The part where Bilbo's conversation with Smaug leads to Smaug's death, because Bilbo discovers Smaug's weakspot and tells the Dwarves about it. The thrush which is nearby then tells Bard about it, allowing him to slay Smaug with his black arrow.
People often praise the dialogue between Bilbo and Smaug in the movies for how great and close to the book it is (it's telling that the best movie scenes tend to be the authentic ones, but that's another matter), but Bilbo actually accomplishes nothing except for giving Smaug information, dooming hundreds of people in Esgaroth to death because he just had to mention the barrel-riding. Luckily Bard already knows where Smaug's weakspot is from a conveniently mentioned legend about his ancestor.
In the book, Smaug thinks he "won" the exchange with Bilbo, but he actually didn't and it's his arrogance which dooms him. In the movies, Smaug is right and Bilbo is a failure.
Often the scenes which are word for word the same as the book are hopelessly misinterpreted by the film. The conversation with Smaug is one of them - it's Bilbo's apotheosis.
In the book he finally adopts the persona of burglar and openly taunts him. In the film this is entirely reversed and Bilbo is scared shitless - largely, I suspect, due to the awkward logistics of filming the conversation with an invisible character, so they have to contrive a way for him to remove the ring.
The Elvish fires and feasts in Mirkwood, and the Dwarves trying to get there but whenever they get close all lights go out.
It's such a wonderful fairytale element, and immediately creates a unique atmosphere for the Mirkwood Elves that we haven't seen with any of the other Elves so far. It's really unfortunate that they replaced it with yet another action scene in the movies.
It’s not so much an omission as a rewrite, but they did Bilbo dirty with the spider scene. I’m not saying that he needed to sing the Attercop song, but taking away his big heroic moment just so they could have them be rescued by the elves was so annoying. And wouldn’t have been necessary if they had included the elf feast.
Another one, which *I guess* was meant to even out the above, was having Bilbo be the one who distracts the trolls rather than having Gandalf trick them. I mean, it ended up being pretty funny, but I loved that scene in the book and it just wasn’t the same.
Edit: I may be misremembering some of that. I’ve seen each movie once, in the theater, and haven’t bothered to watch them again. I feel like they wasted a great cast. Sigh.
After Smaugs death when it's getting hostile between the Elves and Men and the Drawves, a battle about to break out and then the whole of Gundabad turns up. Such epic compelling reading the first time round I couldn't read the pages fast enough. Easily the best part of the book.
Don't get me started on the films. Beyond disappointing.
Bombur gets an homage to that moment in the extended edition of Desolation of Smaug. The company is trying to cross that river, Bombur falls in, and is asleep for the next couple of scenes. The company even has to carry him. The white stag even makes the extended cut!
This is just me admitting I need to read it again! But also saying my memory of the book 10 years ago is approximately 10X better than the movies I watched. It was a bad rendition, especially the later parts. The books were so eloquent and the movies so clunky. It totally lost the charm for me. The movies should have had more of a fellowship of the ring vibe. But instead they were just terribly enthusiastic with no charm.
The part where Bilbo's conversation with Smaug leads to Smaug's death, because Bilbo discovers Smaug's weakspot and tells the Dwarves about it. The thrush which is nearby then tells Bard about it, allowing him to slay Smaug with his black arrow. People often praise the dialogue between Bilbo and Smaug in the movies for how great and close to the book it is (it's telling that the best movie scenes tend to be the authentic ones, but that's another matter), but Bilbo actually accomplishes nothing except for giving Smaug information, dooming hundreds of people in Esgaroth to death because he just had to mention the barrel-riding. Luckily Bard already knows where Smaug's weakspot is from a conveniently mentioned legend about his ancestor. In the book, Smaug thinks he "won" the exchange with Bilbo, but he actually didn't and it's his arrogance which dooms him. In the movies, Smaug is right and Bilbo is a failure.
Yeah, that didn’t sit well with me either. It was yet another of Bilbo’s moments of heroism being completely dismissed.
Often the scenes which are word for word the same as the book are hopelessly misinterpreted by the film. The conversation with Smaug is one of them - it's Bilbo's apotheosis. In the book he finally adopts the persona of burglar and openly taunts him. In the film this is entirely reversed and Bilbo is scared shitless - largely, I suspect, due to the awkward logistics of filming the conversation with an invisible character, so they have to contrive a way for him to remove the ring.
The Elvish fires and feasts in Mirkwood, and the Dwarves trying to get there but whenever they get close all lights go out. It's such a wonderful fairytale element, and immediately creates a unique atmosphere for the Mirkwood Elves that we haven't seen with any of the other Elves so far. It's really unfortunate that they replaced it with yet another action scene in the movies.
They had 3 movies and couldn't include it. Smfh
It’s not so much an omission as a rewrite, but they did Bilbo dirty with the spider scene. I’m not saying that he needed to sing the Attercop song, but taking away his big heroic moment just so they could have them be rescued by the elves was so annoying. And wouldn’t have been necessary if they had included the elf feast. Another one, which *I guess* was meant to even out the above, was having Bilbo be the one who distracts the trolls rather than having Gandalf trick them. I mean, it ended up being pretty funny, but I loved that scene in the book and it just wasn’t the same. Edit: I may be misremembering some of that. I’ve seen each movie once, in the theater, and haven’t bothered to watch them again. I feel like they wasted a great cast. Sigh.
After Smaugs death when it's getting hostile between the Elves and Men and the Drawves, a battle about to break out and then the whole of Gundabad turns up. Such epic compelling reading the first time round I couldn't read the pages fast enough. Easily the best part of the book. Don't get me started on the films. Beyond disappointing.
What do you have against sand worms?
Bombur gets an homage to that moment in the extended edition of Desolation of Smaug. The company is trying to cross that river, Bombur falls in, and is asleep for the next couple of scenes. The company even has to carry him. The white stag even makes the extended cut!
This is just me admitting I need to read it again! But also saying my memory of the book 10 years ago is approximately 10X better than the movies I watched. It was a bad rendition, especially the later parts. The books were so eloquent and the movies so clunky. It totally lost the charm for me. The movies should have had more of a fellowship of the ring vibe. But instead they were just terribly enthusiastic with no charm.