tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177193073415704349.post111644883830995129..comments2024-02-20T10:12:20.623+00:00Comments on The Blog That Time Forgot: Good Scot, Bad Scot: The Hobbit: An Unexpected TrilogyTaranaichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02176999342965850175noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177193073415704349.post-88568869362670648872013-12-18T11:32:44.971+00:002013-12-18T11:32:44.971+00:00Hey, give me several hundred million dollars and I...Hey, give me several hundred million dollars and I'd happily give it a shot. And I'd take any criticism which came my way, because I got to make my adaptation of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.<br /><br />It is indeed easy to criticize, but I'd love to think that people can agree to disagree on art. Certainly there are plenty of people out there who LOVED the films, so what's a few lone voices of dissent like my own?Taranaichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02176999342965850175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177193073415704349.post-77962938180039117922013-11-30T19:49:37.942+00:002013-11-30T19:49:37.942+00:00It's soooo easy to criticise. Why don't yo...It's soooo easy to criticise. Why don't you all have a go at filming Hobbit and Lord of the Rings yourself. And they we will judge your work.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177193073415704349.post-19726862620718479752012-12-31T04:04:41.217+00:002012-12-31T04:04:41.217+00:00I finally get why the Hobbit additions and reconfi...I finally get why the Hobbit additions and reconfiguring seem to hit too close to home for me, in a very relevant way to this blog. <br /><br />Much of the Hobbit film(s) is pretty much Jackson and co.'s idea of Tolkien <b>pastiche</b>! More than the additions and changes in their LOTR ever were.<br /><br />In other words, something dressed up as official or "canon", based on - most often inspired by - some original text when in a sense it's really not. How many times have we heard "they added stuff Tolkien wrote", as if it was straight from the page? In another sense, of course, it is canon to the previous films.<br /><br />And the reconfiguring of the Hobbit tale itself as no longer Bilbo's story but "The First Part of the Middle-earth saga" sort of mirrors De Camp, Carter and successors expanding REH's Conan tales into "The Saga of Conan".<br /><br />Of course this is undercut by Jackson and De Camp working with different media, but still...Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05315348028756856231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177193073415704349.post-83917047114352273832012-12-19T09:59:08.517+00:002012-12-19T09:59:08.517+00:00Well, you'll have to wait until next year for ...Well, you'll have to wait until next year for Part 2: The Commercialisation of Smaug!Taranaichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02176999342965850175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177193073415704349.post-74115984832142776782012-12-19T09:57:55.526+00:002012-12-19T09:57:55.526+00:00Martin, I've been having exactly the same feel...Martin, I've been having exactly the same feelings. It seems everywhere I go, people adore the films unconditionally, and even a hint of objection is shrugged off as "oh, you're one of *those* purists, who wouldn't be happy unless they had Tom Bombadil and all the films were 12 hours long." It's grating, because I do think the films have plenty going for them, I just wish people could accept that they aren't perfect.Taranaichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02176999342965850175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177193073415704349.post-4169011030561253542012-12-19T09:49:07.066+00:002012-12-19T09:49:07.066+00:00Oh, you.Oh, you.Taranaichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02176999342965850175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177193073415704349.post-89514858287678995082012-12-19T09:48:44.389+00:002012-12-19T09:48:44.389+00:00I enjoyed it, too, I just don't think I enjoye...I enjoyed it, too, I just don't think I enjoyed it as much as you or others. That said, Conan Stevens is credited as Bolg, so he is going to appear in some respect. I guess Thorin's going to kill Azog, though, so Dain can still kill Bolg, or some such.<br /><br />And agreed on Bilbo, naturally. Maybe the giant spiders'll be bigger than Shelob in Mirkwood: wouldn't surprise me, given how they tried to out-Moria Goblin Town.Taranaichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02176999342965850175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177193073415704349.post-25991069067818295142012-12-19T09:46:35.785+00:002012-12-19T09:46:35.785+00:00I'd wait for the purist cut, but they'd pr...I'd wait for the purist cut, but they'd probably lose Sebastian and Zippie Zibulon, who I love despite myself.Taranaichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02176999342965850175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177193073415704349.post-35687293884266794412012-12-19T09:45:39.744+00:002012-12-19T09:45:39.744+00:00I'm pretty sure that Azog's slays Thror in...<i>I'm pretty sure that Azog's slays Thror in the film and they say that Thrain became mad with grief and was then killed or disappeared or something like that.</i><br /><br />You're right about that: a bit more research proves that Thrain will be seen at Dol Goldur, so it was indeed Thror. The film didn't do a very good job distinguishing Thror and Thrain, but I guess it's too much to ask for a 2 hour 45 minute film to be a bit clearer about the differences between Thror and Thrain. Heck, I was sure that they had just cut out Thror entirely and replaced him with Thrain. Argh.<br /><br /><i>And yeah, Glorfindel gets shafted everytime when it comes to adaptations. He is along with Cirdan my favourite elf who appears or is mentioned in LotR.</i><br /><br />That's another thing: where the blazes was Cirdan?!?Taranaichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02176999342965850175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177193073415704349.post-64852184442916038582012-12-19T09:38:32.839+00:002012-12-19T09:38:32.839+00:00I can understand your distaste to the approach, no...I can understand your distaste to the approach, not least since *all* my problems are from the fanfiction/fanservice/whatnot.<br /><br />Still, one really good thing that came out of all this is that, after viewing, my young cousins bombarded me with questions: who was the Necromancer, what happened to the Blue Wizards, what was Ungoliant? Then I could settle down and tell them the "Real" real story.Taranaichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02176999342965850175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177193073415704349.post-41953132544831174862012-12-19T09:35:49.190+00:002012-12-19T09:35:49.190+00:00I had held out hope that the images of the dwarves...I had held out hope that the images of the dwarves were from future films: I was hoping that those publicity stills were from later in the series, and that they would be more "dwarfish" in this one. I also foolishly thought that Fili & Kili lost their beards when they had to cut them out of the spiders' webs in Mirkwood, but no, they started off like that.Taranaichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02176999342965850175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177193073415704349.post-58940212102927118272012-12-16T20:44:16.073+00:002012-12-16T20:44:16.073+00:00Hmmm! Interessting! It's been decades ago that...Hmmm! Interessting! It's been decades ago that I read the book, but I can't summon much enthusiasm for something I see as an exercise in self-indulgence... <br /><br />Your analogy of the film(s) being like RPG-ing is spot on, and does explain much - it seems that is exactly what Jackson and his co-writers have been doing - they seem to have role-played the whole thing, then transcribed their session.<br /><br />I'm sad to see though that your review doesn't come in 3, overly long, parts ;-)<br /><br />RemcoAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177193073415704349.post-72911324813659357972012-12-16T09:18:50.224+00:002012-12-16T09:18:50.224+00:00These films might make me give up on the Tolkien f...These films might make me give up on the Tolkien fandom "community" and send my inner fan into dormancy (again).<br /><br />I don't want to support these movies, nor do I want to be in a fandom that includes supporters of these movies, whether they be casual moviegoers or hardcore readers. I guess self-ostracism is the way to go. Nothing personal to all of you who've watched it.<br /><br />It's much the same for LOTR, each movie after the first one soured on me more and more I haven't touched those movies for years.<br /><br />At least there is always other stuff of interest which doesn't quite have the same emotional baggage. Oh high school.<br /><br />After some time, Conan filled that void... too bad about the reboot.Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05315348028756856231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177193073415704349.post-90197601537495934172012-12-16T03:29:36.131+00:002012-12-16T03:29:36.131+00:00Glorfindel sucks balls. So what if he gets forgot...Glorfindel sucks balls. So what if he gets forgotten, Tolkien himself forgot that he killed this prat off in the first age. "Oh...I did...well...ummm....elves go to the West if killed and get new bodies and he ummm....came back".<br /><br />What did he miss Taco Bell?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177193073415704349.post-33325503546860961912012-12-16T02:59:44.988+00:002012-12-16T02:59:44.988+00:00Great review, Al. I can't really disagree with...Great review, Al. I can't really disagree with much of anything you said, though I did enjoy it quite a bit despite the flaws. Although, I have to agree with ripa in that I'm pretty sure it was Thror that was beheaded by Azog and the mention Thrain goes mad. Then at the end Azog hints that he did something to Thrain as well but it isn't explained. I'm guessing they will use this to link Azog and the Necromancer in the future films. I'm also assuming that they are just conflating the characters of Bolg and Azog and it will be Azog that leads the orcs at the Battle of Five Armies. Thorin will kill him but be mortally wounded. Blah blah...<br /><br />I'm glad to see I wasn't the only one that didn't like the fast forwarding of Bilbo's arc. I hinted at this in my review, but was trying to avoid spoilers. Having him kill a orc this soon ruins his character build up for the rest of the film. Think about this. He's already killed an orc---why would he think killing spiders later on was such a big deal that he would name his sword "Sting" afterwards. That really irked me.Jeffrey Shankshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06506771948237755828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177193073415704349.post-64661483033650203192012-12-16T00:39:34.271+00:002012-12-16T00:39:34.271+00:00Al, thank you for confirming my decision to skip t...Al, thank you for confirming my decision to skip this in the theatre. Instead, I'll wait for the DVD release, with all the deleted scenes reinserted and fully produced effects (I DO NOT like paying serious coin on a Readers Digest condensed version of a film!)<br /><br />So the perpetrators (I mean producers) don't get that much coin off me, I'll get the DVDs once they show up in a pawn shop, or someone gives me theirs.<br /><br />During the meanwhile, I'll just re-read the book.<br /><br />Tex<br />(but I will get the soundtracks since, like that of CtB82, they will be GLORIOUS)Texhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16514613848519711342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177193073415704349.post-61904397781290854302012-12-15T18:58:03.844+00:002012-12-15T18:58:03.844+00:00Great post.
My main problems with the film were: ...Great post.<br /><br />My main problems with the film were: The duplication of old tricks from LotR. <br />Goblin-town's action was too silly and they spent too little time there. <br />The dwarves attack everytime from the side of the frame with the same music playing in the background. <br />I wasn't annoyed that much with Radagast except he just disappears from the film (and feels unnecessary). The are also some other unexplained and unresolved things within the movie. I believe that this film will stand better with the next part released than alone.<br /><br />I was surprised how little we get to know the dwarves especially after I read in some interview where the actors described their characters and really none of that was transformed into the film. I think Bombur doesn't even have lines although still he is more memorable than, say, Nori.<br /><br />I'm pretty sure that Azog's slays Thror in the film and they say that Thrain became mad with grief and was then killed or disappeared or something like that.<br /><br />And yeah, Glorfindel gets shafted everytime when it comes to adaptations. He is along with Cirdan my favourite elf who appears or is mentioned in LotR.<br /><br />I liked the HFR 3D very much. It was the first time I found 3D not annoying. (Ofc, I saw it in 2d first :)) After first viewing I enjoyed but was quite annoyed after the second.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177193073415704349.post-68023190219506426472012-12-15T18:26:09.442+00:002012-12-15T18:26:09.442+00:00Been waiting for your review, if ever you were goi...Been waiting for your review, if ever you were going to watch it. <br /><br />I'm not watching these movies because the whole approach turns me off. Fanfiction, fanservice, continuity porn, stretching, padding, retrofitting, call it whatever. <br /><br />It's not "The Hobbit" to me. More like "The Lord of the Rings: Origins" or "Adventures in Middle-earth Before LOTR Happened". That's not enough. I don't want to give them my money or my time.<br /><br />Yet I might watch The Legend of Conan. Sometimes an empty glass is better than one half full/empty. And as you said, it will be the end of that matter.<br /><br />But I doubt we'll see more film/TV adaptations/"reboots" of The Hobbit/LOTR for a long while. Comic book material has it quicker. Another Conan reboot is more likely, as is stuff from The Silmarillion (now <i>that</i> is a proper outlet for their fanfiction urges, since a lot is compressed...).Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05315348028756856231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7177193073415704349.post-2824440542783202092012-12-15T07:40:34.570+00:002012-12-15T07:40:34.570+00:00Thanks for the hard work of sitting through the mo...Thanks for the hard work of sitting through the movie. There was a discussion over at Grognardia last year when the dwarves were revealed. Turning the miners, smiths, etc. into silly, bat'leth wielding warriors was pretty indicative that Jackson and Co. would be hewing to the path they took with LotR. Your review only clarifies that to a deep, and depressing level. Someone needs to take Jackson's money away and force him into making something as inventive and nuts as "Dead Alive" again.The Wasphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08636805818054637966noreply@blogger.com