It’s hard to believe it’s already been 21 years since Peter Jackson’s epic film trilogy finally broughtThe Lord of the Ringsnovel series to the big screen. Beautifully written, and often hailed for its epic scale and complex underpinnings that saw the legendary writer devise entire languages for them, the franchise stands as a testament to Tolkien’s literary genius and why he remains revered to this day.
The success of the then relatively unknown Peter Jackson and his films made for a fitting tribute to the legacy of the books. They were so acclaimed that the third film,The Return of the King,earned the current Oscar record for the largest clean sweep as it won 11 Academy Awards from 11 nominations, also equaling the record for the most Oscar wins by any film — tying in that regard withBen-HurandTitanic.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Despite all their success, the films have also become famous for their many mistakes. Being part of such a beloved franchise, over the years, fanatics have forensically picked through the films and found many a plot hole and filming error to complain about. The films remain iconic and brilliant, but it’s still funny to look back at just how many mistakes there actually were. Here are 20 of the most glaring ones to laugh about as we await theupcoming offerings from the franchise.
11Éomer’s Sword Falls Out - The Two Towers (2002)
One of the most lauded elements of Peter Jackson’sLord of the Ringstrilogy was the effort put into making sure the weapons used were as authentic as possible. To achieve this, while prop swords were used for intense battle scenes to ensure safety, for other scenes, actual swords were forged by real life master armorers. Dubbed the ‘Hero Swords’, these weapons' realistic designs made them difficult for the actors to handle like true warriors, as Karl Urban’s Éomer found out.
A Rookie Mistake
In a scene fromThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,whenkey characters, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli meet Éomer while traveling along the plains of Rohan, as Éomer mounts his horse, the camera pans upward. However, as this happens, it’s clearly visible that his sword slides from its sheath. While it makes for a rookie mistake for a warrior of his caliber, it’s also a funny moment for viewers who managed to catch it.StreamThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towerson Max.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Related:Lord of the Rings: 8 Key Book Characters Who Were Cut from the Movies
10Pippin’s Hands Were Already Free - The Two Towers (2002)
Later on in that same film, we find our heroes constantly in a bid to survive long enough to reach their objectives, while they’re mercilessly hunted. Meanwhile, for a time, they come across the gruesome aftermath of what seemed to have been a deadly battle. The evidence makes them believe our hobbit heroes to be dead. That is, untilViggo Mortensen’s Aragornuses his famous Dúnedain ranging skills to decipher the truth.
Either He Was Wrong or the Filmmakers Were
Aragorn manages to deduce that Pippin was there and narrowly missed being stamped on by a war horse. He worked out that he was bound but managed to untie himself. While Aragorn speaks, we’re treated to visuals of what went down. Most of it is accurate, until Pippin is shown to have cut his bindings and appears with his hands already free, before later being shown to be bound again.
That means either Aragorn was wrong about the chronology of events, or the filmmakers forgot to keep Pippin’s hands bound for the first scene.
Related:How To Watch The Lord Of The Rings & Hobbit Movies In Order
9One of Legolas’ Arrows Changes Color - The Two Towers (2002)
Easily one ofthe most likable charactersfrom the films, Orlando Bloom became iconic for his role as Legolas, the master archer. Often present in some of the most breathtaking scenes in the trilogy, Legolas could be devastatingly accurate with his bow as he takes down foes and beasts from seemingly unwinnable positions during battle scenes. However, as amazing as he and his arrows were, the character wasn’t immune from some of the movies' most glaring gaffs.
Too Much Inconsistency
During a scene fromThe Two Towers,Legolas has to stop an Uruk-hai warrior who uses a flaming torch to try and blast a hole in the heroes' defenses beneath the Deeping Wall. Legolas begins letting arrows fly and manages to repel the threat. It was a pretty cool scene, except for the fact that the feathering colors and their shape constantly change between the camera angles of him shooting them, and the scenes as they hit their target.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
8Aragorn Has Two Swords - The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
InThe Fellowship,during the skirmish at Amon Hen, Aragorn seems to be involved in a scene with a pretty glaring consistency error. While Peter Jackson’s LotR films were often lauded fortheir amazing battle scenes, which saw them winning Academy Awards for things like cinematography and special effects, many fans bemoaned just how many of these kinds of filming gaffs there were during fight scenes.
An Obvious Error
In this one, Aragorn is first slammed against a tree by Lurtz and loses his sword in the process. We later see Lurtz launching his shield at Aragorn. However, as it pins him against the tree, when the shield impacts him, he seems to lose a second identical sword. At no time do we ever see or hear anything about Aragorn carrying two identical swords, so this moment was a very obvious filming error that spliced two shots into one scene without properly ensuring appropriate consistency between them.
Related:15 Movies Like Lord of the Rings to Watch Next
7Gandalf’s Staff and the Power Cord - The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Gandalf’s famous wizard staff was often used to devastating effect during battle scenes. Like wands were integral to theHarry Potterfranchise,Gandalf’s staff became a symbol of magical powerand what he could unleash through it. Not only could he wield it as a physical weapon that he used like a skilled martial artist, it would often light up or emit blasts of light as he used it against enemies.
The Cord Was Clearly Visible
The problem was that during filming forThe Fellowship,back then, a power cable was still necessary to produce the cool onscreen effects of the staff glowing and lighting up. Powered by a cord that took the form of a black cable, that cable was sometimes visible under his robes or trailing behind it if you looked hard enough during certain scenes. Again, in light of all the films achieved for their technical brilliance, it’s unforgivable that such rudimentary shortcomings were left in.
6Isildur’s Trendy Shoes - The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
The prologue scene inThe Fellowshipprovides historical context for how the ancient wars and skirmishes over the Ring led to it being lost over time. In the scene, we see that Isidur once defeated Sauron and claimed the Ring as his own. He’s later tracked down by Orcs who fill his back with arrows and condemn him to a watery death as we get a shot of his body floating down a river.
He Wore Hiking Boots
The macabre scene made for an impactful opening that foreshadowed just how ruthless Sauron’s minions could be. Despite the dark nature of the scene, it was also punctuated bya hilarious filming mistake, since as his body floats down river, we get a glimpse of the fact that Isildur is wearing some pretty trendy and modern hiking boots.
5Arwen’s Ears Seem to Disappear - The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Liv Tyler’s portrayal of the half-Elven, Arwen, garnered her many fans among lovers of the books who felt she nailed the role. She’s often beenpraised for the qualities she brought to the role,like beauty, grace, and an Elven sense of otherworldly dignity. In a physical sense, her most distinctive feature was, of course, her ears, which are elongated and pointed, and distinguished her from humans.
You Could Hardly Miss them
Arwen’s ears were so distinctive that you could hardly fail to notice if they didn’t appear. In a scene when she kneels beside Frodo after he’s stabbed by the Witch King, Arwen’s ears are as prominent as ever. However, as the camera moves away and then back to her, for a moment, it almost seems like her ears are missing altogether.
Related:The Lord of the Rings: How Different Are the Extended Editions?
4Tire Tracks Visible at The Shire - The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
InThe Fellowship,Gandalf’s arrival at the Shire makes for a memorable scene. He’s greeted enthusiastically by adorable Hobbit children and delights them with a fireworks display. Despite all the fun and cute aspects of the scene, there was unfortunatelyone very nonsensical momentfrom those scenes too.
Definitely Not Cart Tracks
While Gandalf arrives by cart, his vehicle fits in perfectly with the old-fashioned and technologically backward nature of theLotRworld. However, in one scene, we see tracks in the mud that shouldn’t be there. The reason is that those tracks clearly belong to vehicles that use modern vehicle tires. Most likely made by crew vehicles, they should never have been visible in a world meant to have no modern automobiles.Related:Only One Lord of the Rings Actor Received an Oscar Nomination for the Films, Here’s Why
3Frodo’s Sword Forgets to Glow - The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Speaking of Frodo, despite his shortcomings, he wasn’t altogether defenseless, since he did carry around Sting, a magical Elvish dagger with super strength. While a dagger to human-sized folk, Frodo’s size meant he could wield it like a sword. Aside from its other qualities, it also acted as an alarm system, since it could glow blue whenever Orcs or Goblins were near.
Either a Malfunction or a Filming Mistake
Despite the early warning properties of Sting, during the second half ofThe Fellowship,Sting either malfunctioned or the filmmakers were inconsistent. This is evident from the scene where Frodo is ambushed by Orcs while passing through Moira. Even when he takes out Sting to fight and the Orcs are right there, the sword never glows. Since it was a magical weapon, it’s safe to say we can put this one down toa filming mistake.
2One Man Doesn’t Know What to Do - The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
The opening prologue scenefromThe Fellowshipfeatured another glaring mistake, besides Isildur’s hiking boots. In the scene that depicts the nine people from the world of men, most of them appear to have gotten the memo about what they were expected to do. However, one of the nine didn’t seem so sure.
The Odd One Out
The scene shows the nine Rings of Power given to men. They each hold them up to the camera and then lower their hands as the narrator croons on. All except the one man on the far right of the screen, who pretty much remains static, looking kind of sheepish and uncertain of what he was supposed to do as the camera pans over them.
Related:Why The Rings of Power Isn’t Connected to Peter Jackson’s LOTR Films
