My hobbit review (long and full of spoilers)

[fantasy_fan]

(the tldr; version: Liked but didn't love it, 6.5 out of 10)

Comments

[shirebound]

I'm glad to hear that there's a Prologue; I'm seeing it with my mom today (our first viewing), and she's going to need a bit/lot of background.

Why PJ is so in love with battles and chase sequences is beyond my comprehension. *sigh*

[fantasy_fan]

I think some of it is personal preference - he really still is a big kid who likes to see things blow up. Some of it, though, is probably an effort to sell the movie to people who aren't Tolkien fans, and would get bored with the level of detail that we all revel in.

I hope you (and your mom) have a lovely experience and enjoy the heck out of it.

[dreamflower02]

It might have been a tighter movie if he'd left out that stuff, but I have a feeling it would have been a worse adaptation. PJ's major flaw in LotR was cutting OUT book scenes to make room for his little fanfic scenes (i.e. the Warg battle on the way to Helm's Deep; Aragorn falling off the cliff, etc.) I think his decision to make three movies had more to do with his desire to leave less stuff on the cutting room floor than it did with making extra money (HIS decision; of course the major studios were motivated by the money). If he had made only two movies, and he had to decide to cut a book scene or a scene that he and Fran and Phillipa had made up, I think it's a pretty good guess as to which he'd choose! But with a slimmer and shorter book to work with, he could make his additions without having to cut book stuff

[fantasy_fan]

You very well may be right about additional book scenes getting cut in a shorter movie. Perhaps, in an extended edition, we might see some of the character-driven scenes in more detail, and if that's the case, I'd be willing to overlook some of the parts I'm not so keen on.

And I love being in a fandom that loves to debate these things!

[claudia603]

wow, I love your review, lots of delicious details!

I, of course, ADORED Thorin, haha, although I realize he wasn't completely true to Thorin book character! I don't like how PJ just loves chase and battle scenes and draws them out way too long, but I suppose teenage boys probably love it (the usual demographic that most movies cater to). I just sort of zone out during long battle scenes, but I'm with you in that I'd prefer more character-driven scenes.

I do love this movie, while acknowledging it has some flaws. It will never be LOTR and certainly not FOTR. I didn' go home weeping from being moved by it like I did when I first saw FOTR. But it is SO NICE to get to visit Middle-earth again in a visual way!

[fantasy_fan]

You are right about that! And I suppose despite all my attempts to temper my expectations, deep down I was hoping to be wowed again. Perhaps because that didn't happen I'm being too critical. I will do my best to accept it for what it is and love what I can. And anyway, there are two more movies to come - there might be a whole lot of wonderful in store!

[ancalime8301]

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who has issues with the movie! I keep reading all the glowing comments on my f-list and wondering if we saw the same movie. :-p

[fantasy_fan]

There's a lot to like about it, but LOTR set the bar really high, and this movie just doesn't rise to the same level for me. Now maybe the next two movies will be filled with awesomeness and I'm judging too early, but I really think they will be more of the same. The material PJ had to work with in LOTR was superior, and so it was easy enough to overlook the excesses. I'm having a hard time doing that with The Hobbit. And I really do want to like it. I'm going to give it a chance to grow on me.

[ancalime8301]

I wanted to like the Hobbit, but I'm really having trouble getting over all the stuff that's narratively unnecessary (e.g. the snot bit, the stone giants) and the things that don't seem consistent with LotR (for example, the terrain they cross prior to Rivendell is really bugging me--there should be similarities to what we saw in FotR yet it's completely different! I found that very disorienting). Maybe I'd like it better if I read the book more recently? I don't know. I hoped I'd get over some of my qualms in the second viewing, but that didn't happen... maybe the third will do the trick. :-p

[elandulin]

Thanks for a thoughtful review. I've seen it twice now, once in 48 frame 3D and once in 2D. MUCH prefer the 2D--3D is dark and distracting for me. And I agree overall with yours and other comments with regard to PJs boyish fascination with grotesque characters like Azog and Gothmog, extended battles and destruction of infrastructure--it gets tiresome after awhile. And this is not the first time--I was pretty much done with all of that after Moria and Helm's Deep last time--made ROTK somewhat slow for me

[fantasy_fan]

I agree with all your likes. I was glad they made Balin introspective, thoughtful, with a lot of integrity and loyalty. If he becomes a significant character, it will make his death even more poignant.

I keep thinking of how Riddles in the Dark was the first thing Martin and Andy shot for this movie. Such a wonderful performance, a wonderful dynamic. When given great material, there is the talent there to take it to great heights, and this is what I want to see more of. And then I laugh at how awkward Bilbo is with his sword, remembering the sword training all the actors went through before the FOTR shooting. Did they deliberately not give Martin sword training this time, so he'd be bad at it? It worked!