The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Jan. 6th, 2013 09:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
butterflyI've seen it twice now, so I feel up to offering thoughts. I watched it first the regular way and then the second time in 3D. My personal opinion re: the 3D is that it works fine either way. There's some scenes where the 3D adds to the experience but I was fully engrossed both times.
I was afraid before the second showing that I might feel the movie drag but, actually, when it started getting close to the end I was disappointed there were only a few scenes left.
Really, my only regret with this movie is how it's filled to the brim with white men. Apart from that, I love pretty much everything about it. During the second viewing I kept thinking, "Ooo, the ____ bit is next! I loved that bit!" about pretty much every scene. That's a good sign.
The acting is fantastic. Martin Freeman is an amazing Bilbo. And this is the first time I've found him attractive. I think it's the hobbit-hair. I love the hobbit-hair. But, more seriously, he was splendid. I was right with him every step of the journey. They could not have done better there. He's a treat from the very beginning and never stops being one. And he had so many wonderful lines. I haven't read The Hobbit in ages, so I don't know how many of them are exact quotes from the book, but it was all great. He has a matter-of-fact way of delivering many of his lines that is very effective.
This movie also gives Bilbo slightly different things to do than the book does during the same time period -- in the book, Gandalf is the one who hustles Bilbo out the door rather than Bilbo making the decision and racing off, and I believe it's also Gandalf rather than Bilbo who distracts the trolls until the sun comes up, in the book. I liked those changes (though I also liked the vast majority of the changes made to the LotR trilogy as well).
The way everyone gets nabbed by the trolls also works a lot better for me. It actually seems like one of the big changes between the book and the movie was to make the non-Bilbo characters not be complete jerks, which they frequently are during, at least, the early parts of the book. To have it only be Kili and Fili, two of the younger dwarves, who send Bilbo off to face the trolls -- and to have them also go back to fetch the rest of the company to back up Bilbo -- that was a very good change for me. Also, to have show Thorin having a sense of responsibility toward Bilbo's safety even after he disclaimed anything of the kind to Gandalf was a positive change -- he's stubborn and possessive, sure, but he's not going to let Bilbo get killed if he can prevent it (we see him making the same kind of concession with the Goblin King when Ori is threatened).
Oh! I also like that the dwarves clean up after themselves in the movie, rather than leaving a huge mess for Bilbo. Though that again ties into most of the changes being about making their characters more likeable (seriously, they're really kinda assholes in the book). Really, I think the changes, overall, were good for both character and pacing reasons. What works in a book isn't necessarily going to work in a movie (probably the clearest example of this is The Princess Bride -- both book and screenplay are written by the same person and yet they are two very different creatures despite being the same story) and I think that they made a lot of smart choices when it came to adapting the book for film.
All of the LotR hold-over actors were still great, of course. It was a treat to see Frodo, Galadriel, Saruman, Elrond and Ian's Bilbo. And Sir Ian as Gandalf was as wonderful as he is in LotR. It's amusing seeing him appealing to Bilbo's Tookish side when that's what he pokes at Pippin the most over during FotR. Gandalf and Tooks -- there's an essay in that somewhere. It's also amusing to see how irritated he gets at Thorin's inability to get over past slights (another thing that's used primarily in small ways here but will be quite tragic in the final movie, I suspect). I also like the echo of "questions that need to be answered" -- Gandalf knows here that Elrond probably won't approve of their quest, but they need his information, so it would be foolish to hold onto past ill-will and prevent yourself from getting the answers that you need.
I like that Gloin is the one who is most ready to take offense at what the elves might be saying in their own language, since it feeds into Gimli's opinions at the start of LotR.
We only get to spend quality time with one dwarf in LotR, of course, so it's really awesome to get to know a wider range and variety of dwarves. I appreciated how the dwarves were all distinct personalities, though we did, of course, get to know some better than others. I also think the dwarves all come across as more impressive than I remember them being from the book or cartoon. I'm sure we'll get to spend yet more quality time in the next movie & the third. In LotR, I actually couldn't tell Merry and Pippin apart until The Two Towers (baffles me now, but there you go!), so I'm sure the dwarves that got less screentime this time around will get more in the next movies.
Dwalin and Balin got some good time in their introductions and they work well as Bilbo's bemused introduction to dwarves as a whole. Balin is also the storyteller later on in the movie when we need to find out the details about why Thorin hates Orcs in such a personal way. He does a good job as being one of the few older actual warriors in the group (and I do like that he calls out at the beginning that most of the dwarves in the company aren't warriors).
We definitely needed to spend a lot of time getting to know and care about the line of Durin so that our hearts can thoroughly ripped out in the third movie, and they did a great job fleshing out Thorin, Fili, and Kili. Fili and Kili had a perfect introduction -- each of their characters and their close relationship is firmly established. Kili is the eager young one, all grins when he's happy and sad eyes when he's disappointed, while Fili is more cynical. I also thought it was a very interesting choice to have Kili and Ori, two of the youngest dwarves, being the ones who most used what appeared to be non-traditional weaponry for dwarves (bow & slingshot, respectively). Thorin is, indeed, very majestic but we also see the seeds of his downfall in place from the very beginning -- the movies want us to think he's like Aragorn when he's actually going to be a lot more like Boromir, in the end.
"Loyalty, honor, and a willing heart -- I can ask no more than this." I just love that line.
The narrative sequence at the beginning where Bilbo tells us about the coming of Smaug is amazing. Seeing Erebor when it was at its height and then seeing the destruction... it worked very well for me. I'm glad that we're introduced to the Arkenstone here at the beginning and hear all about it and its effects. All of the set-up for the later movies worked well for me -- Thranduil and Smaug and the Arkenstone and Thorin's stubbornness; it's all laid out there in the prologue.
I liked seeing how Bilbo's relationship with the dwarves developed. Bofur first ruthlessly testing/teasing him at the beginning with the thought of incineration and then seeing him warm up to Bilbo over the course of the adventure. Some nice character moments -- Dori offering Gandalf something to drink (from Bilbo's stores!), Ori very politely asking Bilbo what to do with his dish, etc. How all the dwarves are basically having a 'we might all die' party because they don't know if they're going to survive the attempt to re-take Erebor.
The two songs worked surprisingly well. First you have Kili and Fili start it out as a teasing thing, which sets up this group as the sort that enjoys singing, so it doesn't come out of nowhere when the (haunting) song about the Misty Mountains happens a bit later.
I wonder how many dishes the actors broke while filming the clean-up scene!
In the scene where Elrond and the elves arrive, Bofur reaches out to pull Bilbo into the protective center of the circle of dwarves to stand with Thorin and Kili (and possibly Fili -- I can't tell if he's within the circle or part of it). I liked that.
The Gollum sequence was perfect. Martin and Andy worked against each other incredibly well. It was by turns funny and creepy and even touching. I have nothing but praise for that whole section. It's amazing. I was blown away when I learned it was the first thing they shot for the film!
I also adored the "I often think of home... ...I will take it back, if I can" scene, because you can just see how everyone is very genuinely touched by what Bilbo says -- Thorin and Gandalf most obviously, but all of them are left speechless until they hear the wargs. Super-sweet. I just really like that Bilbo has already bonded with the dwarves and their quest. I'm a softie.
I liked Radagast the Brown (hello, Doctor) and the tiny glimpses we got of Thranduil and Smaug (see you in the next movie). I also like how Saruman kinda disapproves of Gandalf and Radagast for similar reasons -- they're both too close to the soil, in their very different ways. They believe in trusting things that Saruman thinks are too weak to have power -- whether that be animals or hobbits.
This movie did a great job developing the relationship between Thorin and Bilbo in a way that, I'm sure, will completely break my heart in the final part when they first get into the 'betrayal' and then Thorin's death. Thorin is all, "I won't get attached to the bloody hobbit. I won't. I will not. I won't get attached...DAMN IT. I'M ATTACHED."
That said, to be filed under "well, that's not wise", I have found myself shipping Bilbo and Thorin. I told myself, "Self, you know how this story ends. Stop this shipping at once; it all ends in tragedy," but it doesn't seem to have done much good. Ugh, just the whole thing. Nope. Nope. Don't wanna do it. I appear to be doing it anyway, but I don't want to.
(did you see the way Thorin looked over at Bilbo after he mentioned the thrush being a good omen? he totally thinks of Bilbo as his own personal good luck charm now omg the third movie is going to kill me how can i take this? i can't)
I was afraid before the second showing that I might feel the movie drag but, actually, when it started getting close to the end I was disappointed there were only a few scenes left.
Really, my only regret with this movie is how it's filled to the brim with white men. Apart from that, I love pretty much everything about it. During the second viewing I kept thinking, "Ooo, the ____ bit is next! I loved that bit!" about pretty much every scene. That's a good sign.
The acting is fantastic. Martin Freeman is an amazing Bilbo. And this is the first time I've found him attractive. I think it's the hobbit-hair. I love the hobbit-hair. But, more seriously, he was splendid. I was right with him every step of the journey. They could not have done better there. He's a treat from the very beginning and never stops being one. And he had so many wonderful lines. I haven't read The Hobbit in ages, so I don't know how many of them are exact quotes from the book, but it was all great. He has a matter-of-fact way of delivering many of his lines that is very effective.
This movie also gives Bilbo slightly different things to do than the book does during the same time period -- in the book, Gandalf is the one who hustles Bilbo out the door rather than Bilbo making the decision and racing off, and I believe it's also Gandalf rather than Bilbo who distracts the trolls until the sun comes up, in the book. I liked those changes (though I also liked the vast majority of the changes made to the LotR trilogy as well).
The way everyone gets nabbed by the trolls also works a lot better for me. It actually seems like one of the big changes between the book and the movie was to make the non-Bilbo characters not be complete jerks, which they frequently are during, at least, the early parts of the book. To have it only be Kili and Fili, two of the younger dwarves, who send Bilbo off to face the trolls -- and to have them also go back to fetch the rest of the company to back up Bilbo -- that was a very good change for me. Also, to have show Thorin having a sense of responsibility toward Bilbo's safety even after he disclaimed anything of the kind to Gandalf was a positive change -- he's stubborn and possessive, sure, but he's not going to let Bilbo get killed if he can prevent it (we see him making the same kind of concession with the Goblin King when Ori is threatened).
Oh! I also like that the dwarves clean up after themselves in the movie, rather than leaving a huge mess for Bilbo. Though that again ties into most of the changes being about making their characters more likeable (seriously, they're really kinda assholes in the book). Really, I think the changes, overall, were good for both character and pacing reasons. What works in a book isn't necessarily going to work in a movie (probably the clearest example of this is The Princess Bride -- both book and screenplay are written by the same person and yet they are two very different creatures despite being the same story) and I think that they made a lot of smart choices when it came to adapting the book for film.
All of the LotR hold-over actors were still great, of course. It was a treat to see Frodo, Galadriel, Saruman, Elrond and Ian's Bilbo. And Sir Ian as Gandalf was as wonderful as he is in LotR. It's amusing seeing him appealing to Bilbo's Tookish side when that's what he pokes at Pippin the most over during FotR. Gandalf and Tooks -- there's an essay in that somewhere. It's also amusing to see how irritated he gets at Thorin's inability to get over past slights (another thing that's used primarily in small ways here but will be quite tragic in the final movie, I suspect). I also like the echo of "questions that need to be answered" -- Gandalf knows here that Elrond probably won't approve of their quest, but they need his information, so it would be foolish to hold onto past ill-will and prevent yourself from getting the answers that you need.
I like that Gloin is the one who is most ready to take offense at what the elves might be saying in their own language, since it feeds into Gimli's opinions at the start of LotR.
We only get to spend quality time with one dwarf in LotR, of course, so it's really awesome to get to know a wider range and variety of dwarves. I appreciated how the dwarves were all distinct personalities, though we did, of course, get to know some better than others. I also think the dwarves all come across as more impressive than I remember them being from the book or cartoon. I'm sure we'll get to spend yet more quality time in the next movie & the third. In LotR, I actually couldn't tell Merry and Pippin apart until The Two Towers (baffles me now, but there you go!), so I'm sure the dwarves that got less screentime this time around will get more in the next movies.
Dwalin and Balin got some good time in their introductions and they work well as Bilbo's bemused introduction to dwarves as a whole. Balin is also the storyteller later on in the movie when we need to find out the details about why Thorin hates Orcs in such a personal way. He does a good job as being one of the few older actual warriors in the group (and I do like that he calls out at the beginning that most of the dwarves in the company aren't warriors).
We definitely needed to spend a lot of time getting to know and care about the line of Durin so that our hearts can thoroughly ripped out in the third movie, and they did a great job fleshing out Thorin, Fili, and Kili. Fili and Kili had a perfect introduction -- each of their characters and their close relationship is firmly established. Kili is the eager young one, all grins when he's happy and sad eyes when he's disappointed, while Fili is more cynical. I also thought it was a very interesting choice to have Kili and Ori, two of the youngest dwarves, being the ones who most used what appeared to be non-traditional weaponry for dwarves (bow & slingshot, respectively). Thorin is, indeed, very majestic but we also see the seeds of his downfall in place from the very beginning -- the movies want us to think he's like Aragorn when he's actually going to be a lot more like Boromir, in the end.
"Loyalty, honor, and a willing heart -- I can ask no more than this." I just love that line.
The narrative sequence at the beginning where Bilbo tells us about the coming of Smaug is amazing. Seeing Erebor when it was at its height and then seeing the destruction... it worked very well for me. I'm glad that we're introduced to the Arkenstone here at the beginning and hear all about it and its effects. All of the set-up for the later movies worked well for me -- Thranduil and Smaug and the Arkenstone and Thorin's stubbornness; it's all laid out there in the prologue.
I liked seeing how Bilbo's relationship with the dwarves developed. Bofur first ruthlessly testing/teasing him at the beginning with the thought of incineration and then seeing him warm up to Bilbo over the course of the adventure. Some nice character moments -- Dori offering Gandalf something to drink (from Bilbo's stores!), Ori very politely asking Bilbo what to do with his dish, etc. How all the dwarves are basically having a 'we might all die' party because they don't know if they're going to survive the attempt to re-take Erebor.
The two songs worked surprisingly well. First you have Kili and Fili start it out as a teasing thing, which sets up this group as the sort that enjoys singing, so it doesn't come out of nowhere when the (haunting) song about the Misty Mountains happens a bit later.
I wonder how many dishes the actors broke while filming the clean-up scene!
In the scene where Elrond and the elves arrive, Bofur reaches out to pull Bilbo into the protective center of the circle of dwarves to stand with Thorin and Kili (and possibly Fili -- I can't tell if he's within the circle or part of it). I liked that.
The Gollum sequence was perfect. Martin and Andy worked against each other incredibly well. It was by turns funny and creepy and even touching. I have nothing but praise for that whole section. It's amazing. I was blown away when I learned it was the first thing they shot for the film!
I also adored the "I often think of home... ...I will take it back, if I can" scene, because you can just see how everyone is very genuinely touched by what Bilbo says -- Thorin and Gandalf most obviously, but all of them are left speechless until they hear the wargs. Super-sweet. I just really like that Bilbo has already bonded with the dwarves and their quest. I'm a softie.
I liked Radagast the Brown (hello, Doctor) and the tiny glimpses we got of Thranduil and Smaug (see you in the next movie). I also like how Saruman kinda disapproves of Gandalf and Radagast for similar reasons -- they're both too close to the soil, in their very different ways. They believe in trusting things that Saruman thinks are too weak to have power -- whether that be animals or hobbits.
This movie did a great job developing the relationship between Thorin and Bilbo in a way that, I'm sure, will completely break my heart in the final part when they first get into the 'betrayal' and then Thorin's death. Thorin is all, "I won't get attached to the bloody hobbit. I won't. I will not. I won't get attached...DAMN IT. I'M ATTACHED."
That said, to be filed under "well, that's not wise", I have found myself shipping Bilbo and Thorin. I told myself, "Self, you know how this story ends. Stop this shipping at once; it all ends in tragedy," but it doesn't seem to have done much good. Ugh, just the whole thing. Nope. Nope. Don't wanna do it. I appear to be doing it anyway, but I don't want to.
(did you see the way Thorin looked over at Bilbo after he mentioned the thrush being a good omen? he totally thinks of Bilbo as his own personal good luck charm now omg the third movie is going to kill me how can i take this? i can't)