Peter Jackson's dozens of changes made to The Hobbit left a bad taste in my mouth at the time.
Yet having rewatched all of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings films recently, I have to it that the later films do actually have their charms, and that The Hobbit films did get some things right. One of the most endearing changes in the entire trilogy – and one actually I didn't like on my first viewing – is the addition of Middle-earth's sloppiest, most guano-encrusted wizard, Radagast the Brown.
Of All The Hobbit Movie Changes, Adding Radagast's Character Was One Of The Best
A Good-Natured, Entertaining Addition To The Hobbit
Plenty of the changes Peter Jackson and company made to The Hobbit were confusing, or even downright off-putting to both longtime fans of the story and new viewers alike. Yet one area Jackson's Hobbit trilogy most succeeded in, in part thanks to his and his team's fantastic approach to casting, was the introduction of Radagast the Brown, one of his time as Doctor Who's Seventh Doctor, Radagast's good-natured bumbling and poor personal hygiene make him an entertaining addition to The Hobbit.
All The Istari In The Lord Of The Rings, Ranked By How Well They Stuck To Their Mission
The Istari are sent to Middle-earth with a purpose in The Lord of the Rings, but some of J.R.R. Tolkien’s stuck to their mission better than others.
Unlike the addition of an entirely-new elf Tauriel, or the increased focus on ancillary characters like the Master of Lake-Town, both of whom work in the films' narrative by complicating the existing story, Radagast's appearance in The Hobbit films is in of the subplot of the White Council confronting the Necromancer in Dol Guldur. That section of the films is a great extrapolation of events that only warranted a few lines of text in the original book, as well as some of the supplemental information in the Appendices of The Lord of the Rings.
Including Radagast Gave LOTR Movie Fans A Chance To See More Of The Istari
The Brown Wizard's Removal From The Lord Of The Rings Was A Disappointment
While Peter Jackson's first trilogy was generally praised for its editorial approach, as most of the changes made to Lord of the Rings either expanded the story or condensed it in order to help the films' pacing, one change that initially caused some strife among fans was the removal of Radagast. In the book version of The Fellowship of the Ring, Gandalf encounters Radagast on his way to Bree, and is warned that the Nazgûl are abroad; it's Radagast's suggestion that Gandalf consult Saruman that gets Gandalf imprisoned atop the tower of Orthanc.
Where The Other Wizards Were During The Lord of the Rings
In the Lord of the Rings books it is said there are other wizards besides Gandalf and Saruman, but where were they during the War for the Ring?
Radagast's removal from the LOTR films wasn't a bad decision in and of itself, as the Brown Wizard's presence didn't move the plot along any faster, but it did result in those films giving the impression that Gandalf and Saruman were the only representatives of their order in all of Middle-earth. Neither Radagast nor either of the Blue Wizards is mentioned in Jackson's films, and although those movies breathed so much wonderful, sweeping life into their world, the wizards' utter absence is a bitter disappointment.
Radagast's Story In The Hobbit Explained Where The Rest Of Gandalf & Saruman's Order Was
Radagast Was Too Distracted
Perhaps the most important outcome of Radagast's appearance in The Hobbit is that it gives a bit of context as to where Radagast is during the War of the Ring – namely, that he was likely too distracted to have noticed anything was wrong. Radagast only became aware of the issues in the Mirkwood because of the spiders who tried to attack his home; since the War of the Ring saw no similar threats emerge in that area, Radagast may well have spent the entirety of T. A. 3018 completely oblivious as to how close Middle-earth came to doom.
Like his fellow Istari, he was merely a guide for the people of Middle-earth in their fight against Sauron.
Radagast was never meant to be a grand hero in The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings; like his fellow Istari, he was merely a guide for the people of Middle-earth in their fight against Sauron. There wouldn't have been much he could have contributed to the War of the Ring, as his strengths lay in understanding the plants and beasts of the world – which isn’t exactly something Frodo and Sam could have made much use of on their long trek to Mordor.
- Created by
- Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Guillermo del Toro
- First Film
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
- Latest Film
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
- Cast
- Orlando Bloom
- Movie(s)
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
- Character(s)
- Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf, Thorin Oakenshield, Smaug, Legolas, Tauriel, King Thranduil, Bard the Bowman
The Hobbit film series is a fantasy adventure trilogy directed by Peter Jackson, based on J.R.R. Tolkien's novel The Hobbit. Set 60 years before The Lord of the Rings, the films follow Bilbo Baggins' quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug. The series grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide and is known for its elaborate visuals and epic storytelling.
