Oh, the Hobbit. The road goes ever on and on, as Bilbo used to say, and yet, I'm not quite sure I'm satisfied with the road taken by Peter Jackson in his latest Tolkien installment. Yes, I was looking forward to this much more than any movie I've anticipated... since seeing The Return of the King, in fact. However, this film definitely had a different "feel" when compared to Jackson's other film adaptations of Tolkien's work. That's not a bad thing by any means. And yet, it leaves much to be wanting. I'll explain.
The character development (or lack of): It was disappointing for me to see some of my most beloved literary characters reduced or morphed into something I failed to recognize. As excited as I was to hear that Richard Armitage (if you haven't already, please see BBC's "North and South"! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbLqy2ONnU4) had been cast as one of the dwarves, his portrayal of Thorin was not what I had expected. Yes, he's a prince among dwarves - which I suppose implies some level of attractiveness - but he's quite a bit older than many of the other dwarves, at least according to the book. I wanted him to be proud, stubborn, a bit arrogant, and regal - not one or the other, depending on the scene. The ending in particular - I'll get to the orcs in a minute - was especially lacking in terms of character.
Some of the casting, however, was done quite well. Martin Freeman as Bilbo was fantastic and completely believable as a younger Ian Holms. I had hoped more for Ian McKellen's and Hugo Weaving's performances, but I mostly alarmed by Galadriel's character. I realize that she doesn't even appear in the book, but I didn't appreciate the strangeness of her relationship with Gandalf (she's married, after all!) and her impersonal presence during the White Council.
I could go on and on about the dwarves, but I'll just say this: they weren't what I had hoped. I wanted slightly grimy, grumpy, gravelly-voiced dwarves, NOT a replacement for Legolas (i.e. Fili and Kili). Yes, they're Thorin's young nephews... but STILL!
On the positive side, this song gave me chills!
Well done, Howard Shore. Well done.
The Riddle Game: This was perfect - probably my favorite scene! The introduction of Gollum, the riddling, the moment of mercy..... AHHH, so good. Although I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to book adaptations, I liked the Smeagol/Gollum humor even if it wasn't in the book.
Did I mention how much I liked Martin Freeman? Hmmm, probably - but why not mention him again?
The orcs: gah! The albino, crippled orc?! What on earth? I really didn't thing that they need to include that character - he reminded me too much of Voldemort from Harry Potter! And the goblins... yes, they were disgusting, but I was more amused and annoyed that frightened as I had been by the Moria orcs in the Fellowship. It's almost like Peter Jackson, in his attempt to make a children's book into a movie appealing to adults, he divided up his scenes so that some were for children (the cheesy orc chase in the mountain) and others for adults (the riddle game).
Radagast the Brown: I don't want to talk about him.
The elves: Elves should not ride mutant deer. I'm slightly concerned now for the next film, which will not only include Legolas' fairy father (--->)
but the great golden prince himself. Ugggh, this could be gag-inducing. Pray it is not so!
Alright, I'm finished with my negativity. I'm actually really excited for the next film coming out this summer, mainly because of Smaug. We'll see what happens with that.... For now, I'll patiently await the release of the first film's special edition (coming out around Christmas).
Also, if anyone could be so kind as to inform me on the location of this restaurant, I would be forever grateful! ---->
