“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.” - J.R.R. Tolkien.
The movie The Hobbit, much like the book, opens with the explanation of a hobbit hole and the comfortable life that Hobbit’s lead in their lush, green Shire. The story follows the young hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, and his adventure with his thirteen dwarf companions and Gandalf the Grey (a wizard). Their adventure takes them to the great Lonely Mountain to defeat the evil dragon, Smaug and reclaim Erebor (home of the dwarves). The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the first of a trilogy Directed by Peter Jackson.
Peter Jackson picked a very good cast to play their respective roles. Martin Freeman did an amazing job as Bilbo Baggins, from the cute squeaks to the frustrated anger. Martin plays his role perfectly. Richard Armitage plays the leader of the dwarves, Thorin Oakenshield. Thorin in the movie is different from the book (in the book Thorin is wise and likes to talk or ramble, in the movie he is a strong and serious leader). Despite the difference Richard Armitage did an amazing job playing the role of Thorin Oakenshield. Peter Jackson also brought back some old actors from the Lord of The Rings Trilogy such as Ian McKellen as Gandalf, and Elijah Wood as Frodo. Viewers can also expect to see Orlando Bloom reclaim his role as Legolas in the upcoming movie.
The music in the movie really helped the viewer to feel the same emotions as the characters and it always fit the desired mood. Such as, in the fight scenes the epic music that plays really helps the viewer to feel that it is a life-or-death situation. They also kept some of the songs that are present in the book, such as the two songs that the dwarves sing when they are at Bilbo’s home.
The movie follows the storyline of the book very closely with some added material from other Tolkien works. The extra bits make the story better by answering unaddressed questions that the book posed. It also makes the movie less predictable for the viewers who have read the book.
The stunning landscapes shown while the company is traveling really give the viewer a strong sense of how long and tiring the adventure truly is. Camera angles are also used to show the different heights of the characters. Since Gandalf is a wizard and of common human size, Peter Jackson used camera angles to make Gandalf look taller than all the other actors playing the dwarves and hobbit.
In my opinion the movie was fantastic, visually stunning, and the extra add-ins really made the movie more enjoyable and easier to understand. The team of actors that Jackson chose did an amazing job and the music was captivating. I also feel that the idea of making The Hobbit into a trilogy was a very good one. It gives the opportunity to answer unanswered questions from the book and it is also an interesting way to elaborate on The Battle of the Five Armies.
No comments:
Post a Comment