Disappearing Lights

The Movie: While perched atop the tree, Bilbo notices something shaking the trees in the distance, and it's growing closer. He tries to shout a warning to the others but trips and falls. A spider roars in his face, knocking him into a web. He is spun into a web cocoon.

The Book: After climbing down from the tree, Bilbo relates what he saw to the rest of the dwarves. They grumble at him, especially at his report of wind and sun, and bemoan the fact that the forest seems to go on and on. Hunger pains them, and Bombur refuses to go any further. Balin notices a twinkle of light in the distance - a campfire. Too hungry to care about heeding Gandalf's warnings to stay on the path, Thorin's Company rush toward the fire. It's an elven feast.

"Elves. Why did it have to be elves?"

As soon as the dwarves approach, the torches and campfire wink out like magic. The dwarves panic in the lightless dark and it is many hours before they can find each other again. By then, they are hopelessly lost. They make camp, and shortly afterwards Dori sees the lights in the distance again. Bilbo is sent to scout. As soon as he steps into the clearing where the elves are feasting, the lights wink out and he immediately falls asleep. It is only by accident that the dwarves find him. A third time the dwarves notice the lights, and a third time they approach - this time they witness the elven king himself. Thorin approaches the campfire, instead of Bilbo. As the enchantment causes Thorin to fall asleep, the lights disappear again, and Thorin's Company is separated for a third time. Bilbo wanders the forest calling for his companions, but does not find them, and he is forced to make camp by himself. He is woken up by a spider, who is halfway through spinning him into a web cocoon.

My Opinion: I'm of two minds about this change. I certainly don't think that I would have wanted to see Thorin's Company crash three elven parties in a row; that'd get very old, very fast. But we could have seen one, right? I know that there isn't much time in this two and a half hour movie, what with all the Legolas drama and exciting barrel chases, but, c'mon. This isn't an adapted scene that failed to live up to what the book delivered. It was cut entirely! Another interesting part of Bilbo's quest just entirely removed. And it involved elves! That's, like, Peter Jackson's favorite thing, right?

You could have used this guy if you wanted to. He's got orange hair! I know how much you like orange!

A smaller note, but still a change that bothered me: this is the second time that hunger has been a driving force in the dwarves' actions in the book, and both times the movie ignored that particular motivation. When Thorin's Company risked the trolls for food, it was because their ponies bolted with all their provisions. This time, though, they're out of food because they've been in Mirkwood for so long. Removing this small subplot isn't a big deal in the long run, but it sort of changes the scope of what's happening. Again, the movie just feels so rushed, like Bilbo and the dwarves are being hustled from one scene to another. Bilbo's grand adventure is supposed to take months! Not days. 

Mirkwood

The Movie: Thorin's Company, now less a wizard, walk the path of Mirkwood single file. The woods are dark, and choked with vines and cobwebs. As they get deeper into the forest, the dwarves begin to complain about the stuffiness of the air. This journey seems to take no more than a full day. The path disappears suddenly, as if it had been swallowed by a ravine. The dwarves search for the path, but by then the black magic of Mirkwood has taken effect: they are lost and suffering from some sort of supernatural confusion. Their sense of reality starts to become skewed; Bofur finds his own tobacco pouch and fails to realize it belongs to him, Bilbo confuses Dori for himself, etc.

No wonder Radagast lives here; just breathe the air for a free acid trip!

Bilbo, though suffering the same hallucinations of the rest of his party, is the first to realize that they've been traveling in circles. Thorin says that they must go east, but without being able to see the sun, none of them know how to find their way. The dwarves begin to fight, and Thorin realizes that they are being watched. Bilbo climbs a tree to see the sun. He breathes the clean air above Mirkwood, and is comforted by the sun's light and a swarm of blue butterflies. He finds east quickly, and realizes that they are almost out of the woods.

The Book: Thorin's Company walk the path, single-file. The forest was filled with massive cobwebs (though none spanning the path), black squirrels, and strange noises all around. The woods become incredibly dark; at night, it is completely pitch black, like it was in the goblin's caves. All of the dwarves, and Bilbo, hate the stillness and stuffiness of the air. During the nights, they could see glowing eyes in the dark, of various sizes and colors. Their rations begin to grow low, implying that the journey through Mirkwood took at least two weeks. The path is blocked by a river one day; heeding Beorn's warning, they do not drink from it or refill the water skins.

Bilbo, his eyes the sharpest, makes out an abandoned boat on the other side of the river. Fili throws a hook tied to a rope, guided by where Bilbo tells him the boat is, and on the third try he catches the hook to the boat and pulls it to their side of the river. Thorin decides that they will cross in groups of four: Dwalin and Bombur go last, because Bombur is so fat he needs to be on the lightest load. After all the dwarves had safely crossed the river, as Bombur was getting out of the boat, a great deer charges the dwarves and leaps across the river. Bombur gets knocked into the water.

Every group of friends has a Bombur.

The dwarves pull Bombur out, and he is fast asleep. Thorin's Company is forced to carry him for several days, even after they run out of food. When he finally does awake, he has forgotten everything since Bilbo's house. Thorin's Company does not lose the path through any of this. They hear eerie singing and laughing in the woods, which disquiets Thorin enough to order Bilbo to climb a tree so they could find out how much longer they must endure the forest. The hobbit does so. He basks in the sunlight and watches hundreds of black butterflies flying around his face. However, he is not comforted by what he sees - he sees no end to the woods in any direction.

My Opinion: I am very disappointed by how Peter Jackson handled Mirkwood. I was looking forward to seeing the enchanted river, but apparently that part of the book had to be cut for time. I guess to make room for exciting elven love triangles, I don't know. That's a big part of the chapter, though. Similar to the caves where Bilbo met Gollum, there seems to be an odd source of light present. Mirkwood is supposed to be dark and terrifying. Everything is just too saturated in orange and blue to really be menacing.

These butterflies are black in the book, but to be fair, I think Peter Jackson suffers withdrawal if his movie goes more than ten minutes without filling the screen with orange and blue.

I did enjoy, however, the evil magic that has corrupted the forest. That's not in the book at all, seeing everybody trip balls like they ate the wrong brownies. It not only provided a nice visual, but it sort of emphasized the dangers Sauron represents. Mirkwood is this way because of his influence in Dol Guldur - if he wins, perhaps all forests will become like this? It's a neat touch. I don't think it necessarily replaces the loss of the river, but it was still cool.

At one point in the movie, Dwalin mumbles that he "doesn't even know what day it is." I can't tell if this is meant to imply that several days have passed, or just his general state of confusion. The movies certainly doesn't imply that more than a few hours had passed. That's something I feel the movie has gotten very wrong. The passage through Mirkwood feels far more sinister and epic if it's something that takes almost a month of travel. You shouldn't be able to get through it in a hearty afternoon.

Gandalf Leaves (again!)

The Movie: Thorin's Company rides for what appears to be less than a day before arriving to the edge of Mirkwood. It is a sudden change, with massive ugly trees looming at the edge of the grasslands. Gandalf finds the Elven Gate, which is the entrance to the path. It is overrun with vines. He sees, in the distance, Beorn in bear form, and tells the dwarves to return the ponies to their rightful owner. A comment from Dwalin insinuates that Beorn had protected them this far. Bilbo says that the forest feels sick, "as if a disease lies upon it." He asks if there's another way around.

Motherfucker, this is Middle Earth. You'd be hard pressed to find a forest or mountain that's not haunted.

Gandalf says the only alternatives are a two hundred mile detour north, or a four hundred mile detour south. He explores the entrance to the forest and finds an elven statue, on which someone had painted an eye in red (blood?). At the same time - the movie is ambiguous if they are related - the One Ring begins whispering to Bilbo, and Gandalf receives a telepathic message from Galadriel telling him to explore the tombs in the High Fells. He turns around and tells the company that he is leaving, and adds that he would not do this unless he had to. Before going, he and Bilbo have a conversation. Gandalf tells Bilbo that he has changed, and Bilbo nearly confesses about the ring - but lies about it at the last minute. Gandalf tells Thorin to meet him in front of Erebor, and to not enter the mountain with him. He gives a final warning about Mirkwood, whose very air is "heavy with illusion," and rides off. His last words are "Stay on the path!"

The Book: The journey to the edge of Mirkwood takes over three days. One night, as they set camp, Bilbo sees the shadowy form of a great bear. Before they arrive at the forest, Bilbo notices a dead silence, with fewer deer and birds. The trees of Mirkwood are huge and gnarled. At the edge of the forest, Gandalf orders the dwarves to return their ponies. They grumble about it, until Gandalf reminds them that Beorn would be a terrible enemy, and that he had been following them "to keep an eye on the ponies." Gandalf tells the dwarves that he is leaving. This is not the first they had discussed it - Gandalf actually had mentioned this to the dwarves as soon as they left the eagle's company - but everybody is upset at the timing. Gandalf snaps that he has pressing business, and says to the dwarves that he is "already late bothering with you people." 

"What exactly do you mean, you people?"

In the edge of Mirkwood, Bilbo notices that the forest had "a sort of watching and waiting feeling" that makes him uneasy. He asks Gandalf if there is another way around. Gandalf tells him that the only alternatives are two hundred miles north, which is "stiff with goblins, hobgoblins, and orcs," or he could go south, which would take them into the lands of the Necromancer. Gandalf tells Bilbo that there are "no safe paths in this part of the world." He hops on his horse and rides away. His last words are "Don't leave the path!"

My Opinion: There's a lot here to discuss, so I'm going to save some of it for future posts, especially Bilbo's fascination with the Ring, and Gandalf's investigation of the Necromancer. I will say, however, that his departure was not a sudden decision in the book. Gandalf had plans to attend a meeting of the White Council, and had already warned Thorin's Company that he wouldn't be sticking around the whole time.

There are some minor changes here that gall me worse than they really should. Gandalf's kindness in the movie vs. his rudeness in the books, Beorn's protecting the dwarves vs. his protecting his own ponies, etc. I know the movie characters aren't exact matches to their book counterparts, but it's still annoying seeing these kinds of changes. The outside of Mirkwood, however, is on point. I think the movie has done a very good job of communicating the danger of this forest to the audience.

Queer Lodgings

The Movie: Beorn, in bear form, guards his house against the orcs lurking outside. Everybody is asleep when he returns, in the middle of the night. The next morning, Bilbo Baggins is woken by the sounds of ponies and bumblebees. He is the last one up; everybody else is already at breakfast, being served by Beorn. He serves milk, fruit, bread, and cheese. All of the furniture and tableware is huge for the dwarves and Bilbo, since it is made to fit a very large man.

Or thirteen tiny little people. 

In a somber conversation, they discuss Beorn's history and Gandalf's plans for the company. Beorn warns them about the evil in Mirkwood. He lists orcs, wood elves, and the Necromancer as things to be careful of. Gandalf says that they plan on taking the elf path through the forest. Beorn offers the use of his ponies to help the dwarves reach the woods. This all happens in the span of no more than a few hours.

The Book: Thorin's Company, having already met Beorn, are invited to supper. At Beorn's instruction, they are all served by his animals. His ponies carry torches in their mouths and push together tables. His dogs, standing on their hind-legs, set the table. Beorn serves nuts, fruits, honey, and bread. They exchange stories; Beorn talks about, among other things, the dangers of Mirkwood. After dinner, Beorn leaves, and the dwarves sit around the fireplace, drinking mead and singing a song. Bilbo could hear the growling and scuffling of a bear outside and, terrified, dives under his blankets.

Everybody else is eating breakfast when he awakes. Neither Gandalf nor Beorn are around. Bilbo and the dwarves just sort of wait around all day until Gandalf returns in the evening. Gandalf refuses to answer any of their questions until he has eaten and smoked. Gandalf says that he noticed several bear tracks, not all belonging to Beorn; there had been a meeting of bears last night. Bilbo is frightened that Beorn has gone to bring the goblins back. They go to sleep for the night. Beorn himself awakens them the next morning by picking Bilbo up and laughing at his fat belly.

"Have some waffles, you chubby little bunny!"

Beorn is acting "most jolly" and tells jokes and funny stories over breakfast. Beorn tells the dwarves that he had noticed that the goblins, angry over the death of their king, were amassing an army to find the dwarves. Beorn shows Bilbo a goblin's head on a stick, thus allaying the hobbits concerns of betrayal, and tells the dwarves that they have won his respect by killing the Great Goblin.

Gandalf tells Beorn the whole story of their journey. Beorn offers enough food to last them for weeks, as well as ponies (and a horse for Gandalf). He warns them to avoid drinking water in Mirkwood, especially the great black river that carries "a great drowsiness and forgetfullness." He insists that they do not stray from the path, for any reason.

My Opinion: As usual, the movie streamlines some things. This is understandable in an adaptation from book to movie. Still though, I'm a little disappointed in how rushed this scene feels. Beorn speaks almost exclusively in cliches ("Once there were many, you are running out of time, etc.") and the dwarves are rushed out as soon as breakfast is over. We know that the orcs are in Dol Guldur right now, so this suspense is entirely manufactured. Why not at least imply that Thorin's Company stayed for a few days, like in the book? Maybe then it wouldn't feel like we were being hustled from scene to scene. You don't necessarily need to show the dwarves singing, but it wouldn't hurt to inject some of the levity of the book into the movie.

Why have songs and funny stories when you can talk about slavery and genocide instead?

Everything else about Beorn's long hall was fantastic. It looks just like I imagined. I guess I could whine about the omission of the serving animals, but I don't think I could stomach seeing a dog walking around on its hind-legs, serving plates in its paws. I think I had trouble accepting that as a very young child reading this book. And, as a vegetarian myself, I am very happy that they kept Beorn's larders meat-free!

A Commander of Legions

The Movie: Azog is blocked from his pursuit of Thorin by Beorn, who stands vigil over the long hall. Another warg-rider, who we later learn is Bolg, arrives to relay a message: Azog has been summoned back to Dol Guldur by Sauron. Deep within the heart of the fortress, Azog has a conversation with a massive, amorphous shadow. It demands that Azog lead his armies, and to stop focusing his attentions on a single dwarf. Unwilling to let Thorin off the hook, but also unwilling to defy his master, Azog summons Bolg and appoints him leader of the pack hunting Thorin's Company.

"Ew, gross. Can't we just kill them?"

The Book: No such scene exists. Bolg, not Azog, is the leader of the goblin/warg legions.

My Opinion: I'll save my analysis on Sauron's current status for a later post (and that one's gonna be messy as hell). I'm happy that they're bringing in Bolg, but I'm not sure about the way he's been used in this movie. Frankly, I feel like they're just replacing one evil orc with another. Yeah, they're both cool looking and all, but what does this mean for Bilbo and Thorin? Is one orc more dangerous than the other? And while it may be best to reserve judgment until the third movie, I got a problem with Azog being appointed the leader of Sauron's army. That's Bolg's job. If Peter Jackson wanted a new character to personally hunt Thorin, that's cool. But why demote Bolg from his leadership role so that Azog - who's not even in the damn books! - can have it? It's another pointless change.

Beorn

The Movie: As a man, Beorn is tall and muscular. His brown hair grows in a strip down his back, like a huge mohawk. He has an interesting beard that touches neither chin nor lip; it looks more like long muttonchops that run down the entire side of his face. His eyebrows are enormous.

He obviously has a razor - he leaves his lip bare - so I guess he just prefers his eyebrows like that?

As a bear, Beorn is a wild, unpredictable berserker. As a man, Beorn is polite and stoic, though he does express a dislike for the greed of dwarves. He talks freely about his past and his people; he says that Azog the Defiler killed most of his family and enslaved the rest. The slaves were tortured for sport. A manacle on Beorn's wrist implies that he was once such a slave. Beorn pins the genocide of his race on Azog, and claims to be the last survivor of his people.

The Book: Beorn isn't described as having such an exotic appearance; he is "a huge man with a thick black beard and hair." He is rude, interrupting and makes demands of his guests. When in a better mood, however, he is much jollier; cracking jokes and laughing loudly. He does state that he is not overfond of dwarves, but does not mention their greed or selfishness. Beorn is seen speaking to animals in their own language. There's no indication that his personality changes as a bear or a man - however, both Beorn and Gandalf warn the dwarves not to venture out at night, while Beorn is wandering around as a bear, "at their own peril." Beorn enjoys stories; he is pleased by Gandalf's recollection of their journey thus far, and over dinner he tells tales of his own adventures in the forest. He does not mention his past or his people. Gandalf surmises that Beorn is a descendant of the "ancient bears of the mountains," or descended from the "first men who lived before Smaug," but admits that he does not know the truth. Beorn is also not the last of his kind. Very little about his people is ever stated in the books (or even if they are a separate race), but during the Council of Elron, Gloin made a mention of Beorn's son, named Grimbeorn. There's at least one other.

My Opinion: Beorn was nothing like how I imagined him. I guess he's technically not far from how the book describes him (I'd hesitate to call that thing on his face a beard, though), but I always imagined some great big lumberjack, or a Hagrid-looking dude. I think the mohawk and unique beard are just silly. Not everybody has to look special and unique. Some people just hang out in the woods and don't shave. His personality, too, was different. Beorn of the Book was a man of passions and wild moods. Beorn of the Movie was stoic and serious. Why the change? This version of Beorn is just... boring.

My girlfriend disagrees, for some unfathomable reason.

I prefer the movie's version of Beorn's history. Making him one of the lone survivors of a race of badass shapeshifters is pretty neat. The book's implication is... absurdly stupid. I'm sorry, Tolkein, but it's quite silly to say that he is either descended from ancient bears or from ancient men. All men are descended from ancient men! All bears are descended from ancient bears! If he is not under some enchantment (as both the movie and book claim), then why not make the claim that he is a member of a different species?

Wilderland

The Movie: After Bilbo warns Thorin's Company about Azog, and the giant bear he saw, Gandalf makes a decision to take refuge at a nearby house. Thorin asks who the house belongs to. Gandalf says the owner of the house is neither friend nor foe, and has an equal chance of helping them or killing them. Seeing little alternative with Azog and the other warg-riders so close, the dwarves run off. Azog's pack chases them - through a vast meadow, through a small forest, and finally to a large, moss-covered long hall. Also on their trail is the bear Bilbo saw earlier. It roars and lunges at the dwarves. They slam the door of the long hall in the bear's face, just barely keeping it at bay.

"Dude, what the fuck? This is my house!"

Gandalf explains to the nonplussed dwarves that the giant bear was, in fact, their host - a skin-changer named Beorn. Gandalf tells everybody to get some sleep, and they bed down in the long hall. Beorn is later seen keeping watch, guarding his home against the orcs.

The Book: Bilbo asks Gandalf why the large rock the eagles landed on is called the Carrock. Gandalf replies that it is called the Carrock because "a very great person" calls it that. The wizard explains that this person is a skin-changer named Beorn, a man who can be kind, but is terrible when angry - and he gets angry easily. Therefore, to keep him in good humors, Gandalf tells the dwarves not to come to Beorn's long hall all at once. Instead, they ought to wait behind, while Gandalf approaches with Bilbo, alone. Then the dwarves are to arrive in pairs, once every five minutes. Gandalf works this into a conversation with Beorn very cleverly, so that Beorn isn't bombarded with a dozen dwarves all at once. This keeps the skin-changer interested, and in good enough humors to invite everybody into his hall for dinner.

My Opinion: I didn't care for this change, but I can understand why it was made. Watching two dwarves introduce themselves at a time to their begrudging host is something that's much easier to read than it is to watch - especially to filmgoers who just saw that exact thing happen in the beginning of the first movie. Even that didn't play out as slowly as it did the book. But did Gandalf's clever scheme have to be a thrilling chase? Just because perfect fidelity might not have been an option, it doesn't have to turn into some kind of theme park thrill ride.

And this isn't exactly a comparison, but I just gotta ask - what is up with all the sudden, drastic changes in scenery? I understand trying to make the whole thing feel epic, but this is not the first time that the movie has drastically switched from one kind of locale to another in one scene. First they're on a mountain, then this vast prairie, then they're in the woods. It's jarring.

You could cut out all these scenes from the movie and shave off, like, 45 minutes, easy.

Bilbo the Scout

The Movie: Bilbo Baggins is surreptitiously spying on something in the mountains. It's Azog, in the distance, leading a pack or warg-riding orcs. He is on the hunt. Bilbo hides to avoid being seen, then dashes off to warn the others. On his way back down the rocks, the hobbit notices a massive bear roaring in the distance.

"It's a pity I don't own some kind of magical necklace that would make hiding easier. Better crouch behind these rocks!"

The Book: No such scene occurs.

My Opinion: I just wanted to take a minute to talk about how Bilbo Baggins is treated differently in the movies than in the book. The movies have taken efforts to make Bilbo a more competent member of the team; in fact, it'd be fair to say that his given purpose is almost as important as Thorin's, and the rest of the dwarves are really only there to escort him to Erebor (more on that later, when I talk about the Arkenstone). In the books, Bilbo does not scout ahead of the team, or look around for enemies. Perhaps he might have, if the orcs were in The Hobbit, and then again, maybe not. Bilbo's heroic battle with Azog is a complete fabrication of the movies. He is not this brave or helpful in the books, at least not at this stage of the story.

Personally, I like the change. I think having the burglar scout around for enemies makes sense, and I enjoy seeing Bilbo actually do stuff. Plus, since the "Bilbo finds his courage" character arc happened earlier than Mirkwood in Peter Jackson's version, it doesn't seem like a gross misinterpretation of his character. However, this is just my opinion - there's a lot to be said against the decision to take a main character and completely change his motivations and personality. At this point, in The Hobbit, the eponymous protagonist is still being carried (quite literally) by his companions. 

Thorin Meets Gandalf

The Movie: A short cloaked figure is seen walking through the city of Bree in the rain - it's Thorin.

No, not him.

Two menacing figures follow him into the Prancing Pony tavern. He is served dinner by what looks to be hobbit woman, and as he eats, he notices the two scary dudes staring at him. He reaches for his sword. The bad guys stand up, but whatever they're about to do, it's interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Gandalf.

Gandalf sits down at Thorin's table and introduces himself. At this point, apparently Thorin and Gandalf had heard of each other, but never met. Thorin says he had been looking for his father Thrain, near Dunland. Thorin asks Gandalf about his relationship with Thrain. Gandalf admits that he told Thrain to return to Erebor, reclaim his throne, and kill Smaug. He urges the same to Thorin. Gandalf mentions that there are men looking for Thorin - he produces a cloth message, with a bounty for Thorin's head written in Black Speech. Thorin argues that he needs the Arkenstone to rally his people. Gandalf recommends a burglar.

The Books: No such scene occurs in The Hobbit. A similar scene is described in Return of the King, Appendix A. There is no mention of the two men (or anybody) following Thorin, or a bounty on his head. In the book, Thorin approaches Gandalf in Bree and asks him for help. Gandalf says that he has been thinking about the Dragon of Erebor. The book makes no mention of Thorin's purpose in Bree, only that he was returning west from a journey.

My Opinion: This was a really good scene to show, even if it wasn't in The Hobbit. Sure, there are some differences, but they're mostly minor: who cares if Thorin approaches Gandalf, or vice versa? Who cares which of them had the idea to reclaim Erebor? The important stuff is the same - Gandalf is worried about Smaug being used "with terrible effect," and Thorin wants his home back, and they both run into each other at Bree and decide to come up with a plan to kill the dragon. This scene does a good job of reminding the audience of what's going on, while adding a little bit of new information.

I did not care for the the "menacing figures." In fact, that whole little subplot just raised a whole host of questions and inconsistencies. In the previous movie, neither Gandalf nor Thorin seemed to know that he was being hunted - they actually argue about it the first time Azog's orc pack attacks. And what's up with the order being given in Black Speech? The Dark Tongue of Mordor kind of gives away where it came from. Couldn't it have been written down in Common Speech? Shouldn't some serious alarm bells start ringing in Gandalf's when he sees the language made up by Sauron for his orcs?

You know, for a demi-god renowned for his age and wisdom, Gandalf can be pretty fucking stupid sometimes.

I'm also confused about the Thrain subplot they've been kicking around. Thorin knows that Thrain was captured, tortured, and killed at Dol Guldur. Is the movie suggesting that he's still alive somewhere around the Dunlands? I don't want to weigh in too heavily right now, until I've seen the third movie, but I'm wary every time Thrain's name is mentioned with such an air of mystery to it. 

Smaug Awakens

The Movie: The thrush flies to the ruins of the Lonely Mountain, and picks up a snail to crack against the stone wall. The sound can be heard inside, echoing in the vast chambers of Erebor where the halls are completely filled with gold. Smaug, buried in the mountains of treasure, shifts enough for us to see the side of his face. His eye opens; he is awake.

Here's hoping that Thror's treasure had a Keurig or something.

The Book: No such scene occurs.

What difference does it make? Showing Smaug's eye has no impact on the rest of the plot. It stands to reason that, at some point in the novel, the dragon opened his eyes.

My Opinion: I remember being a little surprised at how much gold, exactly, Smaug had in this scene. The book is never explicit with any solid number, but it's enough for the massive dragon to comfortably lay on. Tolkien's own drawing of Smaug has a much smaller pile of gold, but it's hardly fair to say that Peter Jackson's interpretation is wrong. The fact of the matter is, Smaug has a lot of money - a nearly unassessable amount.

This scene is awesome, and Smaug's eye looks amazing. Anybody who disagrees with this sentiment is objectively incorrect.

Thorin Awakens

The Movie: Gandalf rushes over to Thorin, who is still unconscious. The wizard places his hand over Thorin's face, closes his eyes, and mumbles a few magic words. Thorin's eyes snap open, and he immediately asks about Bilbo. When Gandalf assures him that the hobbit is safe, Thorin gets on his feet, and begins to scold Bilbo Baggins for getting into danger. He repeats his earlier sentiments that the hobbit did not belong with them, then says "never have I been more wrong" and embraces Bilbo.

"You know you don't have to insult people before saying nice things, right? You could've just said the nice things without the insults."

After Thorin's Company watches the eagles fly away, Thorin sees, in the distance, a lone mountain - Erebor is finally in their sight. Oin notices a bird flying to the mountain, and mistakes it for a raven (in accordance with the portents). Gandalf corrects him; it is a thrush. Either way, Thorin takes it as a good omen. Bilbo agrees: the worst is finally behind them.

Except for the dragon. You remember, the whole fucking point of the adventure?

The Book: No such scene occurs.

What difference does it make? Very little. The events of this scene have little impact on the rest of the plot. 

My Opinion: Thorin's conversation with Bilbo is thematically superfluous. We just had a scene where Bilbo won the dwarves' respect - when he gave that speech about helping them retake their home. Then the hobbit actually puts actions to his words and proves his loyalty, honor, and bravery, by attacking Azog to protect Thorin. The "fakeout" bit of the conversation was just silly. This whole conversation should have been axed. It was nothing but a bad rehash of themes that have already been resolved.

Also: since when Gandalf do that kind of healing? I don't exactly want to get into the quagmire that is "Tolkien's inconsistent descriptions of magic," but, I'm pretty sure he can't do that. Gandalf's healing powers have been referred to on two occasions: with Gwaihir, and with Theoden. Gwaihir once mentioned how Gandalf had pulled an arrow out of him, and Gandalf helped lift Theoden's dark spirits... but those are different. As with several of Peter Jackson's changes, I'm not sure why it was included at all. What purpose do these new powers serve? Why invent powers them at all? Just have Thorin wake up.

Those nit-picks aside, this is a fine scene. The movie needs an ending; rolling credits after the eagles picked the dwarves up would have been awful. Showing the Company gazing wistfully at Erebor in the distance is a good, satisfying end to the movie. 

And an excuse for Thorin to stare nobly into the distance one last time.

The Eagles

The Movie: Gandalf's moth returns to him. Dori loses his grip on Gandalf's staff, and he and Ori fall. They are caught by a giant eagle, however, and saved. The eagles attack Azog's pack, killing several wargs and orcs by picking them up and dropping them off the cliff side. One eagle picks up the unconscious body of Thorin, as well as his sword, but his oaken shield falls to the ground.

Thorin Oakenshield loses his oaken shield, which he had obtained after defeating Azog in battle, after he loses a battle with Azog. Ready... set... SYMBOLISM!

Azog roars with fury as the eagles carry away the rest of the dwarves, as well as Bilbo and Gandalf. There's little he can do as the eagles soar away, flying throughout the night. The eagles drop Thorin's Company off on top of a huge rock. far from danger, and fly away.

The Book: Gwaihir, Lord of the Eagles, sees the fire from his perch far away. He hears the wargs, and correctly guesses that the goblins are up to some mischief. Gwaihir and his eagles are described as noble and proud, and they hate goblins - they make it their mission to stop whatever wickedness the goblins may be up to, and to drive them back to their caves. The eagles attacked the goblin pack, and snatch up Thorin's Company to take them to safety.

See, it's not just Peter Jackson. This is apparently the only way Tolkien knows how to resolve a climax.

The eagles land at their eyrie, called the Great Shelf. One eagle refers to the dwarves as prisoners, which leaves Bilbo trembling with fear, until he sees Gandalf chatting amicably with Gwaihir. He learns that the eagle referred to them as "prisoners rescued from the goblins," not captives of the eagles. Gandalf, in fact, had once done a favor for the Lord of the Eagles. They were honored guests, and the eagles even brought hares and sheep for the dwarves to cook. The next morning, the eagles refuse to fly the dwarves too close to where men live, afraid of being shot down. Gandalf asked to be taken as close to the Lonely Mountain as possible, so the eagles dropped their passengers off on a great rock several miles away.

The eagles just expected them to climb down, I guess? 

What differences does it make? Peter Jackson took several liberties with the eagles. Notice that they are never summoned by Gandalf in the book - there is no moth, and they investigate the fire and goblin's attack on their own. They did not even know Gandalf was present when they attacked the goblins. Further, in the book, the dwarves are taken back to the eagle's eyrie and treated as guests, allowed to eat and rest. They engage Gandalf in conversation, and even explain why they cannot take the Company too far.

My Opinion: Does Peter Jackson just fucking hate Tolkien's intelligent animals or something? First the wargs, then this. The eagles have been transformed from a noble, intelligent race into some birds that Gandalf has trained to come at his call.

It matters. I can't tell you the number of people who have asked, either in this movie or the end of Return of the King, why the eagles didn't just fly them all the way to their destination in the first place. The books give a reason: the eagles chose not to, for whatever reason (it's honestly not too explicit in RotK). The movies just leave the question hanging. Why can't Gandalf's pet birds fly a little longer? They're not shown to have any intelligence at all, or any ability to really make their own decisions. It's as if the movie literally stripped away every example of these birds having some kind of cognition, and I can't for the life of me understand why.

The moth thing was stupid, too. I'm going to just clear this up right now: there is no moth in the books. Any of the books. Gandalf never uses a moth to call for the eagles. In fact, Gandalf never summons eagles. They came to the Battle of the Five Armies, and the Battle of the Black Gate, of their own accord. They came to help Thorin's Company escape the fire and the goblins because... well, they fucking hate goblins. And remember when they came to rescue Gandalf from Saruman's tower? You know, the first time the movies had him use that goddamn moth?

Radagast sent them.

Peter Jackson worked really hard to make Radagast suck so bad.

Bilbo and Thorin Fight Azog

The Movie: Most of the dwarves are hanging on for dear life. Gandalf is the only thing keeping Dori and Ori from falling to their deaths. Thorin, however, is able to find his footing. He stands up and, wielding Orcrist and his oaken shield, runs toward Azog.

"Sword, check. Hair flowing in the wind, check. Piece of wood, check. There's no way I can lose."

Their fight is unfortunately very short; Azog, mounted on his white warg, makes quick work of the Dwarven Prince. The dwarves look on in horror; Balin screams, and Dwalin almost falls in his hurried attempts to rescue Thorin. Only Bilbo is able to regain his footing. As Thorin lays defeated, about to be beheaded by one of Azog's minions, Bilbo draws his own sword, collects his courage, and charges. The hobbit knocks Azog's lieutenant to the ground, and after a short grapple, stabs the orc to death.

Azog's face.

Bilbo then stumbles to where Thorin's body lays, as the rest of the orc pack surrounds him. He swings his sword a few times, in a vain attempt to intimidate them. Azog gives the command to kill the hobbit, but the rest of the dwarves suddenly charge in before the orcs can attack. After a short fight, Azog personally directs his attention toward Bilbo. He is about to kill the hobbit when the moth returns to Gandalf.

The Book: There is no such scene.

What difference does it make? This changes the events of the book a great deal. This scene is not in the book, and adds a violent battle that somewhat changes the tone of the scene. At this point, Peter Jackson has taken a step beyond "adaptation" and is now using Tolkein's book as a springboard to tell his own story. Furthermore, it is not in Bilbo Baggins' nature to rush into a battle like this. He is represented as braver and more skilled with a sword than he should be, according to the source material.

My Opinion: I have to admit to some bias, here. I'm what many refer to as a Bilbo Baggins fanboy. Any change that gives him more screen time and makes him look better is a good change in my eyes. As long as they keep it in character, I'm going to like it. That said... I loved this change.

I understand that this is a controversial viewpoint to have. This whole scene smacked of "action movie," and "obvious videogame tie-in." I can understand rolling your eyes as a 60 pound hobbit tackles a full-grown orc (in heavy armor!) to the ground. I've heard a lot of griping about Bilbo's character arc being complete far too soon, that he's not supposed to be killing things until the spiders of Mirkwood. I'm not convinced. His character growth isn't completely finished, and I'm fine with Bilbo seeing battle at the end of the first movie, instead of halfway through the second. It gives a nice climax that, honestly, the movie needed; a truly faithful adaptation would have ended things on a boring, ho-hum note.

Look closely during this scene. Bilbo is fucking terrified. And, with one rather unfortunate exception (when Bilbo joins the dwarves in combat after defending Thorin), Bilbo is terrible with his sword. He's figured out which is the dangerous end, sure, but otherwise just sort of swings it around clumsily. He doesn't know what he's doing, and is clearly in over his head.

He's just lucky he doesn't drop the damn thing.

Those who look down on this scene because Peter Jackson has turned Bilbo Baggins into some kind of action hero have missed the point entirely. Bilbo is scared, unskilled, and completely out of his element. But he's the first to jump to Thorin's defense, even if it means facing half a dozen mounted orcs by himself. Bilbo Baggins has a lot of heart, and this scene displays it better than the book ever did.

Fifteen Birds in Five Firtrees

The Movie: There is no equivalent sequence.

The Book: As the goblins feed the fires by the dwarves' trees, they sing a wicked song:

Fifteen birds in five firtrees,

their feathers were fanned in a fiery breeze!

But, funny little birds, they had no wings!

O what shall we do with the funny little things?

Roast 'em alive, or stew them in a pot;

fry them, boil them and eat them hot?

Burn, burn tree and fern!

Shrivel and scorch! A fizzling torch

To light the night for our delight,

Ya hey!

Bake and toast 'em, fry and roast 'em!

till beards blaze, and eyes glaze;

till hair smells and skins crack,

fat melts and bones black

in cinders lie

beneath the sky!

So dwarves shall die,

and light the night for our delight,

Ya hey!

Ya-harri-hey!

Ya hoy!

What difference does it make? There is no significant difference to the plot, narrative, or any characterizations due to the lack of the singing.

My Opinion: As cool a song as this was, it just wouldn't have worked in film. I'm not even sure it worked in the book, to be honest. Most of Tolkein's songs make it seem like his world has this rich oral history; that all cultures and civilizations have in common a love for song. Songs like this, though, skirt the edges between "rich oral history" and "full-fledged musical." Are we, the audience, supposed to believe that the goblins have some reason to have memorized this song about a bunch of dwarves burning alive in the trees? Or did they all just spontaneously come up with the same lyrics at once? Even if it didn't stink of "sudden musical" there's something decidedly non-intimidating about carefully choreographed song, mid-battle. I'm happy this was left out.

"Alright guys, don't forget to start the chorus after the third refrain. And for Christ's sake, Gary, watch your D-sharps."

Into the Fire

The Movie: The moment between Bilbo and the dwarves is interrupted by the sudden presence of Azog and his warg-mounted orc pack. The wargs without riders are quickest, and manage to catch up with Thorin's fleeing Company. Bilbo draws his sword and manages to kill one (almost entirely by accident). The Company continues to run until they hit a cliff; at Gandalf's command, they all climb the nearby trees. As the wargs circle and surround the trees, Gandalf whispers something to a nearby moth and sends it away. Azog himself approaches, to Thorin's horror. Azog mocks the Dwarvish Prince, as well as his father Thrain, and gives the order to attack. The wargs attack the trees with such ferocity that they begin to uproot and fall on one another. The dwarves leap from falling tree to falling tree until all 13 of them, as well as Bilbo and Gandalf, are perched on a single tree at the edge of the cliff. Gandalf grabs a pinecone, magically sets it on fire, and throws it at the wargs. He lights more pinecones on fire, passing them to Bilbo and the dwarves. Soon, so many flaming pinecones have been thrown that the entire surrounding area is on fire. Just then, damaged by the flames, their tree uproots; Thorin's Company is now hanging precariously over the edge of the cliff.

Am I supposed to feel suspense right now? I thought it was established that they can't be hurt by falling great distances?

The Book: After quite a bit of marching through the woods, Thorin's Company comes upon a glade with no trees. They hear wolves howling nearby, and Bilbo starts to freak out a little. Gandalf orders them all up into the trees. Bilbo has a little trouble climbing, and Dori has to climb down, and let Bilbo climb up his shoulders; he barely makes it back up before the wargs attack. There are hundreds of wargs, but since they can't climb trees, the Company is safe for the moment. More and more wargs keep coming in, and they leave guards at the foots of the trees that had anyone in it. A great grey wolf, the leader of the wargs, speaks to Gandalf in his "dreadful language." He says that the wargs and the goblins were meeting here for an attack on nearby woodsmen, and the goblins were running somewhat late. The warg leader thought the dwarves were friends of the woodsmen, so they would wait until the goblins came to chop the trees down. Gandalf lights a pinecone on fire, a bright blue flame, and chucks it at the wargs. He throws another pinecone, and another; one is in blue flames, one in red, another in green. Soon enough the entire glade was afire.

You seriously didn't see a fucking problem with this, dude?

The goblins arrived all at once, screaming and yelling; they paused when they realized that there was no great battle, but the dwarves were all stuck in the trees. The goblins, not fearing the fire, laughed and sang a song as they piled more wood on the fire nearest the trees where the dwarves were. Gandalf climbed to the top of the tree; lightning flashed from his wand, as he prepared to suicide bomb the goblins to save the rest of the Company.

What difference does it make? The entire climax is changed. Instead of the goblins attempting to avenge the death of their King, Azog's orc pack makes a reappearance. The wargs are once again treated as little more than mounts, and not an intelligent species unto themselves. The scene is somewhat less exciting in the book; there's less combat, no leaping from tree to tree, etc. The book has this scene take place in a glade, while the movie takes place over the edge of a cliff.

My Opinion: As far as "necessary changes" are concerned, I think this scene is mostly fine. I understand the desire to have a strong, central antagonist to the first film, and having this be the scene of the climatic final battle makes good sense. Thus, if you absolutely must have Azog, this is a good scene for him to return and do battle with Thorin's Company. That means all the little changes - the wargs being in league with his orcs, the extra bits of action, etc. - all work rather well. I was pretty happy that there wasn't any singing here, too. It'd be hard to take this shit seriously if the bad guys were singing a jaunty tune.

Why were the wargs treated like dogs, though? They're as intelligent as dwarves or elves. The book has them using tactics and speaking to each other. They're a species. But in the movie, they're nothing more than large, trained, attack wolves. I guess there's nothing stopping Peter Jackson from establishing their intelligence later on, but he seems to be ignoring a detail that made Tolkein's world just a little richer.

That shit with Gandalf and the moth needs some discussing, too, but I'll save that for a later post.

Out of the Frying Pan

The Movie: Thorin's Company has retreated from the Misty Mountains. Gandalf does a quick head count, and when he realizes that Bilbo Baggins is missing, grows angry at the dwarves. The dwarves blame Dori, and Nori mentions that he saw Bilbo slink away when the rest of them were kidnapped. Bilbo, still invisible from wearing the ring, approaches the Company in time to overhear the conversation. Thorin argues that the hobbit saw an opportunity to escape, and good riddance; Bilbo's done nothing but hold them back the whole time. Bilbo interrupts the insults by taking off his ring and revealing himself to the Company.

"He has thought of nothing but his soft bed and his warm hearth ever since oh god he's behind me isn't he?"

Everyone but Thorin is thrilled to see Bilbo, and they ask him how he managed to get past the goblins. Bilbo avoids the question; Gandalf gives him an odd look, but says it doesn't matter. Thorin presses the issue: he wants to know why Bilbo came back. Bilbo Baggins concedes that he has thought of the Shire often, and he truly does miss his home. He's come to better understand what Thorin's Company must feel regarding Erebor, and pledges that he will do his best to help them reclaim their homeland. Moved, the dwarves all look on the hobbit with a newfound respect. 

The Book: Bilbo, lost and still wearing the ring, wanders around a valley on the other side of the mountains. He hears voices, and creeps into a dell where the dwarves are encamped. Balin is the look-out, but cannot see the invisible hobbit. Gandalf and the dwarves are arguing about Bilbo; the wizard wants to go back and look for him, but the dwarves (the book does not mention which ones) argue that he's been more trouble than use. They blame Dori for dropping him. When he starts to defend himself, Bilbo slips off the ring and surprises them all. They are amazed that he managed to sneak by Balin, and ask him where he'd gone. He tells them the story, including Gollum and the game of riddles, but decides to leave out the part about the ring. Bilbo's story about dodging goblins, tricking Gollum, and sneaking past Balin wins him a new respect with the dwarves. Gandalf gives Bilbo an odd look, but then tells their side of events. After everybody is all caught up, Gandalf gives the order for everyone to move on. Bilbo complains of hunger, but since their rations are with the ponies (which the goblins still have), there's nothing to do but snack on some berries during their march. 

What difference does it make? This is an enormous difference. The book version of Bilbo Baggins gains the respect of the dwarves through his deeds - he sneaks past their best look-out, and tells an exciting tale of adventure in the mountains. Furthermore, Thorin has no strong feelings towards the hobbit at this point in the novel; his mild irritation at Bilbo Baggins is shared with the rest of the dwarves. In the movie, there isn't really enough time to swap stories, and nobody seems to care that he snuck up on them. The movie also revisits Thorin's disdain for Bilbo as a lodestone, and has Bilbo win the dwarves respect with a moving speech.

My Opinion: This was amazing.

It's not like I ever had a problem with the book's version of events. But this scene is a payoff to a lot of little things that Peter Jackson had been building up, almost independently of the novel's narrative: namely, Thorin's lack of respect for the hobbit, and the dwarves' quest to retake their homeland. In the book, the focus of the dwarves' quest is on the gold. The movie makes it pretty clear that they want their home back. Their goals are loftier and more noble. The movie also greatly emphasizes Thorin's disdain for Bilbo. These are both things that technically are in the book, but they're so lightly touched upon that they're almost insignificant details. The movie plays them up so much more.

It's a good thing, too, because that gives us this scene. Bilbo Baggins is given a reason to help the dwarves that is simply not present in the book, where he just decides to go on an adventure for no real reason. This not only creates a stronger sense of nobility in the hobbit, but is still entirely in character. Peter Jackson has taken Bilbo's love for his home, a source of comedy in the books, and turned it into an altruistic motivation. This is a big change, but it is an excellent one. 

"Yeah I'm pretty much the shit. No big deal, though."

Bilbo Escapes

The Movie: "I won the game, you promised to show me the way out," Bilbo says. Gollum, however, refuses to help until Bilbo tells him what's in the hobbit's pocket. Gollum menacingly reaches into his pocket, then panics when he realizes that his ring is missing. He starts to scream that he has lost his precious. Gollum eventually calms down, however, when he realizes that Bilbo must have the ring in his pocket. Gollum then attacks Bilbo, who runs away. Not knowing the passageways, however, he quickly finds himself at a dead-end. Terrified, and seeing Gollum approach, he tries to force himself through a narrow crack in the cavern wall. It's a tight squeeze; his buttons burst off his jacket from the effort, and he collapses on the other side of the wall. The ring fortuitously falls onto his finger, and he turns invisible.

How many fucking references to Lord of the Rings do we need? Or does Peter Jackson think this is something that actually happens?

Gollum comes screaming through the hole in the wall, but, unable to see Bilbo, continues on his search for the hobbit. Bilbo follows Gollum all the way to the exit, where he sees Gandalf and the rest of Thorin's Company making their escape. However, Gollum is in the way; even invisible, Bilbo wouldn't be able to make it past without alerting the dangerous creature. Bilbo readies his blade for an easy kill, but, seeing the look of utter despair on Gollum's face, finds himself unable to go through with it. Instead, Bilbo opts to try and leap over Gollum. He makes the jump, but his foot strikes Gollum in the face, alerting the creature to his presence. There's nothing Gollum can do about it, though; defeated, he shrieks his hatred for Bilbo Baggins.

The Book: Gollum promises to help Bilbo find his way out, but first, he needs to get something from his hut in the middle of the lake. Bilbo waits impatiently as Gollum takes his raft across the water; he doesn't know that Gollum intends to fetch the ring in order to kill Bilbo with it. Gollum can't find the ring, however, and begins to shriek about having lost the precious. He again asks Bilbo what the hobbit has in his pocket, and begins to paddle wildly back to shore. Bilbo turns and runs. His hand find its way into his pocket, where the ring accidentally slips onto his finger. He trips, and when Gollum runs right by him, realizes he is invisible. Bilbo follows Gollum, who starts to argue with himself. He watches Gollum navigate through the mountain to the way out. Fearing goblins, however, Gollum decides to just wait at a narrow passageway. The only way out is past him. Bilbo weighs the option of killing Gollum; pity wells in his heart, and he decides not to. He instead leaps over Gollum's head. Gollum screams how he hates Bilbo Baggins, but is too afraid of goblins to go any further.

Whatever. Not like we'll ever see this guy again.

Bilbo follows the passageway until he sees a leak of sunshine from an ajar door, guarded by several armored goblins. The goblins attack him; whether by accident or some evil trick of the ring, it was no longer on his finger, and Bilbo Baggins was no longer invisible. He quickly puts it back on, and as the goblins swarm around to look for him, he hides behind a barrel. Even invisible, he's afraid one of the milling goblins would bump into him. He eventually runs to the door, but it's too heavy for him to open. He tries to squeeze through the crack as the goblins realize that something is casting a shadow. With one last burst of energy, Bilbo squirms through, bursting off the buttons of his coat. He's escaped.

What difference does it make? In the end, both versions of events largely show the same things: Gollum tries to attack Bilbo; Bilbo becomes invisible and follows Gollum to the exit; Bilbo decides not to kill Gollum, then jumps over him and escapes. There are a lot of changes, though, some of which really do start to add up: like the omission of Gollum's hut, or the goblins at the end of Bilbo's escape. At a certain point, Peter Jackson is no longer telling Tolkein's story, but his own.

My Opinion: I was really disappointed to not see Gollum's little hut in the movie. I can understand the desire to streamline this whole scene - cutting out the goblins near the end was probably a good idea - but that little detail could have provided a cool visual, as well as given Gollum a little bit more depth. I'd liked to have seen where he sleeps, what sorts of things he's got stored there, etc. For the most part, though, I was happy with Bilbo's escape. The burst buttons I was particularly looking forward to. It's a good mental image that always stuck with me, years after reading the book for the first time. I don't think it matters if the buttons burst at a different time; it's the fact that they broke off at all that mattered.

Hobbits are fat: now an important plot point!

The only change that may have been important is the "trick" that the ring pulls on Bilbo. It's important that the One Ring's malevolent intelligence is hinted at so early on. This attribute is entirely missing from the movie. And I don't really understand the need to have the ring fall on his finger like it did with Frodo. Is it really just an attempt to shoe-horn another fucking reference? If so, I think we're at like 80 references to the original movie trilogy. It wasn't a necessary departure from Tolkein's writings, and actually pulled me away from the story for a few minutes.

What Have I Got In My Pocket?

The Movie: Gollum screams for Bilbo to ask him a question. Bilbo requests a second to think, then, puts a hand in his pocket. He quietly says aloud, "What have I got in my pocket?" Gollum frowns, then grows angry, proclaiming the question to be against the rules. He wants another question. Bilbo refuses: "You said 'ask me a question.' Well that is my question."

"Who's got the sword, motherfucker?"

Gollum wants three guesses, and Bilbo agrees. Gollum's first guess is "handses." Bilbo, having taken his hand out just in time, says, "Wrong." Gollum starts to freak out, and verbally runs through a list of things that he thinks somebody would keep in their pocket: "Fish-bones, goblins'-teeth, wet shells, bat-wing..." before settling on "knife." He tells himself to shut up, and when Bilbo tells him he's down to his last guess, each of Gollum's personalities offers an answer: "String! Or nothing!" Bilbo chides Gollum for using two guesses at once, and tells him that both are wrong. Defeated, Gollum collapses in tears.

The Book: Gollum gets out of the boat and sits down next to Bilbo Baggins. He starts pawing and poking the hobbit, badgering him to ask a final question. Bilbo is unable to think of a riddle; he pinches himself, slaps himself, grips his sword, and feels around in his pocket. Only then does he remember the object he had absent-mindedly put there earlier. He says "What have I got in my pocket?", but not to Gollum - he's just wondering aloud to himself. Gollum interprets it as a riddle however, and argues that it wasn't a fair question. Bilbo decides to stick with his question, so repeats the question a little louder. Gollum demands three guesses, which Bilbo grants. He first guesses "handses," and Bilbo, who had "luckily just taken his hand out," says he's wrong. Gollum mentally makes a list of things he keeps in his pockets - fish-bones, goblins-teeth, wet shells, a bit of bat wings, a sharp stone to sharpen his fangs on - before settling on a knife. He's wrong again, so he takes his time coming up with a third answer. He hisses and sputters until Bilbo tells him that his time is up, so Gollum shrieks "String, or nothing!", trying to work two answers in at once. They're both wrong, and Bilbo is relieved. He knows that a riddle game is a sacred thing of immense antiquity, that even "wicked creatures were afraid to cheat." He muses that his last question was not a genuine riddle according to "the ancient laws," and he fears that Gollum will react poorly to being cheated. Instead, however, Gollum says that he will help Bilbo find a way out, but first, he needs to go get something.

Seems legit.

What difference does it make? In terms of plot, or narrative, the minor changes here make no difference at all. The only real changes are Bilbo's musing over the ring, the book's mention of the riddle game as a thing of sacred antiquity, and Gollum's reaction to losing (which I'll cover in a bit). The differences hardly matter, however; like the rest of the riddle game, the book and movie are almost word-by-word the same. 

My Opinion: I think this scene is really, really good. The only changes that were made are those that are necessary to making a successful movie adaptation. It remained as faithful to the book as possible, even managing to squeeze in a few more references, like Gollum's list of things that go in pockets. I'm not sure this scene could have gone better. However, I'm still a little disappointed in it. It's hard to exactly explain why, but, here goes:

There's a facet of Bilbo Baggins' character in this scene, in the book, that the movie fails to convey. In the book, he doesn't know what's in his pocket; his musing "what have I got in my pocket?" is a total non-sequitur that he decides to run with on a whim. His gambit succeeds, but Bilbo then worries that Gollum will grow upset that he was cheated; the sacred riddle game is something that even wicked creatures play fairly. But Bilbo Baggins, an upstanding citizen of the Shire, cheated. This shows some quick thinking and guile that I really appreciated in the little hobbit. It's not what you'd expect from him. This scene, for the first time, is his time to shine.

The movie doesn't exactly get the character wrong, here. Not at all. Bilbo still shines, and is still a witty, intelligent hero in this scene. But he already knew what was in his pocket, and there's no mention of the riddle game having any sort of inviolable laws that he just broke. The movie version is still great, but there's some depth to Bilbo Baggins that it just didn't get.