The Hobbit: 10 Times Peter Jackson Ruined A Character

Peter Jackson was faced with an interesting task when it came to adapting the Hobbit into a three part movie. In the book, Tolkien drummed up some tension by having Gandalf disappear for a significant section of the narrative, forcing the Dwarves and Bilbo to face a few challenges without his aid.

Gandalf's brief mention of the Necromancer was originally nothing more than a vague nod to the wider world of Middle-earth, and an excuse to have Gandalf leave. Tolkien only decided this would be Sauron when he wrote the Lord of the Rings years later.

Jackson felt this would be a good opportunity to tie his new trilogy back to his original. It had all the ingredients for a tasty sub-plot, but Jackson over cooked it. Rather than giving a few sinister winks to the Dark Lord, Jackson decided to make him an integral part of the story. It's easy to see why he did this, but it took up so much screen time that it sapped momentum from the narrative established in movie one.

The Hobbit was supposed to tell the tale of Bilbo and the Dwarves retaking the Misty Mountain. Instead it became embroiled with a wider plot line, shabbily dovetailed into Bilbo's story in the most unsatisfying way possible.