Out of so many different characters in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, Gandalf is the one that sparks the most mystery since despite all that’s been revealed of him in the movies there’s so much more to him when it comes to the books. The fact that he is far more ancient than people realize is amazing really since given what we’ve seen of him in the movies he’s absolutely impressive but at the same time he’s bound in so many ways and able to be harmed that thinking he’s a character that should by all means be able to see patterns in the world and what’s coming a mile off is easy for some people to assume. The thing that’s been very easy to notice about Gandalf though is that for all his power, wisdom, and intelligence, he’s not much of a seer and he does kind of live in the moment despite all the plans and schemes that he crafts. One might think that a character with the kind of time and wisdom, as well as experience that he’s gained throughout a long and storied lifetime, might be able to anticipate what might happen when certain things happen, but that’s not how Tolkien made him. Instead, Gandalf is the type of powerful and mysterious being that enjoys being far more like the people he’s come to enjoy being around, namely the free folk of Middle Earth. The video above does a good job of telling just where he came from and who and what he is, but there are definite holes that one might fill in better by reading the books that detail more of Gandalf’s life and adventures.
The manner in which Sir Ian McKellen plays this character was perfect from start to finish as listening to Gandalf being described from the books it’s likely that McKellen at least took a gander at the character in the books, or was told by an authority on the figure, so that he could get the role as accurate as possible. In any case, however it happened, he became the only Gandalf that people truly care about since he brought an iconic character to life in a way that was nothing short of wondrous. He added the vulnerability to the character as well though, or rather he helped Peter Jackson do this since if you recall, Gandalf does get pretty messed up at a few points in the LOTR story as well as in The Hobbit. Against the equally powerful Balrog he ends up with a fight that forces him out of his body and then back as his task isn’t done yet. In the same trilogy he encounters his fellow wizard Saruman first and is bested, proving that with all that power he still has failings that his enemies can exploit. Of course some of the stuff we saw in the movies wasn’t the same in the books, but thankfully Peter Jackson took what is in Tolkien’s hand an epic tale but with a great deal of prose and made an action and drama-packed trilogy that people still enjoy today.
That could be part of why Gandalf is so easy to like though, he’s not some superhuman entity that can just shrug off damage and keep going, as he does fight and bleed like those around him, no matter that at the end of the day he’s far more than the aging human he appears to be. That he’s lived for a long, long time is evident given the respect and deference he enjoys from other long-lived races such as the dwarves and the elves in the story. Despite their haughty nature, even the elves know to value Mithrandir, their name for Gandalf, as he is among the most wise and powerful of wizards in Middle Earth, and likely capable of great things if he’d ever gone the same way as Sauron. Learning that Gandalf and Sauron are essentially from the same group is kind of awkward since it means that Sauron is not unlike a Sith in the Star Wars franchise, someone who was supposed to stand for good but turned evil and sought to gain power through nefarious means. Obviously Tolkien’s tale predates Star Wars by a few decades, but it’s enough to wonder if George Lucas took a bit of inspiration for his epic saga from one of the masters of the fantasy novel. There are definite parallels that are hard to ignore.
All in all Gandalf is an awesome character and has been an inspiration for many present characters if people were to ask the truth. He’s the kind of character in the story that’s powerful beyond belief, and yet is brought back to reality with the idea that he still has to contend with those that are just as powerful if not more so.Sir Ian McKellen
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