The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Grading & Discussion (Spoilers)

[The Mirrorball Man]

Silvercrest wrote:

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Hmm, I wonder where the line is drawn there. This isn't exactly a plot event that could be filmed. We're talking about a concept a character thinks to be true, wrongly so, and (without my own copy of The Silmarillion to hand) probably not even stated in dialogue in the original book. With the exception of Queen Beruthiel's cats, The Silmarillion provides the entire backstory for the other books. Surely the general concepts can't all be off-limits.

For example, the film Saruman's lesson about how the orcs were originally elves is not spelled out in the written LOTR. That's from The Silmarillion too.

Sure, you're right and I have no idea how it works in practice. I just think that it may be one among several factors that Peter Jackson has to consider when taking liberties with the novel, not that the Tolkien estate, as grumpy as it may be, seems overtly litigious.

[Silvercrest]

They do, don't they?

I wonder how Christopher felt about the orcs/elves speech.

[Tyberius]

Servo wrote:

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Posted from my phone at nearly 2am and it autocorrected. That all you have to contribute?

Middle French pique -> Middle English pike -> Alteration of pike peak

Eh, language changes.

[lurok]

I like the LoTR film trilogy and all the books, but just found this enervating. I'll be curious to see how trilogy plays out but not holding breath (when first heard, initial thought was: wtf? it's a kid's book. Just do it and be done).

[Workbee]

Saw the movie -- after reading some of the comments, I have come to feel that Jackson made a mistake by trying to match the tone and epic scope of his LOTR movies. While I enjoyed it, it makes me a little sad that we won't get a movie that really lets story The Hobbit shine for what it originally was (its own story and NOT a prequel to LOTR).

Here is a crazy idea --- what if Jackson based the movie off the first edition of the Hobbit (when Gollum freely offers the ring for a prize in the riddle contest). Gollum isn't an old hobbit that was corrupted by the ring, he's just some weird creature. He doesn't talk the way he does because of some psychotic breakdown from the rings corrupting influence -- he just is because that's what he is. The ring is just a magic ring. Elves are singing tricksters. When Gandalf leaves, no one has any idea what he's doing. In essence -- do an anti Lucas to the story. Let the Hobbit be mismatched and not quite fit into the LOTR trilogy. I am curious if people would have enjoyed this approach, or if they would have felt disappointed more than anything.

[Alidar Jarok]

Even Tolkien wanted to move away from that, though. Every time he wrote the Hobbit, he tried to edge it towards the Lord of the Rings. Not just the rewrite, but the Quest of Erebor too. I think to go that extreme is to deny that they are part of the same universe. It's a lighter story from a lighter time. In reality, there should be hints of something darker, while I think the movie is the LOTR in tone, but with hints of something lighter. In other words, it's a question of emphasis rather than black and white.

[JarodRussell]

Workbee wrote:

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Saw the movie -- after reading some of the comments, I have come to feel that Jackson made a mistake by trying to match the tone and epic scope of his LOTR movies. While I enjoyed it, it makes me a little sad that we won't get a movie that really lets story The Hobbit shine for what it originally was (its own story and NOT a prequel to LOTR).

Here is a crazy idea --- what if Jackson based the movie off the first edition of the Hobbit (when Gollum freely offers the ring for a prize in the riddle contest). Gollum isn't an old hobbit that was corrupted by the ring, he's just some weird creature. He doesn't talk the way he does because of some psychotic breakdown from the rings corrupting influence -- he just is because that's what he is. The ring is just a magic ring. Elves are singing tricksters. When Gandalf leaves, no one has any idea what he's doing. In essence -- do an anti Lucas to the story. Let the Hobbit be mismatched and not quite fit into the LOTR trilogy. I am curious if people would have enjoyed this approach, or if they would have felt disappointed more than anything.

Well, what would you need Peter Jackson and the entire production crew from Lord of the Rings for if you wanted the film to be completely different? Let JJ Abrams do it.

[Tiberius]

I'd love to tell you what I thought of the movie, but I can't.

I went to see an HFR version of the movie and hated it. Everything looked like it was a cheaply made TV movie, or something from a computer game cutscene, and everything seemed to be moving too fast. Seriously, it was like watching goddamn Benny Hill.

Walked out and got a refund on my ticket.

Gonna see a regular 24fps version on Sunday, and I'll let you know what I think of the movie.

But I hate the hfr stuff, at least until they can add in some bloody motion blur.

[Gov Kodos]

Alidar Jarok wrote:

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Even Tolkien wanted to move away from that, though. Every time he wrote the Hobbit, he tried to edge it towards the Lord of the Rings. Not just the rewrite, but the Quest of Erebor too. I think to go that extreme is to deny that they are part of the same universe. It's a lighter story from a lighter time. In reality, there should be hints of something darker, while I think the movie is the LOTR in tone, but with hints of something lighter. In other words, it's a question of emphasis rather than black and white.

The best one can explain the difference between LOTR and The Hobbit is to say different authors, Frodo and Bilbo. In the real world, stuff changed

[Set Harth]

Tiberius wrote:

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Seriously, it was like watching goddamn Benny Hill.

I don't understand this. I feel like I saw a toned-down version of the HFR because what I saw didn't bother me at all.

[JD]

^Same here. I loved the added clarity, and I think I did notice things moving a little faster, but none of it ever looked wrong or unnatural to me.

[Set Harth]

And nothing really feels like Benny Hill if it doesn't use Yakety Sax.

[Klaus]

It certainly does feel like the reaction of people here to HFR is widely disparate... some like it, some are neutral [my reaction], and some hate it completely.

I wonder if there are variations between the way different theaters project it, like the brightness issue in 3D bulbs...?

[Set Harth]

It's starting to feel like something like that is happening.

Or people are looking for reasons to hate the film.

[The Mirrorball Man]

Set Harth wrote:

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It's starting to feel like something like that is happening.

Or people are looking for reasons to hate the film.

Or they just didn't enjoy it.