‘The Hobbit’ or ‘The Lord of the Rings’ | Which Version of Legolas Is Better?
Annlyel James 
Annlyel explores the character development of Legolas between the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit Trilogy
Legolas is easily one of my favorite movie characters of all time. As a child, I pretty much watched either The Fellowship of the Ring or The Two Towers on a daily basis and Legolas was always the most mysterious character who I gravitated to the most. When I got a little older I fancied Legolas…for other reasons. 😍
And now, in my young adult age, I marvel at Legolas’s sweet skills. Have you noticed that in the entire span of The Lord of the Rings trilogy he never got a scratch! Not even so much as a nick. Wow. And don’t get me started about him singlehandedly taking down that oliphaunt in The Return of the King. Best. Scene. Ever!
When I learned that he would play a part in The Hobbit movies I couldn’t have been more thrilled. And he did not disappoint. Adding a bit of much-needed flair to the final two films, we got to see Legolas in a different light. He shined as the prince of the Woodland Elves, commanding his fellow Elven warriors around. It soon became apparent that the Legolas from The Hobbit movies and The Lord of the Rings films felt entirely different. Legolas, in The Lord of the Rings, is very much a supporting character, spouting riddled nonsense in a soft Elven tone that oozes mystery and helping the Fellowship in their tough confrontations.
It, however, was nice to see a bit more attention focused on Legolas in The Hobbit movies. Between his faltering allegiance to his father, King Thranduil, and his growing crush on his friend, Tauriel, the Captain of the Guard, we actually had something to grasp onto storywise with his character. And don’t get me started with that riveting duel in Laketown between him and the putrid orc, Bolg, in The Desolation of Smaug. That scene alone was so awesome it won an MTV award for Best Fight. Heck yeah!
All in all, I come back to the question of this post and I think the answer is very clear. While Legolas is clearly very awesome in The Lord of the Rings I liked that he had more substance in The Hobbit movies. He was a shining light amidst the often dull storytelling and he really did help make the films just a little more enjoyable.
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Annlyel James is a prolific Staff Writer for Future of the Force. She is passionate about Star Wars and Marvel but loves a wide variety of movie genres. Follow her on Twitter @annlyeljames where she channels the Force frequently!
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Annlyel James is a Senior Correspondent of The Future of the Force. She is passionate about Star Wars and Marvel but loves a wide variety of movie genres. Aside from her role with Future of the Force she also writes for her blog: annlyelonline. Follow her on Twitter where she channels the Force frequently!
