Hobbit & Fellowship: Lord Of The Rings Trailer Comparison
Visual echoes in the two trilogy openers…

Going for a walk
In The Hobbit Trailer: We could have told you there'd be a shot of people walking along a mountain in The Hobbit trailer the moment the film was first announced… And here it is! A long shot of our heroes walking towards some snowy peaks.
In The Fellowship Of The Ring Trailer: It's a long shot that's so similar to the first film's people walking along a mountain moment, they could literally be edited together seamlessly.
It even makes sense in geographical terms - in one scene they're walking towards snow, in the next, they're in it.
We've got a feeling these films might be linked. They may even have the same director.
Read more about The Hobbit

Troll attack
In The Hobbit Trailer: We see the back of a hobbit, as he scrambles away from a troll wielding a weapon.
In The Fellowship Of The Ring Trailer: We see the back of a hobbit, as he scrambles away from a troll wielding a weapon.
Peter Jackson and chums really want to remind us that this is a Lord Of The Rings film, don't they?

Beware: Falling Rocks
In The Hobbit Trailer: Our hero hobbit and his rag-tag band of heroes hold on for dear life, as their underground rocky surroundings start to crumble.
In The Fellowship Of The Ring Trailer: Our hero hobbit and his rag-tag band of heroes hold on for dear life, as their overground rocky surroundings start to crumble.
We're starting to think that people who complained that The Hobbit trailer is boring compared to the originals might not have a staff to stand on - they're the same!

Gandalf The Slightly Less Grey
In The Hobbit Trailer: Gandalf The Grey hasn't gone full grey yet, unless he's been using Just For Wizards on the sly.
In The Fellowship Of The Ring Trailer: Here Sir Ian McKellen looks older than he does in The Hobbit , even though he was younger when he filmed it.
Jackson's make-up team have done a great job here.

Gruesome army
In The Hobbit Trailer: An army of Goblins invade an open space in the foreground, lit by orange light in the background.
The goblins are this film's orcs.
In The Fellowship Of The Ring Trailer: An army of orcs invade an open space in the foreground, lit by blue light in the background.
The orcs are this film's orcs.

Teaser Sting
In The Hobbit Trailer: This shot actually comes from one of the optional endings fans can choose to edit their own trailer - but it's still significant, and resonant.
Here, Balin mocks Bilbo's weapon, "I'm not actually sure it is a sword." We know it's not - it's an elf knife, which happens to be a perfect sword-like size for a hobbit.
We also know that far cooler than Balin realises, because…
In The Fellowship Of The Ring Trailer: We see Sting's power - to glow whenever there are orcs are close. Not so shabby now, is it?
Also, notice that neither Bilbo nor Frodo fully unsheath the blade. In fact, they show around the same amount of sword to the camera. Again, Jackson is reminding us that these films are a bit linked.

Galadriel's changing attitude...
In The Hobbit Trailer: Galadriel appears, and questions Gandalf's judgment on bringing a "Halfling" on the adventure. Which we're pretty sure is racist slang.
In The Fellowship Of The Ring Trailer: Clearly Bilbo's actions in the Hobbit trilogy will make Galadriel change her mind about the potential of hobbits.
"This task was appointed to you," she says here. "And if you don't find a way, no-one will."
In both trailers, Cate Blanchett is beautifully lit. Slightly more beautifully in The Hobbit , it has to be said.

Stone & Ice
In The Hobbit Trailer: Bilbo Baggins, with Gandalf, Elrond, and dwarves in attendance, stands in front of circular stand, made of a natural substance (ice).
In The Fellowship Of The Ring Trailer: Frodo Baggins, with Gandalf, Elrond, and dwarves in attendance, stands in front of circular stand, made of a natural substance (stone).
Here though, Richard Armitage's Thorin Oakenshield is the first person we see in the frame, with Bilbo very much in the background.

Rocky Journey
In The Hobbit Trailer: Our heroes run across mountainous terrain, with rocks jutting out of the ground everywhere.
In The Fellowship Of The Ring Trailer: We see a mountainous terrain, with rocks jutting out of the ground everywhere, which is primed and ready for our heroes to run across.
Honestly, the Hobbit shot above could come from any of the films from the original trilogy.
Considering the time it's taken for The Hobbit to arrive, that's pretty cool.
We wonder if Guillermo del Toro's take would have been as identikit.

Gandalf arrives in Hobbiton
In The Hobbit Trailer: Gandalf peers into Bilbo Baggins' round window, giving the hobbit a massive fright.
In The Fellowship Of The Ring Trailer: Gandalf enters Hobbiton, riding past several of the hobbits' round windows.
Both trailers open with Gandalf rocking up into Hobbiton, but notice that Bilbo is a lot more afraid of Gandalf than Frodo was - he greeted the wizard with a massive hug - maybe these films are different, after all!
Sam Ashurst is a London-based film maker, journalist, and podcast host. He's the director of Frankenstein's Creature, A Little More Flesh + A Little More Flesh 2, and co-hosts the Arrow Podcast. His words have appeared on HuffPost, MSN, The Independent, Yahoo, Cosmopolitan, and many more, as well as of course for us here at GamesRadar+.
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


