10 Worst Changes Peter Jackson Made To The Lord Of The Rings
7. Saruman Was Supposed To Destroy The Shire
If there was one criticism people had for the Return of the King, it was that it had too many endings. Firstly the Ring is destroyed and the Men of the West survive the battle of the Black Gate. Secondly there's the coronation of Aragorn, which seems to nicely conclude things. Then we still have the hobbits journeying back to the Shire. But that still wasn't enough to tie things up. Eventually we say goodbye to our characters at the Grey Havens, when Frodo departs for the Undying Lands. So it's perhaps understandable that Peter Jackson removed one of the key chapters from the books.
But damn was it shame not to see the Scouring of the Shire on the big screen. Tolkien thought it necessary to show the Shire did not go untouched by the War of the Ring. When Saruman's army is defeated in the second book, he makes his way to the Shire, under the guise of a character named "Sharkey". He sets about taking control, destroying the countryside and all but enslaving the hobbits. When Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin return, they're forced to raise a hobbit rebellion and defeat Saruman and his henchmen.
It's a great moment in the books, and casts the hobbits in a far more heroic light, but given the length of the movies we can perhaps forgive its omission. We did get a brief hint of it when Frodo looks into the mirror of Galadriel, though.