LinweSingolloMovies & Casting Mod, Resident Hobbit & Frodo's FootstoolPosts: 3292 Send Message |
|
~nólemë~Fan Creations Admin & Creations Forum ModeratorPosts: 10423 Send Message |
Re: The Hobbit :AUJ ~ Post Your Reviews Here on: January 03, 2013 04:00
|
|
Updated review after the second watching. I've warmed up to TH some, but still view it rather as a well-done movie: I still can't see it as a representation of the book.
Acting (top-down)
- Andy Serkis's performance as Gollum and Christopher Lee’s as Saruman – no surprise there. Perfect, as usual.
- Brett McKenzie's Lindir - a huge pleasant surprise for me; especially his voice. I hope to see more of him in the upcoming movie(s), I believe he's got big potential as an Elf.
- Dwarves – another pleasant surprise. Those with the most screentime gave their characters reasonable depth and temperament. Hopefully the rest will get their chance later on. The performances of Ken Scott, Richard Armitage, Peter Hambleton and John Callen stood out for me as the best (so far), Adam Brown's seemed the weakest to me.
- Cate Blanchett as Galadriel - spoke and moved gracefully. I had a small issue with her facial expressions in the Council scene, but a pleasing performance nonetheless.
- Hugo Weaving as Elrond - plays his standard. Not an overly mind-blowing performance, but a very nice one still.
- Sylvester McCoy's Radagast - a quality performance. Pity that the makeup and characterisation spoiled the experience for me in his case.
- Ian McKellen - I was slightly underwhelmed, as I found his Gandalf more detached and serene than in LotR, even in the scenes where I expected him to ooze warmth and humour.
- Martin Freeman as Bilbo – possibly the weakest performance for me, unfortunately. I missed more mimics, voice acting and credibility; mostly I could just see the actor performing, not the character.
Language
- the contemporarisation bothered me a lot. I get that one or two modern terms were Tolkien's own (golf), but they added quite a bunch of their own innovations - plumbing, allergy, 'academic' interest etc. Those sound more like unresearched fanfiction to me than a representation of an ancient world.
- nonsensical names - 'Sebastian' is a name from our world, not from (the final version of) Middle-earth. 'Bungo' the pony - I get we sometimes give animals human names, but still, Bilbo's father's name? Any pony name from LotR would have made more sense.
- 'Thrane' and 'Dane' in place of the correct 'Thraa-in' and 'Daa-in' (especially Azog's "Train" is kind of comical in this respect). With all due respect, I believe PJ's language team is mistaken in preferring modern-English pronunciation for these Old Norse names.
- I'm afraid the point of some Dwarves slipping into substandard English ("me" for "my", "them" for "those" etc.) was lost on me.
- Interesting to hear re-created Orcish and Dwarvish, though. Especially the Dwarvish was a great addition, and sent chills down my spine when spoken. I hope to hear more of it in the upcoming movies.
Visual effects/ CGI
For me, the most memorable and awe-inspiring were the visuals of Gollum (so life-like!), Smaug, Dale and Erebor. I loved them all. As far as the other CGI goes, The Hobbit didn't stand out for me among other CGI-packed movies. With Orcs and goblins, there were actually a few times when I felt real masks would work better for me than CGI.
Music
- I loved: The Misty Mountains song (the one the Dwarves sang, the end credits one sounded more modern to me, ergo less likeable). The dish-tossing song. The Rivendell flute and harp music. The LotR spinoffs when appropriate (Shire, Rivendell, I wouldn't mind them with the Eagles and the Misty Mountains).
- I disliked: LotR music in inappropriate scenes- Lórien theme for Rivendell orc-hunters, Nazgul theme for Azog vs. Thorin, and worst of all - the 'destruction of the Ring/coronation/Crossroads' RotK theme for the final hug. I find it absolutely outrageous to thus equate the sacrifice of the Ringbearers and the battle for Middle-earth to a bunch of Dwarves journeying home, and a hobbit saving their leader's life. Probably the biggest letdown of this movie, the music in this scene, as far as I am concerned.
Characterisations & appearances
- Bilbo - too flat for my liking. I missed more contrasts, friendliness, hospitality, cheerfulness, and in places politeness (he seems to take forever before deigning to greet Gandalf). I failed to see when the desire for adventure actually awoke in Bilbo. I appreciate they gave him some heroic moments though, and wish they'd been half as generous with Frodo in LotR.
- Gandalf- I'm not happy about how his character was treated. While more grave than in the book (but a shadow of the vivacious, warm, quick to laugh wizard from LotR, too), he was at the same time made into a clueless grandpa who has to be comforted by the mighty Galadriel and is not taken seriously by either Saruman and Elrond. At least they let Gandalf kill the Great Goblin.
- Dwarves - most 'memorable' for being boorish and disgusting, alas; but apart from that, they were okay. I welcomed and liked most of the 'fleshing out', such as Thorin's and Balin's backstory. The Weasley-twin-ish characterisation of the two young brothers didn't bother me as much as I'd feared. However, I disliked the lack of basic manners that the company shows in Bag End and Rivendell; I freely admit to bristling to see Dwarves merrily wasting food (what a modern thing to do!), scraping their shoes on furniture, leaving Bag End and Rivendell without a word of thanks as if they were entitled to free feasts and lodgings, and to top it all, burning furniture in Rivendell. But perhaps making the viewer want to slap the Dwarves at times was the moviemakers' intention?...
- The newly added Dwarf humour was okay ('furnace with wings') or at least tolerable ('parasites'). The Elf-Dwarf humour worked best for me.
- appearances... The normal-looking ones (Balin, Gloin, Oin, Thror) were pleasant to watch. As for the others- as long as I don't think 'Tolkien's Dwarves', they're okay or at least bearable. Only like that, I'm not bothered by hammers-in-head, shaven or stubbly chins, tattoos, and the leading Corsair-Rohir-Gondorian trio.
- Thranduil - I'm not a fan so far. He's made into a villain, not offering as much as material help to the survivors of the dragon's attack. If he merely refused to let them into his realm, I would get it; but not giving them even a crumb of bread, not tending a single injury? I wonder if anything they do in movies 2 and 3 will redeem him in my eyes. Book-Thranduil, despite being a survivor of Doriath, treats the Dwarves with relative kindness. I hope the movie-makers explain his extreme aversion towards Dwarves in movie 2, and don't just make him a cold-hearted clone of Lucius Malfoy. Would a copyright be really needed to show flashback images of Doriath being sacked by Dwarves, and young Thranduil's family fleeing for their lives - if no Silmarillion names were mentioned?
- In the looks department, he loses it with me too. I find the combination of platinum hair and jet-black thick eyebrows creepy (why is it always the dark-haired males who play blonde Elves in PJ's movies?), and in combination with the odd crown and steed he seemed rather bizarre to me.
- Elrond - nice to see the benevolent side of him when he rides into the Rivendell courtyard: a big thank-you to the team for having him actually smile ("as kind as summer" - finally!). But why did he leave at all? He's supposed to be staying in the valley and protecting it through Vilya; as a Ringbearer he has no business risking his life in minor skirmishes. In the meantime, Saruman and Galadriel are waiting for him to return and start the White Council, which is far more important than several orcs and wargs. It would have made more sense to have Elladan, Elrohir or Lindir lead the orc-hunters. And what's with Elrond's near-scorn for Gandalf?
- Radagast - not as much a butchered character (though his dignity and sanity each suffered a big blow), as a completely useless one. His over-the-top appearance doesn't help at all. He would have made sense as a minor opinion contributor in the Council - with birds and sickly hedgehogs in his lap for all I care - but in the movie plot, he served no purpose. They could have given his share of clumsy comic relief to some of the Dwarves and to Bilbo, and his Dol Guldur story could have been Gandalf's own flashback. The Rhosgobel rabbit joke was a funny one, and I did snicker, but it was for me not enough justification to have Radagast in the story at all.
- Eagles - are reduced to deus-ex-machina devices. I don't mind them not talking, but I'd have preferred if it was shown that the Eagles actually live in the Misty Mountains, which explains their sudden appearance (and subsequent departure back for their eyries). From the movies, it would seem that they are just an emergency service that pops up whenever Gandalf finds a 999-moth.
- Orcs - are what I expect Orcs to act like. The cruel, taunting talk of their leaders went down with me very well. Plus-value marks also for them fearing Glamdring and Orcrist, and shunning them: Big step into 'Tolkienesque' from LotR's Shelob giving the Phial of Galadriel a hearty kick. The only thing I didn't care for was the silly remark of the Great Goblin when Gandalf disposes of him; so in-the-face intended to be funny that it's actually not funny at all, just forced.
As far as their appearance is concerned, I'd have preferred if they were a bit blurry, lurking in the shadows, and treading softly (bookverse orc slippers, anyone?). It may not be original, but for me way creepier than orcs so uniquely ugly and disfigured that they're actually a bit ridiculous. That's mostly true for the Great Goblin. Azog's a bit better because he's more humanlike, but it irks me that he eerily resembles Voldemort.
- Trolls - I was glad the team had them speak, made them look humanlike, and gave them a measure of intelligence. Definitely one of the scenes where I could enjoy Tolkien's universe, even with the pony twist to it, and the stomach-churning bogies.
- Gollum - I was surprised he was more aggressive than in the book, especially given he had just eaten. He was well-done in terms of characterisation, though, and profitted well from having probably the most book-identical scenes out of all the characters. Pursuing Bilbo in the tunnels with those lamplike eyes, he was spookier than all the wargs with Azog put together.
- Smaug - what I've seen of him looks great, and his eye was scary. The team did a good job on making Smaug look like a real life menace instead of a generic fantasy dragon.
- Stone giants - visually good, but rocks-come-alive just don't creep me out.
- Wargs - they looked better than in LotR. They had weird rodent-like snouts, but they were no hyena museum exhibits anymore, good.
- Necromancer - was the closest to eek-worthy until he opened his mouth which seemed kind of cheap. The shot of a silent, faceless approaching figure just before that was scary enough.
Logic & realism
... could use some more work; a beta watcher perhaps. Random nags:
1. What happened to the river Bruinen? If the Dwarves were attacked beyond the Ford, which appears to be the case, how did the enemies get across without setting off a flood?
2. Too many unlikely falls in the movie, without as much as a sprained ankle. Especially when the bridge falls with the company as Gandalf kills the Great Goblin. Orcs die in such tumbles, but the Company barely have a few scratches. The quick recovery of Thorin in the final scene also seemed way too unrealistic; I get he has his pride, so he'd naturally try to stand upright and without leaning on anyone, but the extent of injuries from warg teeth and a mace looked too grave for that to be possible.
3. Why would Thorin, the Elf-hater that he is in the movie, call his beloved home 'Erebor'- a Sindarin name?
4. How did Bilbo know which way the Dwarves went from Bag End, and how did he know he could still catch up with them? They could have been long gone. Maybe this will be explained in the extended edition?
5. If Gandalf didn't leave Rivendell with the Dwarves, how did he find them in the Orc tunnels? I hope this too is explained in the extended version.
6. How did Radagast's sled get across the Anduin and the Misty Mountains?
7. The nonsense about the Witch-king and his death, and the Dúnedain wielding tomb-sealing powers that would put LotR's Tom Bombadil to shame.
Plot & the rest
- Major likes -
1. scenes: Erebor prologue, Dwarves' singing, Thorin's backstory, the riddle game, Bilbo's pity. I also loved the Eagles, and wish they had more screentime. The ending of the troll scene (Gandalf splitting the stone) was impressive.
2. characters: The team made the 13 Dwarves relatable for me, to an extent (read: until they got rude and crude). Made me more sympathetic to their cause, and made me feel a sliver of admiration for them during the fight scenes. Also the portrayal of the Elves that makes them consistent with LotR: that was one change from the book that I really appreciated.
3. Less gore than in LotR. Pleasant surprise there.
- Major issues -
1. The amount of screentime that Azog got. I felt his importance overshadowed that of Smaug and Necromancer, which annoyed me. I could see the sense in having him survive, and thus two orcs - Azog and Bolg - probably blending into one in the upcoming movies. But his omnipresence from almost the very beginning gave off the impression that he's the main villain in the trilogy, and in combination with his appearance, this reminded me all too much of the HP franchise.
2. Overlong/redundant/empty scenes, plotlines (e.g. Radagast) and dialogues (e.g. the White Council). Open, 'dangling' story arcs (White Council, Radagast) where no conclusion whatsoever was reached by the end of the movie.
3. Too many borrowed scenes from LotR. I initially smiled at Gandalf bumping into Bilbo's chandellier, but when more LotR-borrowings followed, I was starting to grow irritated. Too much of these just feels like they didn't have enough original TH moments.
4. The Elf-Dwarf feud is unexplained. There are mentions of it in both TH and LotR books, so I believe it could be doable to make a believable *and* canonical background to explain the mutual grudge, and especially why Thranduil behaved so appallingly in the beginning of the movie.
----------
"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." J.R.R. Tolkien - The Hobbit
|
|
Erucenindë |
|
Lindarielwen |
|
~nólemë~Fan Creations Admin & Creations Forum ModeratorPosts: 10423 Send Message |
|
Ilandir |
|
RodwenAravilui5136 |
|
~nólemë~Fan Creations Admin & Creations Forum ModeratorPosts: 10423 Send Message |
|
Ilandir |
|
Lindarielwen |
|
tarcolanMovies Moderator and General DogsbodyPosts: 6046 Send Message |
|
starofdunedain |
|
~nólemë~Fan Creations Admin & Creations Forum ModeratorPosts: 10423 Send Message |
|
calenmarwen |
|
Ilandir |
|
calenmarwen |
|
Erucenindë |
|
Cillendor |
|
BerethEdhellen |
|
calenmarwen |
|
Ilandir |
|
~nólemë~Fan Creations Admin & Creations Forum ModeratorPosts: 10423 Send Message |
|
Lindarielwen |
|
calenmarwen |
|
AinarielPalantirMaiden of Nienna and Éomer`s Loyal PuppyPosts: 555 Send Message |
|
Lindarielwen |
|