Gimli – The Worst Lord of the Rings Character
There are many major characters in the Lord of the Rings, but after careful analysis of the films, I’ve realized that removing Gimli would have very little impact on the story. This isn’t to say Gimli is useless, or isn’t entertaining, but there is nothing of great consequence that ties his character to the script. Let’s break this down. Here are Gimli the dwarf’s qualities:
- He’s a great warrior
- He’s funny
- He drinks
Also, kudos to John Rhys-Davies, who does a remarkable job playing this character.
Gimli proves himself as a great fighter in Fellowship of the Ring, though he doesn’t trust his battle companion, Legolas, because he is an elf (the book explores this a bit more but the result is the same). After the fellowship sets out for Mordor, Gimli suggests to Gandalf the Grey that they take a shortcut through the Mines of Moria. Gandalf declines. Soon after, they have no choice but to use the Mines of Moria, so Gimli’s suggestion happens regardless. When Gimli finds that his kin in the mines had been massacred, it doesn’t seem to change his determination or choices, and he doesn’t mention it again. It’s also shown that he has a crush on Galadriel, which is odd considering that she is also an elf.
In The Two Towers, Gimli holds up Legolas and Aragorn as they travel because he’s too slow for them. During battles, Gimli and Legolas try to top each other in orc body count. Fun stuff, but nothing hugely important happens with his character.
In Return of the King, Gimli continues the follow-the-leader role, killing orcs and making silly comments. Near the end, he and Legolas vow to die side by side as friends in the final battle for Middle Earth. There you have it… Gimli’s character arc. He learns to trust an elf. It took three movies and more than nine hours of film for that to happen.
So, am I saying that Lord of the Rings would be better without Gimli? Certainly not. However, it’s clear that his character has no impact on the plot, though the opportunities were there. The books explore his character more than the films, but nothing important.
But instead of hating on Gimli, let’s just enjoy him for what he was: An angry drunken dwarf.
In a deleted scene, he kills Frodo.
Now let’s go shopping for some Gimli stuff.
