The massive Rings of Power series may have dominated the Tolkien-sphere in the past few months but it’s not the only interesting Lord of the Rings spin-off potentially coming out in 2022. Though delays have meant the Lord of the Rings: Gollum game doesn’t have a clear release date, its impending release is enough to make fans of the eccentric character excited.
Not everyone loves Gollum though, and it’s fair to say he’s a character that divides opinion. Whether Gollum-haters skeptical that he was ever redeemable or Sméagol lovers who put him among the series’ best characters, Lord of the Rings fans have plenty of hot takes about him that they took to Reddit to share.
Gollum Has The Best Original Song In The Trilogy
Not to be confused with the rhyme sung by Gollum when happily catching a fish in The Two Towers, “Gollum’s Song” is the ballad heard at the end of the movie sung by Icelandic singer Emilíana Torrini. Though “May It Be” by Enya and “Into the West” by Annie Lennox might be more popular choices from the movies, Redditor swiss_sanchez thinks the lament for Sméagol is by far the best.
They comment that “Not only is it nice and haunting, the lyrics, music and vocal arrangements also nail poor Sméagol’s tortured soul.” Gollum is sometimes thought of more as a comic character than a tragic one which might be why not everyone rates the song written for him so highly, but it’s certainly a memorable piece.
Gollum Was A Result Of Sméagol’s Traumatic Childhood
Whilst it’s obvious that Sméagol’s “evil side” in the form of Gollum was a manifestation of the Ring’s influence on him that would ultimately lead to his tragic ending in Return of the King, Redditor Sarita1046 has a different interpretation. They note that Sméagol’s vague backstory could have hinted at a troubled childhood and think that this played a part too.
Along with the “childlike persona” of Sméagol, they argue that “The Ring could have easily exploited this” if it was the case, leading to him succumbing to its influence far worse than Frodo and Sam for example. There’s a case to be made for it, which would only make the fate of Sméagol more tragic in hindsight.
Sam And Frodo Needed Gollum
Fans love to think up “what if” scenarios about The Lord of the Rings and one of the most obvious is imagining what might have happened if Frodo had trusted Sam’s judgment and gotten rid of Gollum when they had the chance. Gollum’s treachery is even more obvious to the audience, who are allowed to see his private rants, so it’s hard to watch Frodo trust him.
However, Redditor Catsumotor’s hot take is that losing Gollum “would be a bad idea,” pointing out that “he was really the only hope Sam and Frodo had to get into Mordor.” Although he tried to leave Frodo to Shelob along the way, Gollum did lead them most of the way along the secret path into Mordor so trusting him was the only decision that would have worked in the end.
Gollum Was Already Evil Before He Found The Ring
There’s a popular perception that Sméagol was just a kind-hearted Hobbit-like creature no different from Frodo before he was corrupted with the Ring and robbed of his chance at redemption, but Redditor FiliaSecunda doesn’t think that quite explains the full story. They argue that “Gollum was most likely pretty low down already before he saw the Ring.”
Their reasoning for this is that they “don’t think it can take over a whole mind and overturn a whole normally-formed conscience with one glance.” Gollum is shown murdering Déagol for the ring shortly after seeing it for the first time and, considering it doesn’t even make humans act violently so quickly, it’s hardly a natural step to take.
The Movies Made Gollum Beyond Redemption Too Early
Whilst die-hard Gollum fans would argue he could still have been redeemed even towards the very end, most would probably consider him to be beyond help by the time he decides to lead the hobbits to Shelob and take the ring. This makes the scenes where Frodo continues to believe in him painful, especially when he trusts Gollum over Sam.
Redditor Samuel_L_Johnson argues that it’s a problem that “Gollum is already beyond redemption” at this point, adding that “Frodo is made to look like a gullible idiot […] whereas in the books he is eventually right about Gollum.” With Gollum little more than a force for evil who only aids in the Ring’s destruction by accident, it arguably detracts from his subplot.
Frodo Had To Believe In Gollum
Though Frodo trusting Gollum despite all the available evidence of his treacherous nature is hard to watch in the movies and some find it an example of movies making characters stupid just to advance the plot, Redditor sniptwister’s unpopular opinion is that he had little choice.
According to them, “Frodo has to believe” in Sméagol because “he can see a future in which he turns into another Gollum.” This is especially clear when Frodo finds himself talking in the same desperate way as Gollum at times, such as when Sam suggests he give up the ring for a while. Accepting that the Ring can consume someone completely would be accepting the dark path he himself is on.
Gollum Is Not A Gulp But A Cough
When thinking about the character of Sméagol, it’s impossible not to also think of the noise that gives him his name. In the movies, Andy Serkis plays it as a painful choking cough that could easily be terrifying if heard in the dark of a deep cave.
Redditor SokarRostau thinks this was a mistake though, no matter how convincing it was. They argue that “The sound is not a cough it’s a gulp” and as “the character’s defining feature,” it’s a shame he didn’t get it right. For a lot of people, however, Serkis’ version is now inseparable from the character.
Frodo Should Have Killed Gollum
Whilst most fans accept Frodo’s decision not to murder him when they had the chance, if not the later decision to entrust their entire mission to his guidance, Redditor TheTolkienLobster’s hot take is that they “definitely should have killed Gollum.”
They add that it “doesn’t make sense to have sleepovers with a guy who just tried to kill you” and it was only “plot armor” that kept him from being killed. Frodo certainly had his reasons for trusting Gollum, but it’s hard to argue that it isn’t a silly decision on the face of it and one that some fans find hard to ignore.
Gollum Is Sméagol’s Tyler Durden
There are some surprising parallels to be made between The Lord of the Rings and Fight Club, David Fincher’s movie about a white-collar guy who forms a “fight club” with anarchic soap salesman Tyler Durden. Both are often misunderstood as being much more simplistic than they actually are.
Even so, many would dismiss Redditor peachyventures’s hot take that Gollum is Sméagol’s version of Tyler Durden out of hand. Their argument that “both are a darker and more courageous influence that unlock the potential (and evil)” of their counterpart does have some weight, however. The fact that Sméagol knows Gollum only exists in his head and even tries to shut him out proves an important distinction though.
Andy Serkis Was Not A Good Gollum
Gollum has always been a divisive character but one thing almost every fan can appreciate is the power of Andy Serkis’ portrayal in the movies as the undeniable master of delivering emotion through motion capture performances. That’s why Redditor aurthurallan’s take is truly unpopular.
In their opinion, Serkis’ Gollum was not a good interpretation of the character, especially the voice he did, because “it’s annoying and cartoonish rather than creepy or intimidating.” Serkis won’t be reprising his role in the upcoming Gollum video game, so it’s possible more fans will begin reevaluating his exaggerated portrayal of Gollum but, for now, most still rate his performance incredibly highly.
