About The Hobbit

Okay, I wrote this post a long time ago and it had been in my queue ever since, but since the trailer is out, I thought this would be a good time to pull the post out.

184 Days to go!! A lot of people are saying that the animation looks disgusting in the trailer. Thank Heavens I'm just as knowledgeable about animation as there is lemon juice in stone. I watched this in the bus and I had to go limp for a bit just to process everything. I drew a breath at the start and held it until Smaug came around to gaze at Bilbo aND I SHAKILY LET OUT A SIGH.

Also: Cast reaction to fan reaction to trailer

Evangeline Lilly is so cute!!!!!!!!!!! ORLANDO IS A SEVEN YEAR OLD!!!!!!!!! LEE PACE IS MAJESTIC!!!!!!!!!

Back to what I had rationalised a couple of weeks ago:

Yes, I'm a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien's books.

Yes, I'm a fan of Peter Jackson's films.

And that's basically all there is to it.  I respect <I>both </I> of them because they're so good in their craft in their respective ways. When I read the books and watched the movies, I realised how well both forms of LOTR complemented each other. Tolkien on one hand, gave us so much material (e.g. On character interaction: Gimli-Legolas, Merry-Pippin, Faramir-Eowyn, Faramir-Frodo) in the books and in such great detail and the films added firmer, more relevant refining (especially for the Arwen-Aragorn story).  So yes, the two did play off each other well for me, in any case. That makes me really hopeful for the rest of The Hobbit movies because it shows Appendices events e.g The Necromancer stirring up trouble in Dol Guldur, which means heavier content bridging the two trilogies.

That said, I think that the differences in movies and books are already difficult to bridge, what more for the Middle-Earth legendarium. There's no way to ever stay a hundred percent true to the epic proportions of Tolkien's world and the things that happen in it, be it the claiming of Erebor or the War of the Ring. Just look at the massive scale on which LOTR took place, the timespan, the sheer number of people involved and tell me it was easy for it to be transformed into 10~ hours of glorious magnificence. I remind myself that Tolkien had not only created tales, but also an entire universe of histories, heritage and backdrops for whatever that took place in the later ages. Sifting all of that out is no mean feat.

For every different form of LOTR I've experienced (books, movies, even lego games), there's just something refreshing each time. It's the same root interest (or obsession) but in different directions, which doubles or triples the entire darn feeling of fascination! I totally appreciate that there's more stuff for me to explore, yay! Like I said, each form has its perks and I've discovered how to love its 'similar but different' touch. As much as the critic in me wants to judge the movie to no end, I know I'll love it even if it's not as good as others what it to be.

Oh yeah, don't forget that The Hobbit is, at the end of the day, a children's tale. I'm not saying that it makes it any less important, but I don't expect this movie without the more complex and meaty bits (plot or character wise). In fact, I think the first movie did justice to the weighing down of Thorin's character; giving him great purpose in reclaiming his home, beyond the greedy, grumpy dwarf king that only wants his gold back, as illustrated in the text. I hope this good start takes us further!

I haven't mentioned anything about Tauriel. Sigh. Yes, I do hope that she isn't just there to be a love interest and I hope to god she doesn't mess with the strict elf-dwarf divide that should only be bridged by Gimli and Legolas. The frenzy brought on by the introduction of Tauriel has got me a bit worried about this addition but if my previous arguments are anything to go by, I will try to accept Tauriel as much as I can. Let's just put aside these critical glasses and see a she-elf warrior (and we love girl warriors don't we, elf or not?), alongside our favourite elf princess... I mean Prince of Mirkwood Forest, Legolas Greenleaf. [Edit: If the trailer is anything to go by, Evangeline Lilly/Tauriel has proven herself with her cuteness] I'm not worried about Tauriel's character, only a little hesitant about the romance. I really hope a lot of respect went into the works with regard to the changes, not only for Tolkien's original text but also for the other characters; I'd hate for characters to be downplayed and disrespected just because they are in love.

I just don't want The Hobbit movies to slip into the category of being over-commercialised, if it hasn't been already. I read that Viggo Mortensen had refused the role of Aragorn, which is just as well because I don't like the idea of bringing too many characters back into The Hobbit (whether or not it is to bridge the stories better or to cash in on the bridging). Legolas' cameo is still acceptable, since he's a greenwood elf and his role would be such a thrill (refer elf-dwarf relationship) Aragorn's appearance would seem as if they were trying much to hard. The only way he would play in well would be via Gandalf, whom he only meets 15 years after The Hobbit. So, thank god Viggo rejected them.

This is the part where my defense mechanism against any wrong move by Jackson will take action: just enjoy it!!

Just enjoy another badass elf (since I'll probably never see Galadriel tear down the foundations of Dol Guldur) and the barrel scene and the House of Beorn and Lake Town and Bard and Smaug and Necromancer and Mirkwood spiders and EVERYTHING on big screen and take it like a true fan with bamboo spines and calligraphy (misty) mountains to hide salty Durin tears of sorrow. Are you excited because I AM!!

(I've made horrible decisions in my life before, but I think choosing sleep over watching a leaked video takes the cake. Never put off something like that because you'll just cry and listen to the Fellowship soundtrack and make yourself even more miserable than before ha like that was possible. )