When such huge sums of money are invested in a movie trilogy as large scale as this it is inevitable that the studios are going to expect some concessions from the filmmakers to ensure that the film appeals to as large a demographic as possible. After all, it's their money, and if they don't get a good return on their investment there'll be angry shareholders to deal with. A few Hollywood cliches shouldn't really be something that surprises anyone, but even so some of us lived in hope that they wouldn't be too heavy-handed. Unfortunately, The Hobbit's second installment threw in a huge cliche which left many fans scratching their heads with a mixture of puzzlement and annoyance - the love triangle. Jackson and his associates - no doubt attempting to pander to the females in the audience - made the decision to introduce a character of their own, the elf Tauriel, and put her in the centre of a romantic plot involving Legolas and the dwarf Kili. It was a decision many agree feels incongruous in the context of Tolkien's writing, and even the actress who plays Tauriel, Evangeline Lilly, told reporters, "I said, 'I will not do this film if you will not guarantee me one thing. You have to guarantee me there will be no love triangle'." It's a shame she didn't get her own way.
