The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Martin Freeman(Bilbo Baggins), Ian
McKellen(Gandalf the Grey), Richard Armitage(Thorin), Cate
Blanchett(Galadriel), Hugo Weaving(Elrond), Christopher Lee(Saruman the White),
Sylvester McCoy(Radagast the Brown), Andy Serkis(Gollum), Benedict
Cumberbatch(The Necromancer), Barry Humphries(Great Goblin)
Rating: PG-13 (for fantasy violence and peril)
Running Time: 169 minutes
Overall Opinion. (3 stars)
Upfront let me say that the Lord of the Rings (LOTR)
trilogy is by far my favorite book and movie collection. Bad is bad (being ugly
orcs you enjoy watching get killed), good is good, and a world of fantasy, with
numerous different creatures and races to explore. To this day, all three films
still hold the record for films I saw the most times in theatre. That being
said, I was kind of skeptical when the idea of the Hobbit came about, with
Jackson planning on doing a trilogy out of a 150 page KIDS book. But the LOTR
fan in me made me go see it. And I was treated to a somewhat enjoyable
middle-earth ride. The Hobbit’s title character is Bilbo Baggins(freeman), who
lives a comfortable, quiet, no risk involved life in the Shire with all the
other hobbits. His tranquility is broken when a wizard comes marching up his
stairs, soon bringing a gathering of rowdy, rough-housing yet merry-making
dwarves. Soon Bilbo is pulled into the dwarves quest of returning them to their
home in the Lonely Mountain, and taking it back from the dragon known as Smaug.
The beginning of the movie, the audience is reminded of what was so great about
the LOTR trilogy. You get an opening monologue story (bringing you up to speed,
meeting a few of the different races/creatures), you see parts of the entire
middle-earth, before being brought to the quietness of the shire. Than you
remember that this is not Frodo’s story (though he does make a cameo played by
Elijah Wood), but Bilbo’s story. The Hobbit remains true to its predecessors in
telling the tale of a ‘small fish in a big pond.’ My biggest compliment to this
movie is the casting. Each character is perfectly chosen for their roles. Freeman
delivers as Bilbo, bringing the timid yet being-tolerant nature of the hobbit
to the big screen. To be honest it was hard not to see him as Watson from BBC’s
Sherlock whenever he made certain faces, but he remain true to the role.
Armitage (being 6’ 5” in real life and made to look like dwarve), was the ideal
pick of bringing Thorin’s past-haunted, yet honor-protecting persona to the
screen (LOTR fans will note similarities between him and Aragorn). Mckellen
creates a more tough, yet compassionate Gandalf than from the old trilogy. And
the best treat, Zerkis returning as his role of a ‘younger’ Gollum. Which
brings me to the other thing I enjoyed. The best bits of the movie were the
ones taken directly from the book. Note worthy, the dwarves singing songs, the
goblin caves, and best of all Gollum and Biblo’s ‘Riddles in the dark’ scene.
Each one seemed to be taken directly from the book. In all these things, the
casting, the usage of book material, the Hobbit stays true to its predessors in
being an enjoyable movie. However, I am kept from enjoying this movie
completely by the differences. With his riches from LOTR, Jackson has being
given more freedom to do what he wants with this trilogy. First to be noticed
was the increase in CGI. Gone were the actors in the one piece orc suits. Every
fight scene had the dwarves fighting a digital army. While this made the scenes
more crazy and fun (cartoony in some instances), it kills the authenticity of
the moments. And from the snippets we saw of Smaug, I am concerned with how
real he is going to look when we see him the sequel. With the effects, Jackson
seems to intentionally make them look cheesy, creating more of the ‘kid
friendly’ vibe of the book. While respected, I felt he went overboard with it.
Also, there are the scenes not mentioned in the book (aka, every scene of
Gandalf away from the pack). While any LOTR fan can tell you that majority of
the scenes of Gandalf, the Necromancer and so forth are based off of Tolkien
material, these scenes tend to drag a movie that is already strenching the
material. Again, with more freedom, Jackson expands on every 3 lines of the
book with 15-20 mins of scenes (exaggeration but you get my point). I went in
not believing the Hobbit needed to be a trilogy, and still firmly believe that,
thus being disappointed when realizing they are maintaining the trilogy plan.
The characters, the fights, and Gollum/smeagol, help remind you why you enjoyed
the journey you went through in the LOTR story. But this is not the same trip,
and while it has its moments, the increase in Jackson’s liberty with the
material and length makes me feel like this unexpected journey is going to drag
as time goes on.
Good Message/Bad Message:
- Home is where you want it to be
- true bravery comes in when not to take a life, but when
to spare one
- Loyalty, trust, and a good heart builds kinship more
than being blood related
Content:
Violence – Enough of it, all with sharp objects. A few
bloodless throat cuts, couple arrow kills, a few warg killings (being eaten off
screen), and one bloodless head bashing (from Gollum)
Sex – None what so ever. (based off a kids novel, so not
even a touch of romance)
Language – J.R.R. Tolkien did elf/dwarf insults and jabs,
no swearing
Drugs – They are dwarves and hobbits. Mead and wine
consumed in plenty, with smoking as well.
Family Rating: The digital orcs and what not make this
one a ‘cleaner’ fighting movie than the original trilogy. Take PG-13 seriously,
but would be a good ‘starter’ film for kids being introduced into PG-13 films.
Christian undertones: (SPOILERS in this paragraph)
I read in article on yahoo once about the relatives of
Tolkien sending letters to Jackson expressing their disapproval of how he made
the original LOTR trilogy. While I’m sure that die-hard fanatic ‘gimli’s beard
was not that long’ LOTR fans would agree, I would say to count your blessings
since the movies where closer to the material than any other movies of late
that are ‘based off a novel.’ That being said, I would agree that my top
complaints of those movies were the depleting of the Christian undertones of
the books. With each new movie, the comparisons between the characters and
Christ diminished. You miss the books, you miss out on some key Christian
symbolism in the movies. The Hobbit is at risk of doing the same thing. With
all the fighting and peril involved, the movie barely hangs on to the themes of
honor, self-sacrifice, and kinship mentioned in the book. The dwarves are a
people without a home, without a haven. Gandalf leads them to meet one who does
have a home, a place of security: Bilbo Baggins. Once again Gandalf plays the
‘prophet’ of the story, giving guidance, scolding wrongs, and trying to help
each character (primarily Bilbo and Thorin) find their ‘better selves.’ The
Shire, the hobbits homeland, represents the world. Not the cruel, ‘eat,drink,
and be merry for tomorrow we die” world, but the world of contentment. Security
so to speak. Bilbo has his home, his food, his long-bottom leaf pipe, and a
bench to sit and enjoy the rather. Up comes a wizard and a pack of dwarves,
talking of fighting dragons, goblins, and in the process making a mess in his
home. Gandalf, having met Bilbo before, is shocked by the change he sees in
him. He used to be adventurous, now one has to work to push him (literally in
the book) out the door. Thorin the leader of the dwarves, is not encouraging in
Bilbo being their ‘burglar.’ His hatred for elves spreads to other races, not
fully trusting anyone who is not a dwarf. Gandalf plays the Christ figure in
numerous ways in this story. At one point, during the ‘white council’ seen,
like Christ he is aware of the evil that still exists in the world, the kind of
of the supernatural. The council, like the world, limits its understanding to
physical evidence, not willing to believe the evil of the necromancer can exist
when his body was destroyed. Gandalf works at showing them the truth. Gandalf
also works on showing to Bilbo the error of his ‘staying home’ security, and
Thorin’s mistrust of others. Gandalf works throughout the movie to show Bilbo
the courage that exists in him, and Thorin that kinship and good hearts are
found in all species/race, if you work at finding it. With each new task, Bilbo
comes to realize while he is scared and ‘does not fit in,’ he becomes
courageous for the sake of others. Thorin soon sees in Bilbo, one he doubted
and said ‘did not belong,’ was actually one of kindred spirit with the dwarves.
Christ, like Gandalf comes to every Christians’ door, like Bilbo, and bangs on
it. He tries to point out the world that surrounds us. We each have our own
havens, both physically and spiritually, and Christ points out the need of such
havens of others. Bilbo has his home, his haven, something he misses. But the
more he stays with the dwarves, the more he realizes that that he can help them
in finding their havens. Thorin is the ‘warrior’ Christian, who has seen the
world for what it is, and been marked by it. While true to his fellow kinsman,
it takes a complete stranger, with far less world experience, to show him that
fellowship exists outside his circle. To Christians, the hobbit is story of
stepping outside you comfort zone (in numerous ways) and seeking out the path
He has for them. He is banging on the door with his staff, so are you going to
answer it?
Scripture References: Jeremiah 29:10-12, John 17:20,
Revelation 3:20
Final Say:
A fun fantasy
movie, see in theatres, but not necessary to see in 3d.
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