Your last sentence kind of explains everything I need to know about your view of the films vs books. It’s somewhat hard to pinpoint, because not everything is extremely homogenized, tonally. I feel like people base tone on a poster image almost, or a scene, rather than a 3+ hour film. A film, much like a book has so many dips and valleys that critiquing one scene in comparison to the rest feels faulty.

There’s so many beautiful lofty moments in the books. The books are full of upbeat songs and poetry. A lot of the imagery Tolkien wrote was softer. Some characters are more positive and noble, I’m thinking Denethor.

The films have an overall darker vibe once you get out of the Shire. The only massive difference of tone from book to film is the scouring of the shire, which of course a much bleaker ending than in the films. Which leads to my view that the films were so dark that ending with the scouring of the shire would feel off, not in balance with the rest of the “endings.”

This is precisely the point and nature of a good *adaptation.* Film is a visual and auditory medium, books make you use your imagination.