Hot Take: There Shouldn't Be Any More Live-Action Lord Of The Rings Anything

Not too long ago, I wrote about how I wish Mystic River beat The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King for Best Picture, and I was met with some blowback. In fact, one person even [playfully] wrote “rethink your life” to me after reading the article.

But, here’s the thing. You might think I don’t like The Lord of the Rings movies after writing that piece, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I actually LOVE Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, and I think The Return of the King is one of the best movies to ever win Best Picture! However, as a fan, even I have my limits, and I think that limit may be the upcoming movie, The Hunt for Gollum.

In fact, if it were up to me, there wouldn’t be any live-action Lord of the Rings anything. Here’s why.

The Initial Trilogy Has Already Been Tarnished Enough By Those Middling The Hobbit Movies

Now, I said that I loved Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but that doesn’t mean that I loved his Hobbit movies. In fact, when I ranked all of The Lord of the Rings films, it wasn’t difficult for me to put all three Hobbit movies at the bottom of the list, and all three LotR films at the top. Because, come on, let’s face it. Those Hobbit movies were pretty dreadful. Sure, there might have been SOME enjoyment found in the first one, An Unexpected Journey, but The Hobbit DID NOT have to be three movies. One would have sufficed, and two AT MAX.

However, a big problem with those Hobbit movies is that they don’t feel like the novel at all. Whereas the LotR trilogy captures a lot of the darker tones of the novels, The Hobbit is not a dark book in any sense of the word. In fact, it’s a pretty light-hearted, whimsical romp, and if any movie got it right, it’s the animated one from the ‘70s (which I’ll get into later).

But anyway, I think The Hobbit movies kind of tarnished the goodwill that the original trilogy made for the series. For one thing, The Hobbit movies felt like an extension of The Lord of the Rings, when I don’t think they should have. Instead, they should have felt like their own separate thing, just like the book itself.

In this way, I honestly don’t want to see any more live-action Lord of the Rings movies, as The Hobbit films kind of diminished my enthusiasm for the series. But that’s not all.

Also, Do We Really Need To Know What Happened In-Between The Events Of Fellowship? Seriously?

With news that Ian McKellen will be returning for LOTR: The Hunt for Gollum, you’d think that I’d be more excited for it. Because I love Gandalf, and I love Ian McKellen AS the character. However, I’m not excited, and I think it’s because I’m Gandalfed out. It’s kind of like how I’m even less excited about Avengers: Doomsday after seeing the X-Men in that one trailer.

Because I’m kind of just tired of these characters by this point. For instance, back in 2001, I was DEEPLY into The Lord of the Rings when The Fellowship of the Ring came out. I was still in high school, and I read the book because I loved the movie so much. However, even though I watch the LotR trilogy every so often nowadays, I’m definitely not salivating for more content around the original trilogy, and I don’t think many other people are either.

So, why then are we getting The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which supposedly takes place between events in The Fellowship of the Ring (between Bilbo’s birthday and the Mines of Moria, in particular)? If you ask me, The Fellowship of the Ring is perfect just the way it is. It doesn’t need any additional stories told in between its story. The movie that we’ve already gotten is everything we need, so anything extra kind of verges on being masturbatory (And yes, I know, this is MY opinion, and not everyone shares it).

I don’t know. I’d just rather not get another LotR movie, especially when we already have a live-action TV series. Oh, and about that.

A Series Like The Rings Of Power Is Already Filling A Hole For Fans Of The Series

I’m going to be honest with you. I tried Rings of Power. I really did. By the end of the first season, I was bored, and I really didn’t want to be. Now, I know it’s found its fanbase (Some of us here are even fans), but I just couldn’t push myself to watch the second season, so I definitely can’t muster the enthusiasm for Season 3, which wrapped not too long ago.

That's just it. It’s not like Lord of the Rings fans haven’t had something to watch since The Hobbit movies ended. In fact, while I’m not a fan, I’ve heard people say that the show has gotten a lot better and that I should give it another shot. However, while I’m happy that LotR fans have a series that they enjoy, isn’t it enough?

I kind of liken it to Star Wars on Disney+, with the big difference being that there are a lot of different kinds of Star Wars shows on the streaming service that you can watch, so if you don’t like one (For instance, I avoid anything involving the Jedi), you can always watch something like Andor, or The Mandalorian, so you’re getting the WORLD of Star Wars, and not one individual story. And, from what I’ve read, The Rings of Power is similar in a sense, as it pulls from multiple books (some even unfinished).

So, with this being such a treat for LotR fans, I really don’t think we need any other LotR-related ANYTHING. At least when it comes to live-action, which brings me to my last point.

If Anything, Maybe Future LOTR Projects Should Be Animated Rather Than Live-Action

Now, even though I watched it, I didn’t love 2024’s anime feature, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. It was…fine, but it left a lot to be desired. For instance, I know people like Stephen Colbert are deep into the lore, but I’m not hardcore like that. So, to see a movie that takes place before The Hobbit just wasn’t appealing to me.

However, that doesn’t mean I’m completely adverse to animated versions of The Lord of the Rings, as I’d actually be all for it. For instance, I’m a big fan of the three animated movies we got, those being 1977’s The Hobbit, 1978’s The Lord of the Rings, and 1980’s The Return of the King, and if you had told me that The Hunt for Gollum was going to be animated, then I’d actually be a lot more receptive to it, because that’s an area that I’m actually intrigued to see.

Like, do you want to know why I’m not a huge fan of The Hobbit movies or The Rings of Power? It’s the aesthetic approach, as they look too much like Peter Jackson’s original trilogy. Now, I know that’s intentional, but I’d rather see this world in a totally different light, and animation is the way to go.

The War of the Rohirrim definitely had an interesting look, and that’s one of the reasons why I watched it, but I honestly think animation is the only way LotR should go from now on, as that might revitalize my interest.

What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts!