Les Miserables wasn't the only film I caught over the holiday weekend. I went with my family to see The Hobbit: An Unexpected Trilogy, a movie I honestly hadn't expected to see. I think I was concerned for the integrity of the original trilogy or something. Well, turns out that I probably didn't need to worry so much.
- My biggest fear was tonal whiplash. The Lord of the Rings is a fairly dark story, while The Hobbit always struck me as a bit of a kiddie story. Attempts to reconcile the tones of these two connected but still very different stories would likely create some tonal inconsistencies, which... yeah, they were there. The tone swings around like a cat tied to a tetherball pole, and the experience is a little jarring. But just a little.
- I think I may be the only person who thinks this, but I felt the movie could have used more Martin Freeman. Sure, he's the lead actor, but I don't feel like I saw enough of him - mainly because watching him was a pure delight. I want a Freeman overdose!
- Actually, the performances were all pretty captivating. Even the dwarves, who are goofy as all get out, do a fantastic job bringing some dignity to their roles. Especially Balin.
- Hey, rewind that for a bit. Is that Lee Pace? It IS! Man, I can't WAIT for the next movie now!
- Within the first half-hour, we get two full-blown musical numbers. Surprisingly, they're both excellent, so much so that I was disappointed that The Hobbit wasn't the first big-screen epic fantasy musical.
- The troll scene was gross and stupid.
- Sylvester McCoy as Radegast. There was really no reason for this character to appear, but I was glad to see him anyway.
- Verdict: Recommended.
6 comments:
We saw this too over the break. I thought the beginning was pretty slow, but by the game of riddles, I was officially all in. I'm really glad I read the book before I went although I agree about the tonal inconsistencies . . . It's funny because most people who have read all four books say that The Hobbit is their favorite, but I said the same thing you did--it's kind of a kiddie story, and a little juvenile for my tastes. I felt like the trilogy was much more meaty and satisfying.
So there you go. My two cents.
Oh, I didn't mean "kiddie story" as a detriment. I love kid's stories.
No mention of the made-up Captain Hook orc and his vendetta against Thorin? Hrm. I was hoping to get your perspective on that. ;)
xox
Ha! I totally thought the "Big screen breakdown" title was a reference to the sobbing in Les Mis. I see now, it's the series title...my bad ;)
oh, hmph. I didn't mean that comment to be anonymous :) ...that was me.
aaaand and the anonymous comment disappeared. nut-job reporting for duty! :)
said previously anonymous comment read as follows:
Ha! Totally thought "Big Screen Breakdown" referred to sobbing in Les Mis. Just now catching it's intended as a series title ;)
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