It’s been nearly 20 years since The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring hit theaters in 2001. Since then, fans and critics alike have lauded The Lord of the Rings trilogy as one of the greatest fantasy stories of all time. It is also one of the few film trilogies that stays relatively true to the books on which it is based.
That said, no movie is perfect. All of The Lord of the Rings films feature character inconsistencies that raised a few eyebrows, especially among diehard Tolkien fans. However, many of these inconsistencies were written into the original story, making them a necessary part of the overarching narrative. In any case, here's a look at the top 10 character inconsistencies in The Lord of the Rings:
Galadriel's Evil Side
Like many fantasy stories, The Lord of the Rings is all about the battle between good and evil. Generally speaking, hobbits represent all that is good and pure in the world, while Sauron and his legion of orcs represent all that is evil. Humans, dwarfs, elves, and all other kinds of fantasy beings fall somewhere in the middle.
Then, there’s Galadriel. When looking at her actions throughout the entire series, Galadriel is firmly on the good side. However, like almost every character in the film, she struggles with the power of the One Ring. When given the opportunity to take the ring from Frodo, Galadriel gives audiences a quick glimpse of her evil side that's never built up to or mentioned again. What was up with that?
Treebeard Suddenly Becomes Violent
Treebeard is the unofficial leader of the Ents, an ancient group of tree creatures that move, talk, and think very slowly. When Merry and Pippin first encounter the Ents, they try to convince them to help them in the fight against Saruman the White. Naturally, it takes the Ents quite some time to decide whether or not to attack Saruman’s home of Isengard.
However, once Treebeard does decide to attack, things speed up a little too quickly. After mourning for a minute, Treebeard organizes possibly hundreds of other Ents and coordinates a swift attack on Isengard. If anything, it took Treebeard and friends longer to say "Hi" during their first council where they decided not to do anything. Not so slow anymore, is he?
Boromir Changes Alignments Too Often
Much like Galadriel, Boromir couldn’t quite decide if he wanted to be a good guy or a bad guy. This was a common theme in both the books and the movies, as the One Ring had the power to corrupt almost anyone.
However, Boromir was a particularly strange case, as his character changed from proud and defiant to defeatist and corrupt before becoming heroic and virtuous — all in the span of one movie!
Elrond Just Gave Up
Multiple flashback sequences show viewers that Elrond knows more than almost anyone about the history and corrupting power of the One Ring. However, after The Fellowship of the Ring, Elrond shows little interest in fighting the good fight.
As it turns out, he'd rather just send the fellowship on their way and hope for the best. Despite being one of the good guys, Elrond has a lot to learn about teamwork. It could be said that he grew tired of fighting but if that really was the case, why did he bother arranging for a fellowship to destroy the ring if he was so sure about Sauron's victory?
Legolas Suddenly Grows A Heart
Elves in The Lord of the Rings are naturally immortal, though they choose to travel on to the next realm when they feel the time is right. This means that Legolas is pretty old — almost 3,000 years old — according to the books. However, fans wouldn’t know it based on his character development. In the first film, Legolas is cold and aloof. He likes to stay focused on the task at hand unlike, say, Merry or Pippin.
However, by the end of The Return of the King, Legolas has warmed up and become a much more dynamic person. How did his entire personality transform in just a few short years when he’s been around for centuries? The fact that The Hobbit trilogy hints at the birth of some emotions also makes his heartwarming development in the main trilogy weird. At least he didn't lose his skills with a bow!
Gandalf Forgot About Sauron & The Ring
While Gandalf is one of the more consistent characters even when he kind of dies and comes back as the new and improved Gandalf the White, he is not without fault. Thanks to The Hobbit prequel trilogy, fans know that Gandalf was well aware of the One Ring and Sauron long before Frodo was even born.
So with that in mind, why does he seem so surprised when the old evil starts turning up in the Shire in The Fellowship of the Ring? There's even an entire scene where he drops by a library to seemingly read about what he should already know.
Only Frodo Sees Sauron
As the main protagonist of The Lord of the Rings, Frodo was bound to make this list. What’s really inconsistent about Frodo is his relationship with the One Ring when compared to others who held it.
Yes, it turns him invisible, just like it did for Bilbo and presumably Gollum. However, it also allows him to have a direct line with Sauron. Why didn’t Bilbo or Gollum get the same privilege? Did they get a different set of visions, or was Sauron exclusive to Frodo?
The Cave Trolls Became Really Dumb
In The Hobbit, one of the most exciting scenes in both the book and the films involves three cave trolls debating about how to cook and eat Bilbo and the dwarfs in a comically dark manner.
Even though The Lord of the Rings takes place just a few decades after The Hobbit, cave trolls seemed to have suddenly devolved mentally without any explanation. In The Fellowship of the Ring, cave trolls can’t speak or use any sense of logic, mindlessly tearing the ruins of Moria apart instead of fighting smartly or joking about it.
Aragorn Wants To Be The Hero ASAP
Aragorn is one of represents one of the strangest transformations in the entire trilogy. When he's first introduced, he is a shady bar-dwelling mercenary with mysterious origins who decides to help Frodo and company. But after a few adventures, he is ready not just to be a hero, but to be the hero of Middle Earth! Even stranger, he accepts his role as the destined king of men almost without question.
If he was so determined to become king right after a few people brought up the possibility, why was he so content with being a mysterious ranger for the first few decades of his life?
Denethor Suddenly Learns Hope
Denethor is the mad king of Gondor who threatens the lives of his people with his deranged way of thinking. When confronted with his wrongdoing, Denethor dismisses everyone, seeing defeat as the only option. As Minas Tirith faces hordes of orcs, Denethor tries to burn his own son alive, only to be forced into the flames himself.
Inexplicably, the act of getting burned alive seems to make Denethor see the error in his ways. The argument could be made that it took death for Denethor to see how wrong he was, but his tragic realization was a bit too abrupt to believe. If only they had tried to kill him sooner!
