7. The Hobbit Trilogy
From a film than condensed three books into one movie to a franchise that stretched one book into three films, let’s talk about The Hobbit. The massive success of The Lord of the Rings trilogy brought Tolkien’s Middle-earth to life in a way that many considered impossible. Looking for a new challenge, Peter Jackson set out to adapt The Hobbit for the big screen.
Tolkien’s original book was written as a children’s novel, and is naturally skewed toward a much younger audience than The Lord of the Rings. Apparently seeking tonal consistency with the original trilogy of Middle-earth-based films, a decision was made to make the prequel movie a little darker. Before long, it was announced that The Hobbit would not be just one film, but three.
As The Hobbit is not a particularly lengthy book, a great deal of extra story was written to flesh out an entire trilogy. Though the resulting films are certainly passable, they are a twisted reflection of Tolkien’s original book. The Hobbit trilogy may be an enjoyable return to Middle-earth for movie fans, but for Tolkien purists, they’re a nightmarish monument to Hollywood’s greed.