5 Things Lord of the Rings Fans Don’t Want To Admit About Legolas That Make You Prefer Gimli
The Lord of the Rings trilogy was the cinematic event of a generation. Peter Jackson’s three films ushered in so much more than just their own box office success. Thanks to The Lord of the Rings, preview night showings (including midnight shows) became big draws for theaters throughout the 2000s; similarly, the process of shooting and releasing multiple sequels back-to-back was a process that many other filmmakers tried (and failed at) after Jackson. Then there was the generation of actors who all saw their respective careers propelled forward by their roles in The Lord of the Rings, and owe Jackson major thanks for the opportunity.
Orlando Bloom experienced one of the biggest career surges after The Lord of the Rings, thanks to his character, the Elven warrior Legolas, becoming a breakout icon. However, time and perspective change things, and now, years later, with more The Lord of the Rings content having made it to the screen (The Hobbit trilogy, The Rings of Power TV series), things look very different. Now, we can spot at least 5 things wrong with Legolas that make his Dwarf comrade Gimli look much better, by comparison.
5. He Is Too Stoic & Distant (Not Enough Passion)
Orlando Bloom gets criticized for his somewhat wooden performance as Legolas, but really, Bloom has gotten an unfair brunt of the blame, because Legolas just isn’t much of a dynamic character at any point in the trilogy. The films change the light and whimsical Elf from J.R.R. Tolkien’s book into a stoic and quiet figure, but the personality change was taken to such extreme degrees that Legolas only speaks to Frodo once, in all three movies.
With Legolas being so stoic and distant, he lacks any real passion in the fight against ultimate evil (Sauron), and over time it looks… odd. Sauron did a lot of damage to the Elves and their culture before the final war began, so Legolas should’ve been more impassioned than anyone to settle the score. The Fellowship of the Ring gave Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) a spotlight to show the pain of his people’s losses and what Sauron’s evil cost them while traveling through the Mines of Moria. That was all it took to define Gimli’s passion and motivation for the remainder of the story. We never got any of that with Legolas.
4. His Origin Is Too Vague
Everyone who joins the Fellowship of the Ring comes from some kind of important family or lineage of Middle-earth, and that includes Legolas. However, The Lord of the Rings trilogy never made too much of the fact that Legolas was the only son of King Thranduil, ruler of the Elves of the Woodland Realm. His father didn’t even appear in the franchise until Peter Jackson did The Hobbit trilogy years later, with actor Lee Pace playing him (even though he didn’t look much older than Bloom).
Tolkien didn’t help us much on that front, either: Legolas’ mother and exact date of birth have never been revealed in Tolkien’s lore, leaving Legolas’ backstory undefined in a way that is bizarre for such a major character. Gimli, on the other hand, is related to two of the brave dwarves of The Hobbit (his father Glóin and uncle Óin), creating one of the most direct heroic lineages in the series.
3. He’s Constantly Being Sonned By His Dad
The Hobbit trilogy painted a very clear picture of Legolas’ relationship with his father, Thranduil, and it was definitely a tenuous one. Thranduil’s prejudices were clear, as we his sense of regal superiority and highborn privilege. He weighs on Legolas over his feelings for Tauriel (Evangeline Lily), a “lowborn” Woodland Elf, so much so that the pair never get to act on their love. Legolas enters The Fellowship of the Ring ostensibly as his father’s patsy, sent to Rivendell to explain Gollum’s escape from Thranduil’s prisons. Legolas finally shows his own backbone by stepping up and joining the Fellowship.
Gimli, on the other hand, had a great relationship with his father Glóin and intense pride in both his lineage and the dwarven people and their culture, as a whole. Legolas’ family life is sad, by comparison.
2. His Fight Sequences Get Totally Absurd
There’s no long discussion to be had, here: entire video compilations are dedicated to the silliness of Legolas’ battle sequences in The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies. He was basically a superhero amongst mortals, and the trilogy kept highlighting it via his body count competition with Gimli. Who can forget seeing Legolas pick orcs off with his bow while surfing down stairs on the body of a foe?
Gimli, on the other hand, looked brave and badass (if at times mad), throwing his diminutive body into the heart of the fray, swinging his mighty axe. In a medieval fantasy movie, we’ll take a brawler over a ballerina, every single time.
1. He’s Basically Eye-Candy
Yes, Legolas is the epitome of a 2000s “himbo,” it’s just the truth. He doesn’t add much personality to The Fellowship of the Ring; his battle sequences are as often laughable as they are badass, and we don’t even get to know much about him or his history, despite him appearing in more of Jackson’s films than just about any other character. The casting of Orlando Bloom accomplished one goal: making people swoon over how pretty he looked.
Many film franchises add some eye candy to the ensemble, so Peter Jackson wasn’t breaking revolutionary ground. All in all, Legolas is lucky he got to share the screen with Gimli, who was an actual character, and helped balance out the superficial appeal of Legolas.
You can stream The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies on HBO Max. Talk more about the Tolkien universe with us on the ComicBook Forum! The franchise will continue with the prequel film, The Hunt for Gollum, which picks up the story right after Gollum escapes from Legolas’ dad.
