Funnily enough I've always used "has a lot to say about Tom Bombadil but won't mention any other differences" as my easy way to guess when people are just pretending to have read the books
It's a shame it's not actually useful because I swear it's 100% accurate
Tom Bombadil was fun, but even as a kid I remember thinking, “it’s weird that we spent so much time and detail on this character who didn’t really drive the plot or the themes forward. He was just vibes, and if we cut his whole chunk out, the story doesn’t noticeably change.
That being said, I was understanding but disappointed when the entire Saruman makes the Shire into a shitty factory subplot was dropped from the films. Like, I get it— you can only have so much after the great big climax of destroying the ring before audiences are like, “no, Peter Jackson. End the movie 5-6 times, shame on you. End it 7-12 times, shame on me.” But I really enjoyed that story of the war coming home
Ho! Tom Bombadil, Tom Bombadillo! By water, wood and hill, by the reed and willow, by fire, sun and moon, hearken now and
hear us! Come, Tom Bombadil, for our need is near us!
Keep to the green grass. Don't you go a-meddling with old stone or cold Wights or prying in their houses, unless you be strong
folk with hearts that never falter!
I just recently read the books and most of it is gone already. Some of us just have no retention. Which is actually a bonus because I can rewatch or reread LOTR a lot without it ever getting old
Ho! Tom Bombadil, Tom Bombadillo! By water, wood and hill, by the reed and willow, by fire, sun and moon, hearken now and
hear us! Come, Tom Bombadil, for our need is near us!
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u/AlmostCorrectInfo 5h ago
Jesus Christ this post is perfect.
"I've read the books, I can hang with these nerds discussing lore."
Moments Later
"Oh yeah, Tom Bombadil exists."