Discussion Topic |
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philo
Trad climber
Is that light the end of the tunnel or a train?
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Topic Author's Original Post - Dec 16, 2012 - 10:13pm PT
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My son and i went to the movie tonight. It was more annoying than entertaining. I don't think I will waste my time with P. 2 when it comes out.Apparently Peter Jackson doesn't think JRR Tolkien was a good enough story teller. So he re-wrote most of the story to make more Hollywood than Middle Earth.
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Slater
Trad climber
Central Coast
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Dec 16, 2012 - 10:44pm PT
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Are you a good study of the novel? Or did you want a big-bang Hobbit-all-in-one type movie with no depth?
Because side-tracks with Radagast, the Necromancer, and the like will appeal to die-hard fans for sure, but will probably confuse the once-through reader.
The back-stories of middle earth in the Simirillion and in the other various notes by Tolkien are interwoven throughout and a real director and story-teller would want to bring those in and develop them, even if they're only slightly mentioned in the novel.
What was your specific gripe?
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Plaidman
Trad climber
South Slope of Mt. Tabor, Portland, Oregon, USA
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Dec 16, 2012 - 10:50pm PT
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Slater so what you're saying is there are more details. I tried to read the Simirillion. Though read. Cool that someone could dig out some material to flesh out the story. Haven't seen the movie yet. Maybe I'll read the book again before I go. No Simirillion though. I don't want to hurt my head.
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Slater
Trad climber
Central Coast
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Dec 16, 2012 - 11:05pm PT
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Every director is going to take some creative license, otherwise you're just taking a book and putting it into action, Books and movies are two very different mediums. They don't always translate perfectly.
Plus, if you were a creative director, would you want to have your hands tied and just redo the book and put it into frames per second? Where is the creativity in that? You gotta give them some room.
Good lord, can you imagine if the L Of R movies had all that hiking and nature narrative, or if Jackson was faithful to the Hobbit to a fault, how slow it would go through some parts with all the walking and camping and walking and raining and...
I think going into it, if you know it isn't going to be exactly the same as the book, you may just enjoy it a little more.
Here is a good educated reveiw...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/12/14/the-hobbit-an-unexpected-journey-review-the-best-middle-earth-movie-since-fellowship-of-the-ring/
For what it is worth.
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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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Dec 16, 2012 - 11:06pm PT
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Most of the reviews I've read/heard have not been especially impressed.
Bummer, 'cause I really love this series.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Dec 16, 2012 - 11:07pm PT
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I didn't get through the Silmarilian either. Maybe it's time to give another go.
I'm anxious to see Radagast the Brown! Tolkien mentioned 5(?) Wizards in Middle E. We see a lot of Gandalf and Saruman, Radagast is mentioned briefly and nothing is said of the others in LOTR, that I ever saw in Many readings. Maybe having hobbit movies that draw on the various other sources will give me the moxie for the Silmarilian reading.
I'll have middle school students tomorrow who will have seen this. I look forward to their take on this.
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Dec 16, 2012 - 11:17pm PT
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Haven't seen the new movie yet but just saw the extended versions of all three LOTR movies back to back in 12 hours in a theater.
An amazing epic work of art that is. Can't imagine anyone remotely doing that any better
Peace
Karl
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Dec 17, 2012 - 12:53am PT
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What did you expect? You aren't going to get much by milking a hobbit.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Dec 17, 2012 - 01:33am PT
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According to early reviews, the highly anticipated new film The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which opens in theaters Friday, features an extended 53-minute-long scene in which the protagonist, Bilbo Baggins, decides on what to pack for his trip to defeat the evil dragon Smaug.
The film, one of three upcoming Lord Of The Rings prequels based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien, reportedly suspends its main narrative action for almost a third of its screen time while the main character rummages through his house trying to figure out what clothing and personal possessions he will need for his journey.
http://www.theonion.com/articles/the-hobbit-to-feature-53minutelong-scene-of-bilbo,30727/?ref=auto
(From my other post, from opening night.)
The Hobbit was quite good. Excellent trolls of course, they're so often misrepresented in popular culture. Bilbo Baggins is well portrayed, as is Gandalf. The dwarves are each given some character, which works well. They take a lot of backstory from Tolkien's other writings, to flesh out the film, which mostly works OK. They also take considerable liberties, e.g. in how the Elves, Orcs and Wargs are portrayed, and moving people, events and things around. There's also far too much in the way of action/battle scenes - they're quite overdone.
The best part was Bilbo and Gollum doing their riddle game, and of course Gollum always steals the show. (He's even better than the trolls!) The film ended with the company being rescued by the great eagles.
It's quite well done, and worth seeing, but I think they could have made it in two films, and jettisoned a lot of the special effects and battle scenes.
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Dec 17, 2012 - 01:53am PT
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So maybe this is an appropriate thread to pose a Tolkien question...
I read The Lord of the Rings way back when. And while I thought it was okay as a teenage male adventure fantasy, it never struck me as anything more than that. It seemed to describe a universe in which women didn't really exist.
Which is okay for an eccentric British academic, but as a billion-selling Great-Work-Of-Literature?
Was the movie version any different? I mean other than big-screen FX?
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Dec 17, 2012 - 02:02am PT
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Nope. They have apparently invented a female elf character, to be added somewhere in The Hobbit. Tolkien's fantasy world doesn't bear too close an examination, however entertaining it can sometimes be.
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labrat
Trad climber
Nevada City, CA
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Dec 17, 2012 - 02:14am PT
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Thoroughly enjoyed it!
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ryankelly
Trad climber
el portal
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Dec 17, 2012 - 02:22am PT
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Just got back from Merced and seeing this movie in 3D!
Saweet!
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Dec 17, 2012 - 02:24am PT
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I read The Lord of the Rings way back when. And while I thought it was okay as a teenage male adventure fantasy, it never struck me as anything more than that. It seemed to describe a universe in which women didn't really exist.
Haven't read the books but will say that Liv Tyler is an all time hot movie elf. mmm
Peace
Karl
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eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
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Dec 17, 2012 - 07:22am PT
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It doesn't surprise me. If you've read the books, the Hobbit was like Tom Sawyer while the Lord of the Rings was Huckleberry Finn. The first a children's book, the second, a work of literature.
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cowpoke
climber
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Dec 17, 2012 - 07:38am PT
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Great point, Ghost.
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Srbphoto
climber
Kennewick wa
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Dec 17, 2012 - 09:22am PT
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Was the movie version any different? I mean other than big-screen FX?
The 1st movie added a lot more emphasis on Arwen. Jackson made up a lot of her role in the movie. In the book she is the driving force behind Aragon's role to return as King of Gondor but is rarely seen.
Actually, women play vital roles in the book. There just are not a lot of them.
The movie certainly didn't follow the inner details of the book that closely. There was a lot of stuff like someone would say a quote from the book in the 3rd movie but in the book it was a different person who said it in the 1st book, made up story lines, more emphasis on characters etc. But I think Jackson stayed true to the feeling of the books.
If you want to know more about the wizards, there is a chapter in Unfinished Tales about them. Tolkien didn't write a lot about their orgins but everything is in there.
The Silmarillion is a tough read. Especially the first couple of chapters. If you have trouble getting going, start a couple of chapters in and go back and read the beginning.
I generally do not like fantasy/science fiction (actually most fiction) but the whole LOTR saga has kept me captivated since high school. I read it at least once a year. I'll just pick up one of the books and I'm hooked again.
I guess it is the one place I can let my inner geek out :)
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Brian
climber
California
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Dec 17, 2012 - 10:44am PT
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The movie, which I saw on Friday, is an abomination that besmirches all that is good and holy.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Dec 17, 2012 - 10:57am PT
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I thought it was a documentary of New Zealand life?
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10b4me
Boulder climber
Somewhere on 395
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Dec 17, 2012 - 11:37am PT
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The runout third pitch is great.
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caughtinside
Social climber
Oakland, CA
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Dec 17, 2012 - 11:44am PT
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Those comedians got me good. I walked in there not knowing it was a 3 part movie. After 45 minutes and I was still in the Shire I was all WTF?
Some scenes really dragged and could have used more heavy handed editing. I also didn't care for the lame attempts at humor from the trolls and the goblin king... all I could think of was Jar Jar Binks. Yeah.
But I don't want to pan the thing. It was entertaining, and if you like the whole Tolkien thing like I do its worth watching. But, it doesn't hold a candle to LOTR.
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philo
Trad climber
Is that light the end of the tunnel or a train?
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 17, 2012 - 11:58am PT
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I found it a disappointment also. "Like butter that has been scraped over too much bread." Excellent point John my thoughts as well.
I am an avid Tolkien geek. Read them all many times including aloud to each of my children. And yes that includes the quite remarkable Silmarillion. In fact my 13 year old is almost done rereading the Silmarillion right now. I well understand the difference between a lengthy book and a time constrained movie but this was not a hit It was a miss. A pallid re-creation more than an creative interpretation. Different story kind of like the Steinbeck classic The old man and the taxi. That being said the best parts were the party clean up at Baggend, the Riddle game with Gollum and the incredible scenery particularly the crags and peaks.
If you like this movie more than the LOTR movies it is probably because you like the bigger is better Hollywood megaplex maddness.
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Edge
Trad climber
New Durham, NH
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Dec 17, 2012 - 12:33pm PT
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Holy sh!t, I agree completely with Caughtinside.
I know great minds think alike, but I don't think that applies here...
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philo
Trad climber
Is that light the end of the tunnel or a train?
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 17, 2012 - 12:38pm PT
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You know what is was like? Like taking a Great Homeric Epic and turning it into the video game tripe of that shitty movie SPARTA. Over the top and under the value.
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hossjulia
Trad climber
Where the Hoback and the mighty Snake River meet
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Dec 17, 2012 - 12:55pm PT
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The title made me think the OP didn't like the first pitch of The Hobbit.
Perhaps my favorite route.
I'm going to the movie anyway.
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hb81
climber
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Dec 17, 2012 - 02:22pm PT
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If you like what Peter Jackson did with LOTR, then you're going to like this. Simple as that.
It completely holds it's own with the rest of the series, and I actually like it better so far.
Nah, it pales in comparision. The story of The Hobbit is just way to thin to make another 3 long movies out of it.
And I have a feeling that they cut a lot of corners by using more CGI and less masks, make-up, set building etc.
That super-orc looks like straight from a video game... doesnt work.
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nutjob
Gym climber
Berkeley, CA
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Dec 17, 2012 - 02:28pm PT
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I couldn't get through the Silmarillion when I read those books in junior high. I really liked the Hobbit and LOTR, but that Silmarillion was like reading a history book or Genesis from the bible. As a junior high kid, I just couldn't see the point of studying a bunch of boring stuff that wasn't even real in the first place!
I did get into Middle Earth Role Playing games, sort of a spin-off of Dungeons and Dragons set in the world of LOTR. That fleshed out a lot of creatures and places, but at least it was in the context of having fun and not like reading a plotless imaginary history lesson.
Maybe if I went back now I would see it differently? I have a harder time moving it up the priority list of how to spend my time now though.
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ydpl8s
Trad climber
Santa Monica, California
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Dec 17, 2012 - 02:38pm PT
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I haven't seen the movie, now I'm not sure about going....but Zardoz! now there was a movie! Sean with a ponytail
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Dec 17, 2012 - 02:40pm PT
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Thought it was way, way better than no Hobbit movies at all.
My main complaint with Jackson overall is around his shabby non-treatment of Tom Bombadil and I would hope someone sees fit to do him due justice at some point.
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Nate D
climber
San Francisco
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Dec 17, 2012 - 03:40pm PT
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I enjoyed it.
It was a bit too over the top dramatic/epic in parts, IMO, but that's Jackson for you. The scale of some scenes was a bit much - and that seemed more appropriate in LOTR, but for some reason I wasn't expecting it in the Hobbit, until the final battle perhaps - which, knowing Jackson, will comprise the entire 3rd film.
I missed Tom Bombadil as well in LOTR, and kinda wish more movies were made of the trilogy to get it all in. So in that regard, I like that the Hobbit isn't skipping much, so far.
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Alan Rubin
climber
Amherst,MA.
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Dec 17, 2012 - 04:29pm PT
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I saw the film yesterday afdternoon and enjoyed it very much. I can understand that others may have had various expectations, which are normal when favorite books become movies, and were then disappointed when the actual movie did not meet those expectations.Personally (and such feelings are always very individual) I thought that it was a very good effort. I enjoyed the "add ons" that tied the story a bit more to the LOTR story, even though the purist in me simltaneously cringed a bit. I also enjoyed some of the humorous touches---I particularly enjoyed the scene of the dwarves coping with the elves' vegetarian meal during the stop at Rivendell--a type of experience that a number of us have endured. Another poster criticized the background scenery, and in certain aspects it was a bit disappointing (in this aspect the Rivendell scene was not as good as I would have liked), but the scenery in much of the second half was stunning New Zealand at it's best.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Dec 17, 2012 - 05:21pm PT
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I thought he was the most interesting character of the lot.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Dec 17, 2012 - 05:40pm PT
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Don Whillans was once given a copy of the Lord of the Rings by Dougal Haston, to read on the way to Annapurna base camp. Whillans gave it a try, but returned it the next day. His comment? "F*#kin' fairies."
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Dec 17, 2012 - 06:27pm PT
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I want to see Tom Baker (the Dr Who with the scarf) as Tom Bombadil
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Dec 17, 2012 - 06:29pm PT
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P1 of the hobbit is OK , but it is sort of lacking for pro. 5.6 and pretty run out.
P2 ... give it to the tall leader, its easy if you can reach the good holds, but a nightmare for your 5.2 GF.
P3 is pretty secure, with a exposed hanging belay.
P4 short and to the top.
I have always loved this climb, finnish at a high point in TM with great views.
4 stars out of 5.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Dec 17, 2012 - 06:58pm PT
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Jebus... I bet you had one of those darn 70mm cords??????
You must admitt ... the top out is worth it.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Dec 17, 2012 - 07:52pm PT
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On the Lamb --> OZ --> Hobbit Book.
Thats a great tripple feature, next summer - I hope.
Never scored the OZ....
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Dec 17, 2012 - 08:06pm PT
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He kickd ass as Radputin. I didn't even knew who he was then and that performance stuck with me well into getting to be a Dr who fan. I didn't make the connection for a longtime.
He also sole the show as puddleglum in a bbc Narnia incarnation.
And even though their hair is short and white now rather than long and Auburn, he Still looks like Russ the fish!
Edit.; and speaking of Dr who, Sylvester McCoy plays the elusive Radagast?
I am So, gonna see this!
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Plaidman
Trad climber
South Slope of Mt. Tabor, Portland, Oregon, USA
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Dec 20, 2012 - 01:44am PT
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I just got back from seeing the film and I loved it. Well done! Can't wait for the next chapter.
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Plaidman
Trad climber
South Slope of Mt. Tabor, Portland, Oregon, USA
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Dec 20, 2012 - 01:50am PT
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^^^^^Jebus H Bomz how was it in 3D? Was it worth the extra $s
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Dec 20, 2012 - 01:58am PT
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Loved the first half of the movie, but I would say you could easily whack a half hour out of the stuff early in the second half that relied too heavily on all the model-making and CGI.
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Josh Nash
Social climber
riverbank ca
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Dec 20, 2012 - 05:42am PT
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Those comedians got me good. I walked in there not knowing it was a 3 part movie. After 45 minutes and I was still in the Shire I was all WTF?
My wife was having the same perplexing feeling. She kept saying they sure have a lot to get through the last half hour or so......
I thought it was good. Is it a life changing cinematic event? not even close. I think it's worth it to see New Zealand in hi-def on a large screen. I don't think I'll have an opportunity to travel to that part of the world anytime soon.
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Plaidman
Trad climber
South Slope of Mt. Tabor, Portland, Oregon, USA
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Dec 20, 2012 - 09:18am PT
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Those mountain scenes were cool. Those be some REAL mountains.
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philo
Trad climber
Is that light the end of the tunnel or a train?
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 20, 2012 - 09:20am PT
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And the great looking crags, Wow!
But the Radagast bunny sled get away chase scene was total HollyWierd BS! It never happened and it sucked like Jar Jar Binks.
Goblins in the daylight? No freakn way. Tolerance of sunlight didn't come about till Saruman's hybrid UrakHai. Having them in the Hobbit diminishes the LOTR epics.
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Klimmer
Mountain climber
San Diego
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Dec 20, 2012 - 09:38am PT
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I enjoyed the movie with my kids in 3D. I think the movie was really good. I already knew it was going to be a trilogy going in.
The scenes of New Zealand are awesome. Every other scene I was seeing great crags and mountians to climb and to launch my paraglider off of. Someday I would like to get to New Zealand.
Good movie.
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Alan Rubin
climber
Amherst,MA.
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Dec 20, 2012 - 09:44am PT
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Philo, I generally agree with you about the "Radagast bunny sled chase", but those boulders made it worth it!!!! Castle Hill, I'm assuming.
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go-B
climber
Hebrews 1:3
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Dec 21, 2012 - 07:09pm PT
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Screwy Hobbits are for kids! My daughter and I just got back from seeing it in IMAX HFR 3D, amazing picture quality for such a giant screen! How was it, ah still precious! More like Jabba the Hutt meets Ewoks than Jar Jar Binks though! One down two to go! Imagine if a cliff started moving on you while climbing it!
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snowhazed
Trad climber
Oaksterdam, CA
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Dec 21, 2012 - 09:31pm PT
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Who watched it in 48 frames per second? It really worked for all the monster shots, and it was really really distracting otherwise. But still- an interesting experience from a technical perspective
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Dec 31, 2012 - 01:37am PT
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Totally
Fuking
Kick ass!!!!!!
An inspired bit of genius!!
Arthur Dent made a great Bilbo!
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Srbphoto
climber
Kennewick wa
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Dec 31, 2012 - 03:39am PT
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I loved it. Smeagol was awesome!
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eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
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Dec 31, 2012 - 09:13am PT
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After actually seeing it...loved it!
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stevep
Boulder climber
Salt Lake, UT
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Dec 31, 2012 - 10:03am PT
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Thought it was good. A little long in some points. And while it didn't bother me, it was a children's book, and I wish there had been a little less violence to make a little more accessible for younger kids.
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phylp
Trad climber
Millbrae, CA
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Dec 31, 2012 - 11:42am PT
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Too long.
Battle scenes WAY over the top.
The actor playing Bilbo is just not good enough.
I'll see the next two on DVD in the comfort of my living room.
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philo
Trad climber
Is that light the end of the tunnel or a train?
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 31, 2012 - 11:55am PT
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I thought Arthur Dent did a fantastic Bilbo. The dwarves were awesome particularly in the kitchen clean up scene at Baggend. Gollum and the riddle game was a really great scene. And the scenery was as to be expected stupendous. I agree that it was good to include the White Council as integral to the story. My biggest complaints are with the over use of video game CG, the way over the top action and battle scenes and the imbecilic embellishment of the Rad-aghast character.
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hb81
climber
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Dec 31, 2012 - 12:01pm PT
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The actor playing Bilbo is just not good enough.
Huh? He's fantastic in my opinion.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Dec 31, 2012 - 07:09pm PT
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If I didn't have family commitmenents tonight I'd go see it again right now, in a more de-lux format.
For now at least, I Do, like it better than the LOTR movies. I think it's because with the remix of the source material it gives it a different slant and there is more unanticipated, yet familiar material, than the more direct adaptation of the other trilogy. It's almost like getting a new, bonus tale from something I've lived with fairly closely for the last forty odd years.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Dec 31, 2012 - 07:17pm PT
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Re-read the book the other day after seeing the movie and while it's better than no Hobbit movie, I'm still of the opinion you could easily lose a thirty minutes of CGI stuff out of the start of the second half. And I'd be more unhappy with the co-mingling of material if I didn't feel that LOTR was more or less just a longer rewrite of the Hobbit to begin with.
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FredC
Boulder climber
Santa Cruz, CA
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Dec 31, 2012 - 08:55pm PT
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I think PJ did really well with LOTR. He could have really messed that up.
I'm afraid as a fan of the series this one really missed it for me. I liked all the back story stuff, that is actually cool. Like he is writing the history of the place altogether.
The fight and flight scenes are just goofy. This place is real, the books are actually documentary of a real history (well, maybe) but the overdone scenes were...overdone. The original would have been great with a little more subtle character development for our hobbit.
But poor Bilbo! His character has been totally changed. Now he is some kind of way narly warrior guy. What made him great in the book was that he was scared and didn't have any confidence until he was alone with the spiders (later).
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Skeptimistic
Mountain climber
La Mancha
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Dec 31, 2012 - 09:09pm PT
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^^^ what he said.
Absolutely completely disappointed. So much deviation from the book. I will likely see all 3, but I almost walked out on this one. Why do we need endless battles with idiotic one liners? Ugh!
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Dec 31, 2012 - 09:37pm PT
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The "Hobbit" was always a disappointment for me but "Smeagol"..... he was an inspiration!
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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I just saw it again the other night and I found it even better the second time.
A lot of reshuffling gets done to make a book into a movie. Especially when, like this one,it's a shaping of many sources plus the novel, under One Roof.
It comes down to willing suspension of disbelief. It worked for me, that I could accept the story presented. The bunny sled was a stretch, but I think of it as one of the things that reminds you that this is, in part, a Childerens story. I was okay with that.
As for other criticisms; too much violence / war? Well, they are in the books like that and they inform the story and it's consequences. It's kind of like saying War and Peace would be a better novel without the war; though none of the war parts are the most import events they are necesary to set up the rest, both in War and Peace and Tolkien in general.
The orc vs goblin debate. Remember this is only sixty years before LOTR. Saruman had to have proto Uruk hai running around. This is hinted at in both the Hobbit and the first part of the fellowship of the King (the books). The fact of Saruman making an appearance in Rivendell, sort of foreshadows, or invites, the concept of proto uruks running amok in daylight. Back in the caves it's pretty much old school goblins, as it was in Moria in the other movie.
What else? "Not the right Bilbo";tastes vary but I still think Arthur Dent kicks ass in this role. He's humble and befuddled, seems like the naive, unworldly yet sharp fifty year old hobbit he's supposed to be to me. And though Thorin thanks him, he still has a long way to go get accepted and trusted.
fooling the trolls (somebody had a problem with whose job that had been) was a collaborative effort by bilbo and Gandalf in both the book and on the screen.
One of the biggest and most important things to me in all these books is the examination of the strengths and weaknesses of all the various races and Individuals. Every single one of them is flawed, and the bad guys have their smarts. And still life gets conducted in spite of all that. To this end the movie syncs marvelously with the books!
Also the rock giants were very much as I pictured them when I first read the hobbit at age eleven next to a potbellied wood burning stove on a rainy, thundering night in a cabin in rural Indiana
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Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
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I haven't seen it yet, but will do so soon. I'm a 50+ year LOTR fanatic, and have read all the books at least 10 times.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Jan 10, 2013 - 12:15am PT
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It'll be interesting do see what you think Broke. Those of us who've had these books as a firm part of their lives for so long bring a lot into the theatre with us
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
the crowd MUST BE MOCKED...Mocked I tell you.
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Jan 10, 2013 - 01:35am PT
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I really enjoyed it too. And though it's been far too long since I've read The Hobbit, all the scenes brought it back for me... the riddles, the Goblin's hatred of the elvish blades, the Trolls being turned to stone at Dawn!
Fun!
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the Fet
climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
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Mar 22, 2013 - 12:07am PT
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I thought this going to be about Hobbit Book pitch 1. Really.
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KabalaArch
Trad climber
Starlite, California
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Mar 22, 2013 - 04:10am PT
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Yeah, but Pitch 2 is the sh#t!
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the Fet
climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
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It seems like when I see a movie that I hear being praised I usually come away disappointed (e.g. Argo, a decent flik, but not Oscar sweeping great, pretty formulaic IMO) and when I see a movie that gets bad reviews I see it and and think it was good (e.g. reading this thread about the Hobbit and finally just seeing it).
I just got done reading the first third of the book so it was pretty fresh in my head when I saw it. I thought it was very good, not great, but I wasn't disappointed. On par with LOTR IMO. I like the live action Orcs of LOTR better than the digital Orcs in the Hobbit. Some changes from the book were fine, some I didn't like.
Overall, maybe a B+.
One thing I'm not sure about is the Hobbit was a kids book, while LOTR books were for those kids when they got older. the Hobbit movie was just as violent/scary as the LOTR movies. For adults it probably just makes the Hobbit movies better but it's kind of a bummer that it's not appropriate for kids.
I liked the way they worked the line "In a hole in a ground there lived a hobbit" into the movie, as that line was the first line JRR wrote and inspired the rest of the book.
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Brokedownclimber
Trad climber
Douglas, WY
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Apr 18, 2013 - 07:53pm PT
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Before the recent massive snowstorm, I bought The Hobbit to allow some time to pass as it blew and snowed.
I thought the trolls were fine, but the overall effect was that of a comic book instead of a fantasy drama. Bilbo was well characterized, as was Gandalf. Overall it was very entertaining, but not nearly as dark as LOTR trilogy.
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Darwin
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Dec 22, 2013 - 11:43am PT
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Locker;
From my perspective this was worse, in that they have ramped up the volume, fighting and action. And they've gratuitously deviated from the story even more than the FotR and HobbitP1.
This is what I wrote to a friend right afer I saw it:
... "run run run, fight fight fight, run run run, fight fight fight", but then run and fight, run and fight, run and fight. Each movie seems to get successively more violent, action packed and loud with less and less contemplative moments. What irritates me most, is the gratuitous nature of the changes from the book. Maybe, they just change the story in a way I don't like. The inclusion of the fighting Elven babe was great and about the only good thing that I can say of the movie. And, I love the actors that play Bilbo and Gandalf. Smaug was good. Bard was good. Oh, the actor and role of Gloin (father of Gimli!!!) is awfully cute.
I now consider Jackson and the screen writers monsters or at best bad bad people.
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climbski2
Mountain climber
Anchorage AK, Reno NV
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Dec 22, 2013 - 11:44am PT
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I enjoyed both of em. Was not expecting the greatest movies of all time. Just better movies than most.
Which is what I felt I got.
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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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Dec 22, 2013 - 11:46am PT
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Darwin's review is spot on...and the reason I won't watch any of the Hobbit flicks.
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Darwin
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Dec 22, 2013 - 11:46am PT
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Climbski2; Yes, maybe they are victims of their own success. I thought they set the bar pretty high with FotR, and these have been a disappointment.
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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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Dec 22, 2013 - 11:59am PT
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OK, maybe 'bad people' is a bit melodramatic, but I understand the sentiment. Jackson & co. took one of my most important, formative books of my youth and has twisted & distorted it for apparently nothing more than the franchise profiteering potential. That really does feel nearly sacrilegious.
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kpinwalla2
Social climber
WA
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Dec 22, 2013 - 12:34pm PT
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What I don't understand is how Peter Jackson could do such a magnificent job with the LOTR movies and then make a total mockery of the Hobbit. Maybe he felt that the lighter, more kid-friendly tone of the Hobbit somehow gave him free rein to butcher it.
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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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Dec 22, 2013 - 02:29pm PT
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Just curious, Jebus...did you read the books as a kid?
I'm guessing those that did....and who found them especially engaging & important...take more issue with the Hobbit flicks.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Dec 22, 2013 - 03:05pm PT
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I'm not disappointed it was disappointing.
I wasn't planning on seeing it in the first place.
In the second place, we say here in Middle Earth the Hobbits should be seen and not heard.
As to the Hobbits themselves, no one here has heard or seen a Baggins in a very long while.
Gandalf was here a while back, then he left, then the Baggins clan were all gone and no one missed them for months.
It may have to do with this film.
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Mimi
climber
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Dec 22, 2013 - 06:45pm PT
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Out of curiosity, when was the last time you read The Hobbit? It was 1981 for me in Tempe baking in the sun pre-sunscreen. Yikes!
I enjoyed it. I look forward to the rest of the book. Smaug cometh.
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GDavis
Social climber
SOL CAL
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Dec 22, 2013 - 06:53pm PT
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Oh geez... not THAT long ago, but I was only about 11 or 12. Middle school I think? Like 6th grade? However old that is. Good fun though :) Thoroughly enjoyed both movies but I don't have crazy high standards in movies being shot-for-shot remakes of the book - rather, an interpretation of thematic elements and basic story lines brought out in the novel.
But I digress.
It's just Jacksons interpretation of the book, and likely the book will be made in films again in the future. It really isn't a big deal and shouldn't be taken as seriously as I think it is. The hardest of the hard core LotR fans will never be sated, and though some things I would have/wouldn't have done it's just a fun family movie. In that, I feel it delivers.
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anita514
Gym climber
Great White North
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Dec 22, 2013 - 06:53pm PT
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read it in my teens a couple times, so in the 90s.
loved the book. I'm afraid to see how bad jackson fagged up part 2
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Mimi
climber
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Dec 22, 2013 - 06:56pm PT
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source? LOL!
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Mimi
climber
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Dec 22, 2013 - 07:04pm PT
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I meant the specific chapter and paragraphs. Nevermind, I'm butthurt, the Saints lost again.
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Mimi
climber
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Dec 22, 2013 - 07:15pm PT
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Ah, the Silmarillion? I have to admit I didn't finish that one.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Dec 31, 2013 - 10:51am PT
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Nice recap DMT!
I still haven't seen this one yet. Gotta see it in a loud bouncy theatre!
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jstan
climber
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Dec 31, 2013 - 11:13am PT
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The Hobbit was practice for the later Ring Trilogy. Just backward from the films. You could see the influence of the MBA's on the Hobbit. Every scene that worked well in the Ring movie was reproduced exactly in the Hobbit. The Hobbit needed to be different.
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go-B
climber
Hebrews 1:3
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Dec 31, 2013 - 11:18am PT
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Went yesterday and liked it way better than P1, the scenery and camera angles were amazing and I got Lost in the Elfin world!
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Hou man, me 'n dingus have a thing for the same Elf. Even After I repeatedly warned him about redheads......
This one diverges the most, I'm not sure how I feel about that.
This is the first of all of these that I didn't first see in a theatre. Another redhead thing perhaps. The iPad / headphones experience is wonderful but might allow too many distractions!
Pay heed to dingus on his overview, the boy from Tennessee sees clearly in this.
I look at this similarly to a play production, as peter Jackson's take on this. I look forward to other interpretations.
A magnificent movie on the entertainment level at the very least.
They have Sylvester McCoy and Stephen fry here. Is it too much to hope for tom baker, Eric idle and john Cleese in the next one? There are still some unnamed wizards in the order!!
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ms55401
Trad climber
minneapolis, mn
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in other news, Return of the Jedi was a complete piece of shittt!
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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And, Dave Koz, LOTR is no three books. I don't have it in front of me but it's six-9 . Check a copy out. A good friend of mine pointed out at the time that they should have made a movie if each of those. I'm just now seeing how right he was.
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Lorenzo
Trad climber
Oregon
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I found the 3d visual effects so jarring they shook loose 2 floaters in my left eye which still haven't settled out.
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jstan
climber
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The Hobbit was practice for the later Ring Trilogy. Just backward from the films. You could see the influence of the MBA's on the Hobbit. Every scene that worked well in the Ring movie was reproduced exactly in the Hobbit. The Hobbit needed to be different. jstan
I found the obvious commercially driven imitation of LOTR annoying. Hobbit was LOTR II.
I was in my 30's before I first encountered Tolkien. In the 1940's we were living in Middle Earth each and every day.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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The strength and weakness of these movies is that they, Jackson et al, get so many key things right; gandalf, bilbo, dwarves, details that nerds such as dmt and myself note, that they use this as license to insert their own imprint. Some of it is cool, like showing how much elves kick ass, something underplayed in the books, other things seem gratuitous.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Balin= Bob Scarpelli, though taller. Something I think I told him twenty years before these movies were in sight!
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mcreel
climber
Barcelona
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Dec 18, 2014 - 04:39am PT
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I thought this was about Hobbit Book in Tuolumne, pitch 1. I agree about the movie, reading the book only takes a little more time, and it's a lot better.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Dec 18, 2014 - 06:28am PT
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Geese jus honked overhead as I read his....
Haven't seen this one yet, but hope to see it next week in a loud bumpy hi tech ca theatre with my daughter and youngest nieces.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Dec 18, 2014 - 06:38am PT
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Always!
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caughtinside
Social climber
Oakland, CA
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Dec 18, 2014 - 08:53am PT
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Saw p. 3 yesterday. Pretty good but they could have cut 30 minutes out easy and only improved the story flow. But of a tradition with the guys at work, play hooky for the hobbit.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Dec 18, 2014 - 11:02am PT
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Sounds like you work at the right place!
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Dec 18, 2014 - 05:48pm PT
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^That's what I was thinking!
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Dec 30, 2014 - 08:16pm PT
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Just saw it ( part three) with my daughter,
...
MAGNIFICENT!
You gotta be into this stuff, but if you are,it's the shit!
The casting for Bilbo is the best in any of these movies! He Is the Everyman who makes this all work, the one who brings us all into this!
I'm seeing it agin tomorrow! Hopefully in 3-D!
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Dec 30, 2014 - 08:36pm PT
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The Hobbit series was more than a bit CGI-heavy for my taste, not that it was going to keep me from watching it.
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pb
Sport climber
Sonora Ca
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Dec 30, 2014 - 08:53pm PT
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i honestly thought this was about some climb in Tuolumne
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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Jan 19, 2015 - 04:44am PT
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After watching the movie, I can't believe how the book got it so wrong.
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stevep
Boulder climber
Salt Lake, UT
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Jan 19, 2015 - 09:05am PT
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While I was very impressed with LOTR, and didn't see a whole lot that could be improved with those, the Hobbit was pretty mixed.
Seems like a perfect case for a fan skilled in video editing to do a major recut. A 2-3 hour combination of the best parts of all three Hobbit movies would be pretty good.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Jan 19, 2015 - 01:10pm PT
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Arguably not part if the story, I Loved seeing Galadriel Kick Ass! Why can't I meet a woman like that?
Life got in the way DMT, also I took the southern route, both ways. Didn't see Daphne, either. I'll tell you more about it......
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labrat
Trad climber
Auburn, CA
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Jan 19, 2015 - 03:41pm PT
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Thanks for ruining this page Dingus. ;-(
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Jan 19, 2015 - 04:48pm PT
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Yeah, that part, right there! Pays paid to the visual promise made In the LOTR, when Frodo offered her the ring. Love the reverse temporality!
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