to rescue Frodo.
Another change seen inThe Lord of the Ringsmovies is the characters ofMerry and Pippin. While both Merry and Pippin are present in the books and do play a substantial role throughout the trilogy, their personalities are drastically changed in the movies. But how were they changed for the movies?
Merry’s Character Is Radically Changed
The Merry seen in the movies is very different from the one in the books, mainly because he isn’t a jokester just running around having fun, as seen with him and Pippin during the very beginning ofThe Fellowship of the Ringmovie. Instead, in the books, Merry is a wise hobbit, who takes his responsibilities very seriously. He’s extremely responsible and dependable, but that’s not to say that in the movies Merry couldn’t be counted on when it mattered most (such as convincing the Ents to attack Isengard and going intobattle at Minas Tirith). But this wasn’t the only difference to his character.
Merry was also extremely close friends with Frodo since the beginning. While they were friends in the movie, it was nowhere near what their friendship was portrayed as in the books. He was extremely perceptive and intelligent and knew about the One Ring before Bilbo ever left the Shire. Because he knew about the ring, Merry made a point to help and protect Frodo, unlike in the movies where bothMerry and Pippinhad no idea what was going on when they left the Shire with Sam and Frodo.
Pippin Is Still Accident-Prone, But Not A Troublemaker
Similar to the movies, in the book Pippin is portrayed as less responsible than the other hobbits, however, the movies amplify this trait in him. He is still a lovable, caring hobbit who doesn’t want to miss a single one of his seven meals, butThe Lord of the Ringsmovies make him out to be a troublemaker and jokester.
Yes, in the books Pippin still does get into trouble, but he doesn’t go looking for trouble. Of course, there are moments in the movies where Pippin isn’t looking for trouble either but still ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time. But there are also times when he’s looking for trouble and good fun, such as with the fireworks atBilbo’s birthday party.
In the books, Pippin is more of a curious soul, which tends to put him in precarious situations. For example, when Pippin looks intothe palantír, or seeing stone, he doesn’t do it on purpose likeThe Return of the Kingmovie suggests. Since he had found the seeing stone at Isengard, the power of it was so strong that Pippin was later drawn to it without being able to resist. But although Pippin is the most accident-prone of the hobbits, he is also one of the most brave as well. There were numerous times when he showed such courage, such as saving Gandalf from an orc attack and chargingthe Witch-king’s fellbeast.
How Do These Changes Affect The Lord Of The Rings Movies?
Of course, when changes are made to stories for film adaptations, they are bound to affect the final product. In the case of Merry and Pippin, the changes to their personalities meant certain aspects of the story were eliminated or some scenes were played out a bit differently, such as Merry knowing aboutthe One Ringand helping Frodo before they left the Shire.
However, many would argue that the changes to their characters were for the better and created lovable and relatable characters in the story. InThe Lord of the Rings, the changes made toMerry and Pippinadded some humor and comedy relief to this epic trilogy. Although Merry and Pippin can often be seen as goofy or not very bright, their personalities and characteristics bring something special to the movies.
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is one of the most iconic names in entertainment. The franchise started with novels from J. R. R. Tolkien before being adapted onto the big screen by Peter Jackson in one of the most critically-acclaimed film trilogies of all time. There have also been numerous The Lord of the Rings video games of varying quality.
