3. Romance and Love Triangles
Just as important as the improvement on existing characters, is the creation of original ones. The female Elf Tauriel has been a subject of debate amongst Tolkien fans, as she is the first entirely original character created by Peter Jackson. Many fans feel this is an infringement upon the sanctity of the author's works. But let's not forget that this isn't exactly the first time the director has, ahem, mingled with creative liberties. For example, the inclusion of the Lothlorien elves at the battle of Helm's Deep, or Gollum tricking Frodo into sending Sam away. But these changes actually helped along the story, increasing character dynamics and adding substance to Tolkien's mythos. But really the closest example is the role of Arwen. While she may have been a Tolkien character, her role was expanded upon enormously by Jackson. He lifted the mention of an Aragorn and Arwen romance from the appendices and used it as fuel to build an entire relationship. This served not only to expand upon the limited female roles in LOTR, but also to bring added dimension to Aragorn's journey. Any good fantasy series can use a little romance, especially one that eventually clocks in over 12 hours long. Following the success of the Arwen role in LOTR, it seems reasonable that Jackson would seek to create for the Hobbit a new concoction from the same recipe. Enter Tauriel, the female Elven warrior and romantic substitute for Arwen. In fact, Tauriel blends the best of both Arwen and Eowyn. She proves to be a fierce warrior, slaying a variety of Orcs and rescuing our heroes, particularly Kili, who she develops a fascinating fondness for. Here she becomes more Arwen than Eowyn, with the budding romance between Kili and Tauriel becoming the cross-species substitute for Arwen and Aragorn. And while Man and Elf may have a certain scandalous undertone, Dwarf and Elf just sounds plain dirty. I think this particular pairing appeals to the "Beauty and the Beast" fetishists in all of us. Throw in a little jealous Legolas, and you have the ingredients for one hell of unique love triangle (and a hilarious porn parody. Two Elves and a Dwarf?). As someone who usually hates love triangles, I think this is one of the few that actually works. Many will disagree, but I think the raging hormones adds a bit of humanity to the proceedings. And in world chock full of Elves, Dwarves, Wizards, and Hobbits, it's good to see our characters still possess feelings that remind us of our own natures as human beings. This gives us more to connect to, more to invest in, and more dimensionality to an already bright and brimming three dimensional world. Since I mentioned Legolas, I also have to mention that his presence here is a very welcome one. The first Hobbit suffered from what I call "Look, remember this character!" syndrome. Anytime someone from LOTR showed up, be it Frodo, Galadriel or Saruman, I had a creeping feeling that these characters were only there to remind us that they exist. Not so with Legolas. Not only does he provide us with some more of his bad-ass Legolas moves, he also rounds out the Elven cast nicely, giving them a more distinctive presence. He's both a familiar face and a newly fleshed out character. We learn about his origins, who his father was, and some of the conflicts that drive him. He feels like a completely different character. I'm actually going to go out on a limb and say I like him more here than I ever did in LOTR. I know he's a fan favorite, but I can't help but think that's because he had a bow and arrow and shot it a lot. He never struck me as having nearly the strong personalities that his companions Aragorn and Gimli did. When he wasn't shooting his arrow he just kind of stood around looking pretty and saying the occasional wise word or two. Now Legolas has a definitive purpose all his own. I'm looking forward to seeing how Tauriel's relationship with Kili develops, and how ultimately she will be involved with the actions that lead to his demise. I'm guessing she will be a part of Kili's final battle, probably fighting alongside him. Her reaction to his death, where her character goes from there, and how Legolas will be involved, are all going to be interesting elements to watch come together. Will Legolas attempt to console her and rekindle their romance? Will she accept? Will she die in battle with Kili? Where the heck is she during LOTR anyway? These are all questions that have yet to be answered, and the fact that Jackson has made me interested enough to ask them is in itself an accomplishment. And if others are asking the same questions, then it looks like Jackson is doing right by Tolkien.