The Hobbit: 20 Blunders That Ruined An Unexpected Journey

7. Rivendell

When the gang stops at Rivendell half-way through The Hobbit to consult Elrond about their map, there's a long, delineated section in which we get cameo appearances from Saruman (Christopher Lee) and Galadriel (Cate Blanchett). However, neither of these cameos occur in the novel, and so Jackson decides to throw them in just for the sake of it, another cheap way of milking the Rings' iconography, even if he places these characters in probably the most tedious segment of the whole story. One of the film's writers, Philippa Boyens, did recently speak to press who questioned her about the change, to which she replied that the film needed a female presence, given that it starred over a dozen male leads. It doesn't exactly feel like a salient point, though; the ongoing popularity of the novel is a testament to the fact that this doesn't matter, and it feels like a lazy way to get another few A-list names on the cast list.
 
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Frequently sleep-deprived film addict and video game obsessive who spends more time than is healthy in darkened London screening rooms. Follow his twitter on @ShaunMunroFilm or e-mail him at shaneo632 [at] gmail.com.