Reverse Gripes

[Sir Kohran]

In the books, I was always a bit perplexed as to why the Fellowship spent weeks in one place (such as Rivendell) doing little or nothing of use, when their mission was supposed to be urgent, secretive and vital to Middle-Earth's future. Basically, if they can afford to spend weeks resting and enjoying themselves, where's all the risk? And the fact that no enemies catch up with them when they're staying in one place for so long seemed rather unrealistic. The books felt rather sluggish here.

In the films, the timeline was tightened up and more a lot more direct (like Gandalf's journey to Minas Tirith and his quicker return to the Shire). The Fellowship's almost always moving, and there's a great sense of urgency. This is also down to all the 'hints' that we get of being hunted (the shadows in Bag End that could be Nazgul, the scene with the first Uruk Hai being created in Isengard, the foreshading of Gollum, etc.) that really build up the tension.