The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey REVIEW (beware of spoilers)

As Bilbo states, “Where to begin? Let’s see…Ah yes…”

I have been waiting since 2003 with a hope that someday Peter Jackson would direct The Hobbit. And nearly a decade after I saw The Return of the King in the theatre, I went back to see Middle-earth on the big screen. I had booked myself for three shows back to back yesterday, 14^th December, 2012. It is now 2:30am, 15^th December, 2012, and I have only just returned from the last show of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Let me cut to the chase. Was it worth it?

Oh – my – God, yes! Yes! Yes!

I have been a fan of Tolkien a long time now, and I admit I prefer The Silmarillion more than the happenings of the Third Age, but The Lord of the Rings did not disappoint in the least (even though they made Arwen ride with Frodo over the Bruinen instead of Glorfindel – but cinematic licenses can be forgiven – and back to the point then) and this movie – ah, man, this movie is just too deliciously spectacular for me to be disappointed in anyway. I am a lenient judge, but I am fair – undoubtedly. I think Peter Jackson’s depiction of The Lovely Bones was just ghastly. It tore the essence of the book completely – and I was left with a terrible after taste I could not even spit out! So I do object to bad work – but The Hobbit? Oh, my! Oh, gosh! It is just too good!

I am now going to get into some major spoilers – so if you have not seen the movie and do not wish to know what happens, please don’t read further.

Okay so now that you have been warned:

I saw the first show at 3:30pm. The crowd was sparse. Maybe 20 people in the theatre. Which is more disheartening  than shocking to me. I can probably attribute the lack of a turn out to the fact that the promotion of the movie here has been terrible. I was wondering from the lack of any advertisement in our newspapers whether or not the movie was going to be shown on 14^th after all! It was that bad. The other explanation for the paucity of the turn-out would be that here, in India, Tolkien is not such a big deal. And people would rather not watch a part that did not have a proper ‘ending’. Whatever the reason, the second showing at 7pm had a more receptive crowd – er, all right, there were just a bunch of college kids ahead of me that hooted along with me at all the right places – Frodo’s entry, Gandalf’s, Galadriel’s, Gollum’s, for example. The 10:30pm crowd was just as bad as the afternoon show. But onward with the movie –

The movie begins with “dear Frodo” and I smiled. Ian Holm is back as the older Bilbo and he rocks the prologue. The tying up of The Hobbit to The Lord of the Rings begins right here – and it is done so well! The make-up is spectacular. I was wondering how everyone who worked in the LotR a decade ago and who return in this movie which is supposed to be a prequel would look – especially since Hugo Weaving (Elrond Halfelven) is 52, Ian McKellen (Gandalf the Grey) is 73, Ian Holm (older Bilbo Baggins) is 82 and Christopher Lee (Saruman the White) is 90! A decade earlier they were – oh, do the math. But the makeup made them all look way younger. Quite a delight to watch them all!

The entry of Frodo brings back wonderful memories and, ironically, it takes you into the future and yet fills you with the wonder of the present. The links between the LotR movies and this one is most prevalent in the scenes with the older Bilbo and Frodo. As the movie takes its own story the links can be noticed only to the crazy fan who has watched the LotR umpteen number of times. Thankfully, I am quite happy to be one of those crazy fans!

For instance, links of dialogues like “dwarf doors are invisible when closed” said by Gandalf – who, pauses and realizes that since he is seated amongst 13 dwarves it would be quite pertinent not to mention ‘even their masters cannot find them’. Or one of the trolls saying, “make him squeal”. Or Gandalf telling Thorin to not talk at all with the elves and let him do all the talking, just like he did with Pippin in the RotK.

Bilbo’s prologue takes us to Erebor. The Heart of the Mountain is shown – and it is unlike anything I pictured when I read about it, which doesn’t mean that it is bad. It just takes on a different image now in my mind. A quite beautiful one, if I might add.

Finding of the Arkenstone

Thror is resplendently shown – and we get to know Thrain, Thorin and Thranduil all in the flashback. Spectacular halls. Brilliant mines. Magnificent treasure. And the need that arises within Thror to hoard it all. Possessiveness and greed – which brings me to Smaug, the Magnificent! Yep, his arrival is shown. Very cleverly. Cleverly because we see a rain of fire, the sacking of the mountain halls, the near destruction of Dale, but not Smaug. A flash of a wing here, a swirl of the tail, a stride of the front legs there – but that is all that Peter Jackson gives us. Which is fair enough. We just have to wait for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug on 13^th December, 2013, to see him in his entirety.

The transition from the older Bilbo (Ian Holm) to the younger one (Martin Freeman) is well done. And we have Gandalf. Ian McKellen looks his age, but he carries the role with such élan that a few extra wrinkles can promptly get unnoticed. He is Sir Ian McKellen who was made to play Gandalf the Grey. His acting, comic style, a flair for dialogue rendering make him superlative by default.

Good morning

Which brings me to the younger Bilbo – Martin Freeman. I have watched him in BBC’s Sherlock. He is all right there – here, he is just astounding! The role of Bilbo was made for this Free man! I think he has done a truly splendid job. The unsociable, very human Bilbo taking on the mantle of an intrepid adventurer who faces his own fears is amply brought to life by Martin.

The dwarves are introduced well. There are 13 of them and there was no pressure to learn any of their names (well, I know them by rote, of course, but a non-fan of The Hobbit wouldn’t now, would he/she?) which is a good move on Jackson’s part. Each of them are easily identifiable as different from the other by makeup and prosthesis – and my favourite happens to be Balin, son of Fundin (whose tomb we later see in The Fellowship of the Ring, in Moria).

The dinner scene is lively and just as I imagined! The dinner song was included! I thought it wouldn’t be – and then the way the dwarves cleaned up the plates and sang –

Chip the glasses and crack the plates!
Blunt the knives and bend the forks!
That’s what Bilbo Baggins hates—
Smash the bottles and burn the corks!

Was – was delightful.

Thorin’s entry and his personality marks him the Aragorn of The Hobbit. His is a brooding personality completely befitting Thorin’s and he is devastatingly handsome, as are his nephews, Fili (Dean O’Gorman) and Kili (Aidan Turner). Balin, Dwalin, Fili, Kili and Bofur are given ample screen time. And rightly so, since Fili and Kili are the two most active Dwarves of Thorin’s company, and apart from Balin, and possibly Bombur, they appear more frequently as “individual” characters in Tolkien’s book than the rest of Thorin’s companions who are most often named only in “group” references to the entire company.

Fun moments of Bilbo fainting, Gandalf narrating the history of golf and the details of the contract Bilbo has to sign make for carefree laughter. In a film that deals with a book like The Hobbit has to tackle these moments and I am glad that we are shown this side of Middle-earth, too. Things get dark, of course, but sometimes, to get through the darkness we require our smiles and moments of fun – well brought out by Gandalf, Bilbo, Kili and Bofur.

The song The Misty Mountains retains two stanzas in the film.

Far over the Misty Mountains cold,
To dungeons deep and caverns old,
We must away, ere break of day,
To seek our pale enchanted gold (in the movie it is “long forgotten gold”).

The pines were roaring on the heights,
The wind was moaning in the night,
The fire was red, it flaming spread,
The trees like torches blazed with light.

The cinematography and the story boarding are just amazing. As the last stanza strains, we see Bilbo debating with the idea of going on the adventure and then we are taken to the hearth filled with fire, leading to the chimney that is shooting red sparks in the sky that mingle with the white stars above. I don’t know why but the scene moved me terribly. It was sheer poetry in thought and image.

The landscapes used are mind-blowing. I couldn’t rightly say what is CGI and what is real – but whatever it was the places were enormously dramatic. But speaking of CGI I didn’t think getting a fully computerized Azog was worth the effort. It is a sparkling piece of animation, but I would rather have another wonderful creation like “Lurtz” who kills Boromir in the film adaptation of The Fellowship. I liked the fact that Jackson took the time to show the Battle of Azanulbizar in order to explain why Thorin is called Thorin Oakenshield.

The encounter with the trolls lags a bit with unnecessary action. The scene is altered here with the dwarves attacking and Gandalf not speaking to rescue the company.

Radagast the Brown, quirky, devoted to the flora and fauna of Middle-earth, is brought to life by Sylvester McCoy. I think he did a fantastic job of being the quirky, brave, eccentric passionate lover of nature that Radagast is … I enjoyed his fight with the Witch King at Dol Guldur and him fleeing from Sauron who (probably turned into bats) and chased him through Mirkwood. I quite liked the rabbits from Rhosgobel, too. And yes, they are fast!

What is Peter Jackson’s own invention is the Morgul blade that Radagast manages to wrestle from the Witch King. But even that fits into the storyline – it is well-woven in. Also the fact that he gives an animal lover like me a chance to sigh with relief. Jackson allows the ponies to go ‘missing’ before the dwarves reach Rivendell. I didn’t want to see the ponies being taken by the goblins in Moria. So most of the licenses taken artistically are for the better in this movie! And I don’t care what the detractors share or write. This is what I feel.

Peter Jackson directs

Bret McKenzie makes a cameo again (by public demand – amazing that!) as Lindir in Rivendell. Elrond is dignified as ever. Though in the book his attitude is a little peculiar, that bizarre quality is given to Thranduil. Thankfully. The scene where the moon letters are read is spectacular!

Galadriel, Saruman, Elrond and Gandalf have the meeting of the White Councl. Círdan the Shipwright (who had borne Narya, the Ring of Fire before handing it on to Gandalf), Glorfindel and Radagast the Brown are not shown in the film. Cate Blanchett is a goddess!

Galadriel under the Moon

It is here that Gandalf says the most poignant dialogue in the whole movie about how it is not great power that changes the world but small acts of kindness and love.

The fighting between the stone giants is grandiose but it could have been shortened.

Stone giants

Then we come to talking of Goblin town. Humphries plays the Great Goblin and he reminds me of Jaba the Hutt and I am glad that he gets disemboweled by Gandalf. Apart from tricky action sequences what is essential and really worthwhile to note the scene with Gollum and Bilbo.

If it loses, we eats it whole!

The scene between the two is electrifying. Andy Serkis as Gollum has surpassed himself yet again! The execution of the Riddles in the Dark is amazing. I fall short of words now (partly because I am so damn sleepy – but mostly because I really don’t have the words). The whole movie rests upon this by-play between the two Ringbearers! The scene is lit with chemistry and great acting! And the finding of the Ring of Power heightens the entire situation to electrifying levels. It is diffused only between what I know now to be my favourite scene of the movie after deep consideration. The point where Bilbo has a choice – to kill Gollum or to spare him. “The pity of Bilbo will rule the fate of many.” The surrealism of that scene is tackled beautifully.

I cannot wait for the DVD to be released so that I can see the scene and the expressions all over again – three times was too less! The best part is that the extended version will have 25 more minutes of film AND it will mostly be released in May 2013. Just in time for my birthday! 😀

The final scenes have Azog returning – I wonder why they kept him alive – the wolves had to do all the work anyway just like in the book. Ah, I guess it is because they have to make Thorin appear lordly and powerful. The trees are climbed and everything is followed through and finally the eagles!

The movie ends with a thrush and the awakening of Smaug – the look of the dragon’s head, graphically, was not pleasing, it looked unreal. The main focus being the Eye – which is another linker to the LotR. Symbolism is all very fine, but I will do a Thror here and say I want to see Smaug the GOLDen! I hope they rectify this within a year before they show him in full, golden scales and all!

How was the movie for me? I would rate it 10 stars out of 5 and suffice it to say, I am booking another ticket soon!

Update: 18th December, 2012: I did finally watch it in the HFR version and I loved the feel of the movie. Blog entry that details my feelings on HFR is here.

And here we have it: A Review! (Spoiler Alert)

Gandalf the Grey

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY Review

by Dave Trumbore

In our cinematic age of superhero and sci-fi films, director Peter Jackson is doing his part to shoulder the fantasy genre with a return to Middle Earth in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The first in a trilogy of films adapted from J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit,” An Unexpected Journey sets out to tell the tale of titular protagonist Bilbo Baggins and a company of Dwarves on a quest to reclaim their ancestral home from the grip of the fearsome dragon, Smaug. The film also serves to establish an origin point for the events leading up to and through Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is a classic adventure quest in the making; packed with colorful characters, gorgeous settings and plenty of action, the only setbacks are technical ones.

Starring Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett and Andy Serkis, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opens in 3D December 14th.

Going in to The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, it was difficult to hazard a guess as to how much of the source material I’d be seeing on screen. With Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, he kept the book-to-film ratio at 1-to-1, with a moderate degree of variation. For The Hobbit prequel trilogy, Jackson and screenwriters Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Guillermo del Toro portioned out Tolkien’s original tome to suit the needs of all three films (though it was originally only two).  Judging from An Unexpected Journey, I think it’s safe to say that we’re in good hands, as far as story goes.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey starts off with a prologue that explains a bit of backstory, much like the opening of The Fellowship of the Ring. (The comparisons between the first films in each trilogy are quite striking; we’ll get into that more later.) This time, instead of a history lesson from Galadriel (Blanchett), we’re treated to a narration by an elder Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm). In the chronology of the overall story, this is just before his long-awaited party in the early part of Fellowship. What might be my favorite sequence of the entire film comes within the first few minutes, as Bilbo narrates over the destruction of the ancient Dwarven kingdom of Erebor by the fearsome dragon, Smaug. We also get the introduction to our secondary protagonist, the serious and driven leader of the Dwarves, Thorin Oakenshield (Armitage). Armitage is positively heroic in the role and Jackson gives him

plenty of camera time to shine.

Bilbo Baggins with Sting

But what this picture really comes down to is right in the title: Hobbits and unexpected journeys. Freeman plays a version of Bilbo who is 60 years younger than that of Holms’ and does so with a reluctant and nebbish quality. As Gandalf (McKellen) and the company of 13 well-armed and armored Dwarves storm into his Hobbit hole and ransack his wares, Bilbo attempts to turn them away, equipped with only strong words and sulking expressions. Freeman portrays the reclusive Bilbo quite well, but comes alive as the Hobbit who remembers an even younger version of himself who was obsessed with adventure (thanks in part to an appeal from Gandalf). Bilbo, who is recruited into the company as their thief, never becomes an expert swordsman or skilled warrior, but he eventually finds the courage to take a stand and fight, making his character arc in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey more fulfilling than that of Frodo’s in The Fellowship of the Ring.

While most of the Dwarves are window-dressing as far as character development goes, they do provide a good portion of levity within the film…perhaps to a fault. As “The Hobbit” novel was originally meant for children, its tone is lighter and its story is less dense than that of “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Jackson has adapted that lighter tone of the book as well as the story within it, leading to a lot more laughs than Lord of the Rings, but also an over-indulgence on silly humor. There is a scene in which a named villainous character is cut down by our heroes, but takes the time to utter a cringe-worthy one-liner. (Imagine if the Balrog had stopped to quip with Gandalf before the wizard smote his ruin upon the mountainside and you’ll get the idea.) The humor of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is mostly on par with that of Lord of the Rings but there are moments clearly meant for kids in this more family-friendly installment (though it is rated PG-13 and there are a surprising number of decapitations…). The Dwarves may belch and cuss, throw plates and juggle, eat too much, drink too much and fight amongst themselves too much, but that’s all welcome fun within a company of Dwarves. Thorin Oakenshield, however, is a Dwarf apart.

Thorin Oakenshield with Orcrist

As I previously mentioned, Armitage brings gravitas and solemnity to the role of Thorin, especially when surrounded by the clownish Dwarves in his company. Thorin’s backstory is steeped in blood and fire, loss and longing, and he is doomed to lead his people in search of a new home after Smaug took up residence in their ancestral halls. Though Thorin also struggles with his grandsire’s affliction with the “dragon-sickness” (an obsession with treasure), this is only cursorily mentioned in the first film. Rather, Thorin’s main objective is to keep his company in one piece while making their way to the Lonely Mountain. If he gets the chance to sever the head of Azog the Defiler (Manu Bennett), a pale orc chieftain who slew his grandsire, then so be it. While Thorin is a strong and capable warrior, he still has more to learn as a leader; Bilbo manages to help him with that and much more.

An interesting comparison exists between Bilbo and Thorin in An Unexpected Journey and Frodo and Aragorn in The Fellowship of the Ring. While the supporting characters are much stronger, more fully realized and therefore more easily relatable in Fellowship, the relationship between the Hobbits and the “wandering Kings” gives a strong undercurrent to each film. Upon repeat viewings, I think it’s possible to match up plot point for plot point, but in summation: the wandering King thinks the Hobbit a childish and burdensome addition to his quest but takes him along at the behest of the wizard Gandalf, then is surprised to see the Hobbit prove himself in unexpected ways over the course of the story, only to regard said Hobbit as a worthy comrade and welcome friend by the picture’s end. There you go, film majors, I just outlined your thesis for you.

As for the supporting cast, most of your old favorites are back, along with some new surprises. New additions include a mostly-silent Lee Pace as the Elven King, Thranduil; Sylvester McCoy as the zany and entertaining, but oddly-used wizard, Radagast the Brown; Barry Humphries as the Great Goblin (what a weird character, both in terms of ill-conceived design – you’ll see – and as a plot device since he served little purpose),  not to mention Peter Hambleton, John Callen, Ken Stott, Graham McTavish, James Nesbitt, William Kircher, Aidan Turner, Dean O’Gorman, Mark Hadlow, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown and Stephen Hunter as the Dwarvish company, who all did fantastic jobs, but weren’t given much room to breathe. Hopefully, now that they’ve been introduced, they’ll get some individual moments in the future films. Bombur (Hunter) is sure to be a kids/fan favorite and Fili (O’Gorman) and Kili (Turner) do their best to steal the show, though I preferred McTavish’s gruff warrior, Dwalin.

Dwalin

And, of course, McKellen is fantastic as Gandalf, a role he was surely born to play. As the meddling wizard, he’s as charming and manipulative as ever. McKellen also continues to show great range as both the soft-spoken advisor, the knick-of-time rescuer and even as the upstart challenger to his superiors and mentors. There’s a great scene that reunites McKellen’s Gandalf with Galadriel (Blanchett), Saruman the White wizard (Christopher Lee) and Elrond (Weaving), all who happen to be more powerful than Gandalf. Not only does it connect the characters throughout the entire arc of Tolkien films, it establishes their relationships and actually manages to strengthen the Lord of the Rings series because of it. A small scene, but a well-directed one. And I can’t forget Serkis, who is brilliant as usual. The scene between Gollum and Bilbo is, not only iconic, but exemplary of Serkis’ performance abilities.

A note on 48fps: I saw The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in 48fps and 3D in a Warner Bros. studio screening room, so my review can only speak to that experience as a reference. (I’d like to see the film in 2D at 24fps and 48fps to see how it compares, but we’ll see.) Here’s my take on 48fps:

Pros: Incredible clarity and sharpness of detail. Characters and objects in the background are nearly as clear and defined as those in the foreground of a shot. It makes for absolutely gorgeous establishing shots and exploration of new settings (Erebor, the Dwarven Kingdom before Smaug’s attack, is amazing. I’d love to see a film just about the Dwarves and their lives under the mountain). It’s great when steady or slow-moving camera work is applied. Beautiful for scenery or landscape shots; would make for excellent documentary applications.
Cons: Definite “motion sickness” potential during scenes of chaotic action or fast-movement; the increased clarity often feels as if you’re standing on set with the actors/characters, so when they take a crazy tumble down a rabbit hole, for example, you feel just as disoriented…which might not be too pleasant for some. There is a bit of an adjustment period for 48fps; I was jarred by it at the start but warmed up to 95% of its usage over time. 48fps means you cannot hide mistakes…period; there were some poorly-rendered VFX sequences that were unintentionally comical and resembled the old-school tactic of filming a stationary actor in front of a moving background. These effects were bad, bad, bad; there’s no way around it.

I admire and support Jackson’s decision to use 48fps and 3D going forward, but there is still some work to do to make it seamless. If you want more technical explanations of 48fps, head over to PC Mag’s explanation (via The One Ring). Another quick note on a technical aspect: most of the enemies simply had no weight to them. Goblins were tossed aside like paper dolls with the Dwarves flicking them out of the way without breaking a sweat. I can only think of a handful of instances of this happening in Lord of the Rings, such as the surge down the stone ramp leading out of Helm’s Deep in The Two Towers or parts of the massive Battle of the Pelennor Fields in Return of the King. But for An Unexpected Journey, there was no sense of real danger during most of the fight scenes, right up until the end. This is strange, because the flashback battles were, for the most part, epic and brutal and heavy, with real emotion tied in to the loss of believable warriors. On the plus side, the costume and make-up design for the flesh-and-blood characters and creatures was phenomenal, even managing to surpass the original Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Galadriel with the Light of Earendil

The greatest achievement of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, is how well it ties in with the Lord of the Rings trilogy, much better than, say, the original Star Wars films and their prequels, which are widely-considered to be inferior. As we recently discussed in our Star Wars podcast, watching the films in episode order is not only visually jarring, it ruins the dramatic tension of the whole arc. At first blush, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey appears to avoid this pitfall. The film is set up in such a way that new viewers are briefly introduced to Bilbo and Frodo, but regard them only as an old storyteller and his nephew, nothing more. Returning viewers of the Lord of the Rings feel a bit of nostalgia for the old films and are transitioned into the new films by having a familiar starting place. This introductory scene, which some early reviewers cited as unnecessary, links the trilogies together in a much stronger way. I don’t know how Jackson plans to end his Hobbit trilogy, but the opening of An Unexpected Journey and Fellowship of the Ring are already neatly tied together.

Also, “Easter eggs” are not just there for fun; they actually refer to each other in the films (depending on which order you watch them in), as well as to the source material in the books. Without giving too much away, An Unexpected Journey enriches the relationship between Gandalf and Bilbo (and, by extension, Frodo), as well as Gandalf and the elder powers of Galadriel, Elrond and Saruman. The film also explores the reasons for the deep-seated hatred between Dwarves and Elves, Gandalf’s connection to nature, the desecration of the Greenwood, the secrets of Saruman, the origin of some of the famous weaponry in the series and, of course, the lore of the Ring. So An Unexpected Journey manages to pay homage to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, while forging strong introductions to the themes that are explored in the chronologically later-occurring films, especially for first-time viewers. It’s evident that much care was given over to consideration of how to weave these two tapestries together and it’s brilliantly achieved.

Special attention must be given to the musical score of the film, both for original pieces (such as “Misty Mountains,” the haunting yet stirring theme for the Dwarves) and incorporation of the themes from Lord of the Rings. The musical cues go a long way to reinforce the connection I mentioned above. While the Misty Mountains theme pervades the film, there are also ties to the Shire, the Ring and even a heroic bit of music that I won’t spoil here, but will come as a welcome surprise.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has set a high bar for the next two installments, but if the Lord of the Rings trilogy is any indication, I fully believe that bar will be surpassed. Moving forward, I’d like to see the films become a bit more serious, especially since Bilbo is now in possession of a certain ring and all the grave consequences that portends. It would also be a more gradual transition into the Lord of the Rings trilogy and would allow new fans to mature along with the entire six-film arc, much like the Harry Potter films so expertly achieved. While The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is destined to be a stand-alone adventure classic in the vein of The Neverending Story, Willow and Legend, it is surely strongest when viewed as a satisfactory part of a greater whole.

Rating: A-

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