New AUJ article

[Jay 37,267]

Is it just me, or is An Unexpected Journey the best Middle-earth movie?

 

Discuss!

[KK 3,307]

Well that was shorter than I expected.

 

It doesn't really make much of an argument really. And while there is much you could probably criticize the LOTR films, none of its major flaws are pointed out in this article. In fact, his arguments against it are more against the nature of Tolkien's work itself.

 

And then this pretty much invalidates the article as a whole:

Quote

Secondly, and connected to the above, the pacing is focused and taut. Where LOTR was at times so turgid it limped on like a mortally wounded Ent, Journey zips with a propulsive sense of adventure.

 

I'm sure somewhat could write a more detailed, and reasonable article for the same argument. But this one doesn't do much for its case.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Barnald 365]

It's my second favourite behind Fellowship. Nothing to do with 'Best', and I'm not going to bother arguing the toss since each to his own, but I have a great fondness for it. And it's hardly coincidental that both trilogies started off with the strongest film (obviously the subsequent Hobbit films have more problems than TTT and ROTK, but it's all relative).

 

52 minutes ago, BloodBoal said:

I stopped reading after the title of the article. The answer is obviously no.

 

Next!

 

In that case, shouldn't the answer be 'Yes it is just you'? Because 'no' would suggest the individual is not alone in their perspective.

[Incanus 5,713]

I think it is just the writer.

 

Not the best of the movies, not by a long shot. Best of the Hobbit films perhaps although DoS does have its moments. 

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[mstrox 6,637]

I'd agree that it's the best Hobbit movie, but the fourth best Middle Earth movie.  (each one successively worse than the last).

I may get on this author's side about a few benefits - Martin Freeman and the only Middle Earth movie without Oleander Bum .

 

But his comment that it is tightly paced is a bit confusing to me - especially since one of the biggest complaints leveled at AUJ at the time was that it was poorly paced.  I've come to like the movie more, but I still find it to be a little lumpy and uneven.  The LOTR movies have a nice ebb and flow to them, although that's lost a little bit by the time we get to Pellenor fields.

[SafeUnderHill 205]

[Gnome in Plaid 219]

I'd actually put the first half or so of AUJ (at least the theatrical cut--I haven't watched the extended edition in one go) on the same level as the LOTR films.  I didn't mind the uneven pacing at all (TTT had the same "problem," and I didn't mind that either) and the call-backs (or -forwards) didn't feel forced to me.  The second half though (except for "Riddles in the Dark")... and then the other two films... better forgotten (except for the music).

[Nick1Ø66 4,687]

This article is petty far off the mark. And this is absurd...

Quote

 

Firstly, Journey is joyfully unburdened by portentous drivel. It’s a cleaner narrative which only touches lightly on the darkness to come, and is all the better for it. So instead of endless scenes of elves muttering about “a shadow in the East” (which, by the way, sounds slightly xenophobic) we have an earthy clan of dwarves on a mission to reclaim their home. It’s grounded, relatable and – crucially – fun.   

 

I suppose that might be true but for the ponderous (and ultimately repetitive) prologue, which weighs down the film verily and mightily.  And while there are not "endless scenes" about the shadow in the East, there is endless droning on about honour and oaths and what not.  Indeed, given that the subject matter is much more weighty in LOTR vs. The Hobbit, AUJ feels like a weighed down, cumbersome, laborious slog once they leave the Shire (though up until then the film is quite charming excepting the prologue).

 

In any event, the author of this piece is to be dismissed outright for his imbecilic use of "xenophobic".

 

The original Forbes review of AUJ also argued, also unpersuasively, that it was the best Middle-Earth movie since Fellowship.

 

Despite its flaws, I'd rank it 4th among Middle-Earth films. With a very, very large gap between 3 and 4.