little moments from the book that the film missed...

I know many fans think that the details of Jackson's films are spot on but I have some issues with small little details that in the book made complete sense then what Jackson gives us in the film. just some I can think of off the top of my head are:

1. Bilbo doesn't want to go on this adventure, he was glad the dwarfs were gone. But then Gandalf shows up and shoes him out the door and basically forces him to go. There is no running thru the streets yelling about going on an adventure, no waving a contract behind him.

2. Missing the Green Dragon inn just something that would have been a cool nod to the book and been able to show the dwarfs gathering supplies getting ready to set out.

3. Bilbo wearing one of the dwarfs hood and cloak being soaked in the rain in gear that is obviously too big for him.

4 Bilbo's constant thinking of his cozy hobbit hole, and all the comforts of it. Something I think the film attempted in a poor way by Bilbo's conversation with Bofur trying to sneak out back to Rivendell.

5. Gollum going back to his island looking for the ring, the line about it being his "Birthday present" and the whole scenario about Gollum thinking Bilbo already knew the way out.

6. The Goblins at the back door. Just something that annoyed me. The Goblins were so protective yet they leave an opening into their realm unprotected. Something which to me doesn't make sense.

7. The whole Trollshaws sequence which barely resembled the book

All i can think of right off the top of my head at this moment. Anyone else got anything from the book that was missing?

There's been at least a hundred pages of this stuff already. But I think the missing home theme hasn't been mentioned before, and agree it would have made a nice addition.

I didn't even remember how Bilbo got out of the mountain in the movie (despite seeing it 3 times), which means they made it a non-event. I do have some vague recollection of buttons popping off, though.

yes, the buttons were there  like, were there as in they fell off.i doagree with some of the stuff on the list... some.

basically 99.9% of little moments are missing from the film.  

The buttons were in the film but not where they were in the book. All we got in the film was Gollum getting ticked off and chasing Bilbo aimlessly thru the tunnels. There was no suspicion of Bilbo really knowing the way out, there were no goblins at the back door, the one true trick the ring performed is absent (revealing Bilbo's silhouette in the light of the back door while wearing the ring) that would have shown some of the rings trickery. We got Jackson's wonderful imagery of the ring falling perfectly onto Bilbo's finger just like in FOTR in Bree. He couldn't even bother to give us something new, simply rehashing LOTR scenes.

When in the book Bilbo slipped the ring on from his pocket, while Gollum was gone, looking for it on his island.  Was invisible when Gollum returned, listened to Gollum mumbling about thinking Bilbo knew the way out and followed him to the exit. Jumping over him to get out and then finding himself at the back door. Stumbling upon the dwarfs without realizing it.

Two more things which I found likable in the book that the film missed was:

1. Dori having to climb back down the tree to help Bilbo up into the branches. Bilbo was too short to reach. Something which I was hoping for and thought they were gonna show it but then Bilbo got in the tree by himself.

2. Bilbo hanging from Dori's legs with the eagles yelling "Ow my arms!, Ow my arms!" and Dori is yelling, "Oh my legs, Oh my legs!"... A chance at a really comedic moment from the book that was greatly missed in Jackson's adaptation. Instead we get eagles lifting the dwarfs and dropping them onto the backs of other eagles. Instead of feeling any of the danger that was present in the book

Oh yes, I shuddered when I saw the ring finger/juggling trick a second time.

It's an awful shame that Dori's sweet character moment was missed. Jackson preferred a tree hanging over the abyss to a whole set of iconic scenes with goblins laughing, deliberately burning the dwarves out, etc.

The biggest thing missing from the movie: quality.

agreed.  

it would be easier to list what little moments were put in the film. theres less of them.

Indeed. I'm trying to think of a single one... 

Early scenes - mainly - were good.

thats true, but I didnt feel anything but creeping boredom. It didnt make me happy if you know what I mean? some of the elements were there, and it kind of worked during the song, but somehow what they said at the table bored me, the Dwarves bored me, (and terribly Gandalf bored me   ) I just wanted them to get on with it, I didnt want to linger in Bagend, and thats a bad sign, because in Fellowship I wanted to stay, it felt right.

The early scenes meaning the prologue with the dwarves? Hated that montage, personally.

I liked seeing Dale and Erebor, but the bit with the Elves was bad.

I liked (most of) Bag End. I did not need the dwarvish kingdom intro. (That could have been done - in  a modified form - while the dwarves were discussing the quest around the table - when Bilbo begins to learn stuff). I found the beginging of FotR boring (movie that is), but Bag End (movie) good (mostly). Liked the two songs pretty well. I wish they had have set things up for longer at Bag End --- though, like I said, there was some stuff that reeked of the PJaying Effect! Crack the plates was good - if only the dwarves were more like they were in the song for all of the start... if only.... An no coloured hoods?  I'd have made the movie like the book. A rollicking childrens adventure (for adults too).

Missed the Elves singing there silly songs at the dwarves and Bilbo when riding down the path to Rivendell.
Sure one of the Elves shouts " look, Bilbo on a pony, isn't that delicious "

To me, the intro seemed antithetical to the tone of the book. Bilbo, blithely happy in his idyllic world, is suddenly thrust into the cold and dangerous wide world. From the movie we know Bilbo's already been there. No sense of unraveling wonder; no mystery. The focus centers more on the dwarves and their quest than Bilbo and his journey of discovery. And I know we know Bilbo's already been there from LotR, but I think we should judge the movie on its own merits, not other movies. The movie is nowhere near the book, in my view, and this is only one of the (many) reasons why.

As for the scenes in Bag End, too long and I find it hard to fathom that the extended edition adds more time to these scenes; heck I find it hard to fathom there's an extended edition.

chris63 wrote:Missed the Elves singing there silly songs at the dwarves and Bilbo when riding down the path to Rivendell.
Sure one of the Elves shouts " look, Bilbo on a pony, isn't that delicious "

I'm not so sure of that one! Whether or not it is present though, it reminds me of the similar scene (except without dwarves, or ponies, or Rivendell, or Bilbo) in The Lord of the Rings where Gildor (I had to look up his name    ) espies Frodo and his two companions hiding near the road.

"They passed slowly, and the hobbits could see the starlight glimmering on their hair and in their eyes... They were now silent, and as the last Elf passed he turned and looked toward the hobbits and laughed.
'Hail Frodo!' he cried. 'You are abroad late. Or are you perhaps lost?' Then he called aloud to the others, and all the company stopped and gathered round.
'This is indeed wonderful!' they said. 'Three hobbits in a wood at night!..."

This is off-topic, but I would include the Gildor section of Fellowship as one of my favourite unfilmed parts of LotR.

chris63 wrote:Missed the Elves singing there silly songs at the dwarves and Bilbo when riding down the path to Rivendell.
Sure one of the Elves shouts " look, Bilbo on a pony, isn't that delicious "

Yep. I just checked. The line is:
"Well, well!" said a voice, "Just look! Bilbo the hobbit on a pony, my dear! Isn't it delicious!"
"Most astonishing wonderful!"
Then off they went into another song as ridiculous as the one I have written down in full.

Even more telling I think is the bit just before this:

"He [Bilbo] loved elves, though he seldom met them; but he was a little frightened of them too. Dwarves don't get on well with them. Even decent enough dwarves like Thorin and his friendsthink them foolish (which is a very foolish thing to think), or get annoyed with them. For some elves tease them and laugh at them, and most of all at their beards."

I'm sure PJ and Co used that line about dwarves and elves not getting on as a springboard for all the hostilities, but they completely changed the reason.  
And it would have been so easy to follow the book in this, because those beards are frankly so laughable!  

very good point david. i know i had the most liberal award last year, but i am backing u on this

DOS: Every single page

 

I did notice they added "Thank You very much." Bilbo received a blanket from one of Bard's daughters. He said it so quietly I only picked it up because I was looking for it. It wasn't said with sniffles, but at least it was said   

Not sure if it's a little or big moment since Beorn was totally fucked over for the movie, but the key moment that seems to have been lost is Gandalf's subtly talking Beorn into inviting the dwarves into his house. Instead it became some stupid action sequence. Can Peej be any more one-note than this?

They included Bilbo's headlong dash to get into the Elven-king's halls before the gates slammed shut, although it was left "vague" if he made it in because drama, I guess.

Eldorion wrote:They included Bilbo's headlong dash to get into the Elven-king's halls before the gates slammed shut, although it was left "vague" if he made it in because drama, I guess.

There was no visual inclusion of Bilbo's dash into the gates. It was simply implied. In one shot Bilbo is invisible near the edge of the forest, Legolas turns around as if he senses a presence, and then the gates are shown closing.