10 Things The Hobbit Does Better Than The Lord Of The Rings

9. Defining The Difference Between Goblins And Orcs

In all honesty, the creatures of the Dark Lord Sauron were almost indistinguishable in The Lord of the Rings, with the exception of the Uruk-Hai, and even those stood out mostly because of the White Hand of Sarumon being painted on their armor. Otherwise, they were just all ugly goblin-like creatures. Were those encountered in Moria (clearly meant to be Goblins, as Legolas even points the fact out) really that distinct from the orcs we see elsewhere in the series? Not particularly. The Hobbit films learn from this. The goblins encountered in the first film are pale, differ in size, and are more distinct. Goblins are goblins in these films, and orcs are orcs. Even the Pale Orc, Azog, stands apart from the goblin hordes. Part of the confusion may stem from the fact that Tolkien used goblin and orc generally interchangeably, however the terms themselves have become more distinct over the years, and for the sake of a visual medium, it's nice to see differences between the clans, if you will. The Goblin King in The Hobbit was particularly memorable.