A Return to Middle Earth
A slightly spolier-y review of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
http://beth-diaryofafangirl.blogspot.com/2012/12/its-all-coming-back-to-me-now-return-to.html
A small part of me has been waiting for a chance to geek out on Middle Earth since 2005, when the popularity of the Lord of the Rings passed out of popular culture. Tolkien’s world is so massive, beyond the popular works that have been turned into radio shows and children’s cartoons, that I couldn’t believe Peter Jackson would stop at just the trilogy.
I saw an Unexpected Journey twice this weekend. I didn’t want my fangirl to get in the way of an truly critical review. Other reviewers commented on the lightheartedness, simplicity of the story as negatives, but I felt that kept it in line with the books. The Hobbit was not an epic like LOTR, it was a children’s tale. The movie was that same tale, told in the epic grandeur that we loved in the Lord of the Rings.
I trust Peter Jackson with Middle Earth, he has been working on these movies since the mid 1990’s when he received the rights to LOTR. I will admit I was nervous when Guillermo Del Toro was at the helm. I was a bit relieved that MGM went bankrupt, which eventually lead to Jackson retaking the director’s seat.
The opening sequence starts us at a very similar place to the Fellowship, with Bilbo at his writing desk. He gives us a good overview of the battle of the Dwarves and Smaug. We also get a cute peek into the relationship between Frodo and Bilbo. All we really knew in LOTR was that Frodo loved him and he worried for Frodo. In the Unexpected Journey we saw a glimpse of the aging uncle and the enthusiastic nephew. I enjoyed the comments about the Slackville-Bagginses, since the book ends with them trying to take Bag End. Had I not read the books, the scenes surrounding them in the extended cut of the Fellowship wouldn’t have made any sense. I feel this will clear that up for non readers.
Martin Freeman was excellent as Bilbo. The mixture of neurosis and curiosity in his every move was endearing. Similarly with the dwarves, who in the poster look ridiculous, have physical characteristics to fit their personalities. I can’t imagine trying to keep all of them straight if they looked like each other.
I was glad that they kept Gloin consistent with the visual markers of Gimli, since Gloin was his father.
(l-r)Gloin in Unexpected Journey, Gloin in Fellowship of the Ring, Gimli.
The pacing of the movie was good for the most part. I did start getting bored around the stone giants’ thunder battle, so the second time around I took a quick bathroom break. But I got back just in time for Bilbo to wake up and see Gollum for the first time.
Andy Serkis’s screeching and grumbling was spine twitching and nerve racking, just like the first time around. They really played up the Gollum/Sméagol split personality which broke the tension caused by their desire to eat our hero. Much like Bilbo’s pity, I felt sorry for Gollum. I probably couldn’t have killed him either.
The trolls were excellent and hilarious and so stupid. The goblins were disgusting. The Defiler, while not in the books, was a great foe to keep the story moving forward. The distrust between the Elves and the dwarves gave good background for the Legolas-Gimli feud.
Three things in the Unexpected Journey are bugging me.
First, At the white council, Elrond and Saruman chastise Gandalf that they have been living in peace for 400 years, a hard earned peace. But in the prologue of the Fellowship Galadriel gives a three thousand year timeline. The Fellowship timeline coincides with the timeline in Appendix B of the Lord of the Rings. Bilbo’s adventure takes place during the year 2941 of the third age. The third age began with the overthrow of Sauron and Isildur’s possession of the Ring.
“History became legend, legend became myth,
and for two-and-a-half thousand years,
the Ring passed out of all knowledge.
…
The ring brought to Gollum unnatural long life.
For five hundred years, it poisoned his mind.
And in the gloom of Gollum's cave, it waited.”
I can’t figure out for the life of me what took place 400 years before. A distracted viewer may assume that Sauron was defeated 400 years before, but that is wholly inaccurate.
Second, I was annoyed by Gandalf’s delivery of “Home is behind, the world ahead.” If you are going to quote something that was such a focal point in the later movies, the near death experience of Faramir, you should quote the whole damn thing or leave it alone. Both times I saw the Hobbit, I sat there replaying the whole song in my head, distracting myself from what was happening on screen.
(l-r) Goblin, Orc, Uruk-hai
Third, I had issues with the consistency of the Orc species. Goblins and Orcs are the same thing. It worked out well in the movie to have them different, but the two words were used interchangeably during the books. And the battle at the gates of Moria, most of the Orcs looked like Uruk-hai, their build was bigger and they were fighting in the sun.
I would probably give The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey a A-, all of my issues with the movie are easily overlookable. Howard Shore’s music was beautiful and haunting once again. The digital and physical special effects blended in seamlessly to the world, just like they did during the last trilogy. The movie felt simultaneously like a whole movie and a piece of a larger one.
As for this becoming a trilogy, I think they made the right move. We still have to visit the Elves of the Greenwood (aka Mirkwood) and defeat Smaug. Then there is the Battle of Five Armies and the return to the Shire amongst smaller less memorable tales.
I can't wait for the next two installments and I'm appreciating having a reason to pull out my beat-up Tolkien books.
http://beth-diaryofafangirl.blogspot.com/2012/12/its-all-coming-back-to-me-now-return-to.html
A small part of me has been waiting for a chance to geek out on Middle Earth since 2005, when the popularity of the Lord of the Rings passed out of popular culture. Tolkien’s world is so massive, beyond the popular works that have been turned into radio shows and children’s cartoons, that I couldn’t believe Peter Jackson would stop at just the trilogy.
I saw an Unexpected Journey twice this weekend. I didn’t want my fangirl to get in the way of an truly critical review. Other reviewers commented on the lightheartedness, simplicity of the story as negatives, but I felt that kept it in line with the books. The Hobbit was not an epic like LOTR, it was a children’s tale. The movie was that same tale, told in the epic grandeur that we loved in the Lord of the Rings.
I trust Peter Jackson with Middle Earth, he has been working on these movies since the mid 1990’s when he received the rights to LOTR. I will admit I was nervous when Guillermo Del Toro was at the helm. I was a bit relieved that MGM went bankrupt, which eventually lead to Jackson retaking the director’s seat.
The opening sequence starts us at a very similar place to the Fellowship, with Bilbo at his writing desk. He gives us a good overview of the battle of the Dwarves and Smaug. We also get a cute peek into the relationship between Frodo and Bilbo. All we really knew in LOTR was that Frodo loved him and he worried for Frodo. In the Unexpected Journey we saw a glimpse of the aging uncle and the enthusiastic nephew. I enjoyed the comments about the Slackville-Bagginses, since the book ends with them trying to take Bag End. Had I not read the books, the scenes surrounding them in the extended cut of the Fellowship wouldn’t have made any sense. I feel this will clear that up for non readers.
Martin Freeman was excellent as Bilbo. The mixture of neurosis and curiosity in his every move was endearing. Similarly with the dwarves, who in the poster look ridiculous, have physical characteristics to fit their personalities. I can’t imagine trying to keep all of them straight if they looked like each other.
I was glad that they kept Gloin consistent with the visual markers of Gimli, since Gloin was his father.
(l-r)Gloin in Unexpected Journey, Gloin in Fellowship of the Ring, Gimli.
The pacing of the movie was good for the most part. I did start getting bored around the stone giants’ thunder battle, so the second time around I took a quick bathroom break. But I got back just in time for Bilbo to wake up and see Gollum for the first time.
Andy Serkis’s screeching and grumbling was spine twitching and nerve racking, just like the first time around. They really played up the Gollum/Sméagol split personality which broke the tension caused by their desire to eat our hero. Much like Bilbo’s pity, I felt sorry for Gollum. I probably couldn’t have killed him either.
The trolls were excellent and hilarious and so stupid. The goblins were disgusting. The Defiler, while not in the books, was a great foe to keep the story moving forward. The distrust between the Elves and the dwarves gave good background for the Legolas-Gimli feud.
Three things in the Unexpected Journey are bugging me.
First, At the white council, Elrond and Saruman chastise Gandalf that they have been living in peace for 400 years, a hard earned peace. But in the prologue of the Fellowship Galadriel gives a three thousand year timeline. The Fellowship timeline coincides with the timeline in Appendix B of the Lord of the Rings. Bilbo’s adventure takes place during the year 2941 of the third age. The third age began with the overthrow of Sauron and Isildur’s possession of the Ring.
“History became legend, legend became myth,
and for two-and-a-half thousand years,
the Ring passed out of all knowledge.
…
The ring brought to Gollum unnatural long life.
For five hundred years, it poisoned his mind.
And in the gloom of Gollum's cave, it waited.”
I can’t figure out for the life of me what took place 400 years before. A distracted viewer may assume that Sauron was defeated 400 years before, but that is wholly inaccurate.
Second, I was annoyed by Gandalf’s delivery of “Home is behind, the world ahead.” If you are going to quote something that was such a focal point in the later movies, the near death experience of Faramir, you should quote the whole damn thing or leave it alone. Both times I saw the Hobbit, I sat there replaying the whole song in my head, distracting myself from what was happening on screen.
(l-r) Goblin, Orc, Uruk-hai
Third, I had issues with the consistency of the Orc species. Goblins and Orcs are the same thing. It worked out well in the movie to have them different, but the two words were used interchangeably during the books. And the battle at the gates of Moria, most of the Orcs looked like Uruk-hai, their build was bigger and they were fighting in the sun.
I would probably give The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey a A-, all of my issues with the movie are easily overlookable. Howard Shore’s music was beautiful and haunting once again. The digital and physical special effects blended in seamlessly to the world, just like they did during the last trilogy. The movie felt simultaneously like a whole movie and a piece of a larger one.
As for this becoming a trilogy, I think they made the right move. We still have to visit the Elves of the Greenwood (aka Mirkwood) and defeat Smaug. Then there is the Battle of Five Armies and the return to the Shire amongst smaller less memorable tales.
I can't wait for the next two installments and I'm appreciating having a reason to pull out my beat-up Tolkien books.