Lord Of The Rings: 10 Best Scenes NOT From The Books
Wait, Sauron wasn't in the book?
When Peter Jackson bagged director duties for The Lord of the Rings, he knew he was undertaking one of the most ambitious movie productions ever. His crew needed to cast thousands of actors, find dozens of locations, construct hundreds of sets, and build countless weapons, armour, and props.
But that's not all. The acclaimed filmmaker also had to condense the gargantuan story. Because JRR Tolkien's novel is about a thousand pages, the screenwriters knew there was too much material to squeeze into three movies.
Even though the extended cut was 11 hours, there were still many elements that had to be axed. As a result, the Barrow-Wight, the Scouring of the Shire, and poor old Tom Bombadil never made it into the film adaptation.
But despite the story's staggering length, Jackson felt obligated to devise scenes that were never a part of the three novels. Although some die-hard fans balk at the idea of changing or adding anything to Tolkien's work, a lot of Kiwi director's additions improved the storyline.
With these extra scenes, convoluted plot points became coherent, generic characters were fleshed out, and battle sequences became more epic.
These LOTR scenes may not have been a part of Tolkien's vision but they certainly made a great story even greater.
10. Arwen Defeats The Nazgul - The Fellowship Of The Ring
After Frodo is stabbed by the Nazgul, Aragorn entrusts the hobbit to his beloved - an Elf called Arwen. Although the Ringwraiths chase her on horseback, Arwen uses her magic to wash them away with a flood.
But in the novel, it is the Elf-lord, Glorfindel, who is entrusted with Frodo, not Arwen. When the Black Riders chase him, Arwen's father, Elrond, is the one who summons the water.
On the surface, it looks like the director, Peter Jackson, simply swapped one character out for another. But adding Arwen to this scene has a massive impact on the entire trilogy.
Firstly, Glorfindel has no effect on the rest of the story so it's sensible to replace him with a more plot-driven character. Because Arwen and Aragorn are the central love story, putting her in this scene is a nice way to introduce her into the movie sooner. It also nice to see Arwen demonstrates how powerful she is - something we never seen in the books.
On top of that, it makes perfect sense that Aragorn would entrust Frodo to the person he trusts and loves the most, rather than someone he barely knows.