I never got into Lord of the Rings (the Harry Potter series took its place in my heart, I guess). I’ve seen the movies, of course, but haven’t touched the books.
I have read The Hobbit, however. It was a long time ago and I thoroughly enjoyed it, so I was interested in watching the movie and seeing what I could remember from my book-reading experience (not a whole lot, apparently). I knew this much: The Hobbit has a very different tone from the LotR. It’s a little more lighthearted and funny. It’s also shorter, so I was a little confused when I heard they would be splitting it up into three movies. How much fluff are they going to stick in to fill up that many hours of screen time?
Approximately two tablespoons.
So, let’s see…
1. The film “The Hobbit” is not LotR, and that is good (see above). It does a great job keeping the “fun” feel of the book. There are songs and jokes, and just enough to strike a balance with the serious and epic scenes. A+.
2. “The Hobbit” gets a little fluffy (see above), especially the second time through. I was right to be a little skeptical at the whole “three movie” thing going on here–there are bits that weren’t in the book at all, and they feel a lot like fan service. That being said, if you’re a LotR fan, you’re going to love every second of it. If you’re not, or even if you’re just someone who likes LotR or who has seen a little LotR, you’re gonna find it slow-moving.
The beginning is especially slow–it must take a good half hour to meet the young Bilbo Baggins, and even though the dinner scene is great for character development and comic relief, it just drags. On the floor.
…Oh wait, so Bilbo’s upset that people are in his house! I get it now. \sarcasm
While I’m on the topic of characters, I might as well mention that I enjoyed Martin Freeman’s performance as Bilbo. Ever since I saw him play Arthur Dent, I can’t help but notice that he always seems to play the same sort of Unfazed Everyman character, and he is damn good at it.
The visual effects in this movie are also stunning as usual. I saw it in 2D both times, and could tell that there were some 3D-made scenes (fast-paced ducking and weaving camera movements, etc). I sort of wish they hadn’t done that, but it was beautiful anyway. I wish I had a key to that gorgeous New Zealand landscape like Peter Jackson. He probably carries it around in his back pocket like it’s nbd.
Rrrrrrrrrrr.
Although the visual effects were a little tainted for me since I couldn’t stop wondering who was underpaid or abused during the creation process. More info on that to come, trust me.
If you want to talk frame rate, I prefer 24, although I haven’t seen it in its higher version so I don’t have much of a basis for comparison.
All in all, excellent movie if you like LotR or enjoyed the book. Still enjoyable but a little slow-moving if you don’t fall into that category.
See ya next week.
I read the hobbit in middle school so I didnt really remember much of it. I thought the movie was ok. It tended to drack on a bit, and the underground sequence lasted forever. I also dont really like where they stopped the film, it seemed like an awkward spot to stop.
I always enjoy reading your movie review blogs. I have a kid that lives on my floor that would come on here and go back and forth with you for days over movies, but I will keep it short. I have yet to see this movie, but I have read the book when I was younger and seen all the Lord of the Rings books’, so I am sure I would enjoy this movie! I like that is has some fun and serious parts cause that makes for good balance and enjoyable movie to watch. I will definitely see it when I get a chance!
This movie is definitely a movie I want to see. Last semester, a group from Simmons were so excited about watching the midnight premiere, they made a Facebook group for it, some got into costumes and went to the premiere. It was interesting to see all the hype and eagerness behind. I am glad I can now get the DVD and watch it.
Yet to see this movie, but it’s on my list. Really enjoyed the book, but I haven’t read it in a long time. Haven’t seen the Lord of the Rings movies in a long time either actually. Might be due for a LotR movie marathon, which is especially unique among most movie marathons as it lasts roughly two and a half weeks. Gotta get the XXXX-L popcorn.
I read the book and really enjoyed it. I had really high expectations for the movie and I have to say I really liked it. The lightheartedness and humor made it so much more enjoyable. I just wish they weren’t making it into a three-part film. Two seems like it could have been sufficient. Great post!
Caleb! This was a great post – I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I did read some of the book (I had to abandon it after school started). Oh, also… did you know that the place in New Zealand where they filmed the movie is about an hour away from Ben’s house? Cool, right? 🙂
I also spent more of my time with Harry Potter, but my dad did read LotR and The Hobbit to me and my brother, so I would really like to see this movie to make my own comparisons. Without even seeing it though, i can empthize with your distate for the 3-D scenes. It annoys me that every movie now has to play into that marketing ploy. Nontheless, I will still ake some time to see this movie since it is lighthearted and enjoyable.
I think there were a lot of people skeptical about the three movie format before the film came out, but once I saw the film, I actually appreciated it. There’s a lot of extra background lore thrown in, but that’s just the kind of thing I wanted to see in a major expansion of an already beloved series. I want to see as much of Middle Earth as possible on the big screen, so this format delivers.
I am not a hardcore LOTR fan but I though the Hobbit was beautifully executed and I didn’t feel as though it dragged on. The scenes were to me all balanced in length, and that helped detail the subtleties that gave the movie that extra sparkle. It was epic, it was funny, it was thrilling, it was smile-inducing. I loved and I definitely want to read the book now and watch it another time.
There was an awful lot of people falling and being caught by one arm at the last second. And several instances of people shouting “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO” in slow motion. I feel a drinking game coming on…
Really? I loved Lord of the Rings! Not as much as Harry Potter, but I still love LOTR! Maybe it’s because I read the books…
I haven’t actually gotten around to seeing the movie yet for the Hobbit, but I love Martin Freeman (because of Sherlock and Bruiser), so I’ll definitely get around to it. And I can understand why the beginning would be slow – it is LOTR, afterall. I love it, but even the books were sometimes slow!
I agree with you in that this one had a lot more humor than the earlier Lord of the Ring movies…but that it was also dreadfully slow at times. My friend had never seen it nor any other movies in the series, so my roommate and I took her to the Hub movie showing…I had to flick her on the nose to wake her up after about a half hour in the film.
I haven’t yet seen this movie but I’ve actually heard very similar reviews from a lot of people. All of my friends who are into Lord of the Rings and would never say anything negative about it are able to justify the boring factor by saying that it’s more of a “set-up” movie for the coming storyline.