If
you really must see every movie based on Tolkien’s novels, then see The Hobbit. Most other people can give this a pass. The
Hobbit is a big disappointment after seeing The Lord of the Rings.
WARNING: SPOILERS
(But
not really. You must already know that
Middle-Earth has elves, dwarves, wizards, etc.)
What
weakens The Hobbit the most are irritating
attempts to bring in actors we’ve seen in The
Lord of the Rings. This has the
effect of making The Hobbit less of a
story in its own right, and more like an expensive piece of fan fiction. Especially in the latter part of the movie,
Bilbo feels like a minor character.
The
desperate attempt to make the this movie look like just a missing piece of The Lord of the Rings starts with an
unnecessary prologue where Frodo appears. As to why
prologues are unwise, see Kristin Nelson’s vlog on the subject. For The
Hobbit, everything before the words “An Unexpected Journey” appear on the
screen should have been cut. It should
start with Bilbo sitting around, enjoying the air, when Gandalf walks up to
him.
Another
excuse comes from the end of the book, where Gandalf makes a short reference to
how the White Council drove out a fellow named the Necromancer. This becomes a major part of the movie, so
the dwarves end up seeming like puppets who have no idea how they are being
manipulated as part of a more important plan.
As
for the rest of the movie, it has a slow plot, punctuated by battle
scenes. In particular, the underground
battle scene with the goblins looks like impossible CGI animation, to the point
of silliness.
I
may be biased, having read The Hobbit
eleven times, but the best parts of the movie are where they stick closely to
the book:
The
unexpected party, where the dwarves almost eat Bilbo out of hearth and home.
The
folk song of the dwarves—“We must away, ere break of day”—which tempts Bilbo
to go on the quest.
Bilbo’s
distress over not having any pocket handkerchiefs on the journey.
The
ethereal, elvish beauty of Rivendell.
Bilbo’s
sparing of Gollum, when he could easily have killed him.
An
awesome scene involving eagles—if you don’t know which side they’re on, they
are really scary.
So
if you do see The Hobbit, despite my
criticisms, you’ll have some gems to take away with you. And if you agree or disagree, please leave a
comment.
Just be polite when you comment