The 5 most surprising moments from the Lord of the Rings adaptation you've never heard of

Gandalf's fireworks

As a member of the ancient order called the Istari, Gandalf is identified as a "wizard" to most residents of Middle-earth. But the hobbits of the Shire have much less familiarity with magic than, say, the elves of Rivendell do. So instead of discussing metaphysical concepts, Gandalf contents himself with showing the hobbits fireworks, which are delightfully mind-blowing to the people of the Shire.

In Jackson's Fellowship, viewers see Gandalf's fireworks form a gigantic dragon. Here, Khraniteli makes inventive use of its low budget by having Gandalf wave a red flag that displays images of explosions and sparkles — magic, in its own way.

Gollum's origin

Gollum is one of the most important and memorable characters from LOTR, but he doesn't play a big part in the story until The Two Towers. Thankfully, the creators of Khraniteli still fit some Gollum time into their version of Fellowship by having Gandalf tell Frodo the story of how the Ring corrupted the hobbit-like being Smeagol into the monstrous Gollum shortly after the young hobbit acquires the artifact. In Jackson's films, this flashback opens The Return of the King.

After Smeagol's buddy Deagol finds the One Ring lying in a riverbed, the two friends fight over the precious gold object until Smeagol emerges victorious. It doesn't take long for the Ring to corrupt him beyond repair, though, and in Khraniteli that transformation is signified by the actor reappearing in a silly green suit. The scene takes place around 20 minutes in if you want to watch and see how this actor's rolling throat sounds compare to Andy Serkis' interpretation of the guttural "gollum" noise that gives the creature his iconic sobriquet.

Tom Bombadil gets his due

Now here is an instance where Khranteli unambiguously has the leg up on Jackson's films. Jackson famously jettisoned the section of Fellowship that involves the character Tom Bombadil. An enigmatic figure who has enormous power in the vicinity of his woodland home but could not care less about the struggle to destroy the One Ring, Bombadil doesn't really fit with the main story of LOTR. What he does do is instill the reader with a sense that Middle-earth is bigger and more magical than this one saga, full of mysteries that not even Tolkien himself fully understood.

The Bombadil scene in Khraniteli certainly evokes a sense of fairy-tale surrealism, as he and his wife, Goldberry, tower over the miniature hobbits in their warm home.

Gandalf's eagle ride

Gandalf sets Frodo and his hobbit companions on their quest, but is absent until they get to the elf haven of Rivendell. At the Council of Elrond, he explains why: He was held captive by his fellow wizard Saruman, and was only able to escape with the help of one of Middle-earth's enormous eagles. The sight of Ian McKellen soaring across the sky on the back of a CGI bird is one of the most unforgettable images from Jackson's films, but Khraniteli's take is memorable in its own way. Check out the bugging eyes on that bird puppet!

Trekking through Moria

What is LOTR without its giant battles? The climax of Fellowship takes place in Moria, a place of ancient dwarf mines that have since been abandoned to hordes of goblins and orcs. Lacking the detailed sets or budget for hundreds of extras, Khraniteli gives the scene a unique look, with the main actors' images spliced against an underground-looking background, engaged in blurry fights with untold enemies.