#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 ....The HobbitThe first date was strained, like they always are. To much expectation. You try to feel relaxed and normal, but it doesn't work etc...But the second viewing....It's official guys, the spark was there, and I'm in luv'Musings after a long night sleep.Ian McKellen seemed more natural to me as Gandalf then on my first viewing.He still overacts a bit in his first scene, but after that he seems to relax into himself and just become Gandalf the Grey again. It felt great seeing him again.Freeman is perfect as the younger Bilbo. He is perfectly believable as being a younger version of Ian Holm's character, but he never tries to imitate Holm's styleWhile it's nice to see Ian Holm again, he feels off somehow. Even though they tried to de-age him, he just looks different. His voice is lower. And the twinkle in his eye that he had in LOTR seems more glazed over. I noticed a single shot were he looked positively geriatric.In FOTR he was an older man with a young heart. Here he is an old grandpa who you visit in a nursing home. You love him dearly, but already in your mind you have come to terms that in a few years he will be dead.I'm not sure bringing him back was a good idea.Wood returns as Frodo, for no reason then to gives fans a "geek-erection"Like Holm he looks off. He looks like Frodo, sounds like Frodo, but somehow....The prologue is fine, but all the scenes with Holm and Wood were redundant. They could have just used Holm's voice narrating the tale of Erebor.The film picks up when Freeman comes in. The whole scene with the Dwarves is lively and funny. Love the song.This time the Dwarrow felt a bit less homogeneous. and I picked up some character details. It's still an unwieldy cast though, with mostly background characters.(it's a problem if you spend hours with a cast and are still unsure who is named what)Radagast is a funny character. The chariot chase with him and the Orcs is poorly done though. even in 24fps the movement is far too fast to be believable.The set design and costumes are very good, without ever being breathtaking. But I guess the same goes for LOTR.Shore's score is great and he really does help to bring you back. I need to listen to the CD more.The tracking still isn't all that noticeable to me.The Nazgul theme is completely out of place though. Even if there is somehow a tie between Azog and the Wraiths that will be revealed in the future films, it does not justify stating out that theme in full force there. Thematically, it doesn't wash....The "bromance" ending also doesnt really work. Freeman and Armitage give it their all, but it feels "fake". Tagged on.Just before the final actionscene there is a poignant scene were Thorin demands to know why Bilbo didn't abandon the company. Bilbo's earnest reply about wanting to do his bit to help the Dwarrow take back their home, and the way Thorin reacts to that works.If emotionally it would have been left at that it would have been completely believable.Thorin's berserker rage towards Azog, and his action of trying to go for him while his company are about to fall to their deaths seems completely fake. They needed a new dramatic showdown for the revised ending.All the LOTR films end with tearful emotional moments, so they wanted to give movie one. But for me it worked against the grain.The Hobbit didnt have a Samwise Gamgee muttering some sobby speech with teary eyes, and a Frodo Baggins replying "Oh Sam..."Trying to force something like that was a mistake.I also don't like the End Title song.But never mind.Because I really LOVE this film. It made me feel good in the same way the LOTR films made me feel good years ago.The Hobbit is like a great women.Not perfect, complicated, with many many flaws that make her unique and stunning worthwhile pursuing and keeping.It takes a while to really get to know her, but even when you feel you know her by heart, you also know there is much more to discover! Nick1Ø66 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodBoal 7,538 Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 It belongs in the Reviews section! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted January 12, 2013 Author Share Posted January 12, 2013 Your's is longer then mine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Welcome back on board, Steef. Admittedly not to the same extent as yourself, but welcome back to Middle-Earth movie fandom nonetheless. Just shy of ten years was a really long time wasn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloodBoal 7,538 Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Your's is longer then mine!Hehehe...Don't depreciate your review. It's fantastic. Well, from a certain point of view... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted January 12, 2013 Author Share Posted January 12, 2013 Welcome on board, Steef. Admittedly not to the same extent as yourself, but welcome back to Middle-Earth movie fandom nonetheless. Just shy of ten years was a really long time wasn't it?Yeah. Could have been a few weeks shorter.Next December I'll watch it in 24fps first Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 I'm gonna go a step further and watch it in 4:3 and black & white. Not taking any chances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted January 12, 2013 Author Share Posted January 12, 2013 No sound I hope! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandor 797 Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Next December I'll watch it in 24fps firstThat's what I did last December and I loved the film on first viewing. Go figure. The "bromance" ending also doesnt really work. Freeman and Armitage give it their all, but it feels "fake". Tagged on.That was my favorite moment from the film..! It was like the resolving note of a melody searching for completion. Loved it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted January 12, 2013 Author Share Posted January 12, 2013 The melody ended too soon. like they dropped a few notes and went straight to the closing line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uni 306 Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Not perfect, complicated, with many many flaws that make her unique and stunning worthwhile pursuing and keeping.It takes a while to really get to know her, but even when you feel you know her by heart, you also know there is much more to discover!They all say that at first. Just wait until your first fight. . . .- Uni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted January 12, 2013 Author Share Posted January 12, 2013 First fights can be dramatic, but afterwards very much worth it.I still remember mine... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick1Ø66 4,722 Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 This is pretty spot on, I feel much the same way about it. And yeah, both Ian Holm and Elijah Wood feel "off". I'm not sure if it's their age, or the dialogue they've been given, but it doesn't quite work. I don't dislike it, and I'm not sure I'd want it take out, because there's a sentimental value to it (which is why it's there in the first place), but it's probably unnecessary. Wood in particular almost seems self-concious. And McKellen, in the early scenes, does look like someone doing a very good impersonation of Gandalf, but as you said he settled into it.I enjoyed this film much more than I thought I would. I loved LOTR, but had my concerns about The Hobbit from the first preview. Most of those concerns were allayed, and while it's not perfect, if you just go with it it's easy to get swept away. If LOTR is more of an epic saga, The Hobbit feels more like a fairy tale. Viewed that way, it succeeds remarkably.I've only been here a short while but I think this is at least the third time I've found myself agreeing with something you've written. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted January 12, 2013 Author Share Posted January 12, 2013 And McKellen, in the early scenes, does look like someone doing a very good impersonation of Gandalf, but as you said he settled into it.He overdoes it with his usual frowns, facial expressions and vocal mannerismsI also didn't like the scene in Bagend were Gandalf suddenly turns angry. It's a redo of the scene were Gandalf get's pissed at Bilbo for calling him a thief..That scene worked, even with the redundant CGI.In the Hobbit it's like....whaaa? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 I just think McKellen embellished this version of Gandalf a bit to go along with the lighter tone. He was playful in his early scenes, pretty closely matching the book in that regard. The one bit which did jar with me though was when he suddenly threw a hissy fit completely out of the blue at Thorin at camp and stormed off in a sulk. Again, methinks some better context there didn't make the cut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick1Ø66 4,722 Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 And McKellen, in the early scenes, does look like someone doing a very good impersonation of Gandalf, but as you said he settled into it.He overdoes it with his usual frowns, facial expressions and vocal mannerismsI also didn't like the scene in Bagend were Gandalf suddenly turns angry. It's a redo of the scene were Gandalf get's pissed at Bilbo for calling him a thief..That scene worked, even with the redundant CGI.In the Hobbit it's like....whaaa?Yeah, agreed. In FOTR it works wonderfully, not so much in The Hobbit. Jackson clearly just stuck it in there, and I'm not sure if its ineffectiveness is because it had been done before, or because it just doesn't work in that context. And it's because of moment's like this that I think the preferred way to watch all 6 of Jackson's films when they are done is the original order they were released...i.e. LOTR then The Hobbit movies. Despite The Hobbit coming first chronologically, like the Star Wars prequels, there are too many "echoes" of the original films, I believe, to make watching chronologically a wholly satisfactory experience.I'm curious as to how the Thorin/Azog confrontation at the end played originally when there were only two films. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,374 Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 So your subject header and opening paragraph are all about how much you love An Unexpected Journey...... and then the rest of your main post and all followup posts are nothing but complaints about the film. Huh?Why don't you tell us some of the things you DID like about An Unexpected Journey? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ollie 1,059 Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 I enjoyed the film immediately. No second guessing here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Stefan doesn't know WHAT he wants! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uni 306 Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 So your subject header and opening paragraph are all about how much you love An Unexpected Journey...... and then the rest of your main post and all followup posts are nothing but complaints about the film. Huh?Relationships are like that. Love is a capricious thing.- Uni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post BLUMENKOHL 1,068 Posted January 12, 2013 Popular Post Share Posted January 12, 2013 So you think everything about it is dreadful, but you love it?Stefan... Brónach, indy4 and Incanus 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted January 12, 2013 Author Share Posted January 12, 2013 Why don't you tell us some of the things you DID like about An Unexpected Journey?The prologue. the story of the Fall of Erebor. It really has a nice fairytale atmosphere to it.Bilbo's puzzlement about how these confounded Dwarrow are wrecking his house. Trying still to be polite.The slightly, but noticeable lighter tone and comedy when compared to LOTR.The Riddles In The Dark scene. Scary, funny, even sad. PJ and Serkis make you feel for Gollum, even though you already know what he will become.The Council scene not so much, but the scene after between Mitrandir and Galadriel.The fact that they kept in the Golf reference.The way how sting glows in this film. Much better then in LOTR.Barry Humphries as the Great Goblin. He has fun with it. Could have been another threatening monster, he makes it a comedy performance.Armitage as Thorin. It may be a bit of a cliché role. But it's well acted. He has presence.James Nesbitt. He only has one substantial scene, but introduces the theme that Erebor is not just about reclaiming the riches of the Dwarrow. But about going home.If that is to be the cetral theme of the films, then it's much more interesting then The Arkenstone.I loved how it felt like really very little time had passed at all since I saw ROTK last in cinema.And when I went to catch my train home I was playing the score on my iPod, comparing notes with some friends of mine on Whatsapp. I felt giddy and brilliant after having watched this film. And more then a little sentimental.I felt young, and happy...That fucking good enough for ya, LeBlanc! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeinAR 1,949 Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 I thought it sucked to be blunt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted January 12, 2013 Author Share Posted January 12, 2013 I would not know, I'm always graceful and diplomatic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,554 Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 I may be missing the point of this thread, but I have fallen deeply in love with...Penny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted January 13, 2013 Author Share Posted January 13, 2013 Penny!*knock knock knock*Penny!*knock knock knock*Penny!*knock knock knock* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 If I were Sheldon I'd be knocking on Bernadette's [back] door instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted January 13, 2013 Author Share Posted January 13, 2013 She is hot!Love tiny geeky blonde women with glasses! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gkgyver 1,645 Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 Frodo doesn't feel off for me, I was actually surprised at just how much he resembles the FotR Frodo. Ian Holm though does feel off. The oddest thing is his completely pale lips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisAfonso 186 Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 As much as they tried to make up Holm as beginning-of-FotR-Bilbo, he reminds me more of the tired leaving-for-the-Grey-Havens-Bilbo than the lively old hobbit we met originally.Christopher Lee's Saruman, in comparison, seems to me just a bit more distant-minded, but mostly believable as being roughly of comparable age as in FotR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,211 Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 Holm was an older but good Bilbo to me. Lee was an old Lee, sadly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted January 13, 2013 Author Share Posted January 13, 2013 Lee was better then Holm.Its kinda sad that we are talking about this. Its not like they can do anything about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,211 Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 I thought Holm was better than Lee. He also narrated the entire sequence though, so he was already a part of it. With Lee I always saw him sitting in a green screen studio in England without any of the actors he interacted with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 If they're going to show the confrontation at Dol Guldur then they had no other option but to shoot Lee's scenes in the way they did. It'll be interesting to see how they handled any potential action stuff with him. But yeah, given the situation I am completely forgiving of the less than ideal artificiality surrounding Lee's participation and I'm just glad they managed to get him involved at all, in these expanded adaptions.I'll be even happier if he gets to see the trilogy completed on a screen of his choosing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick1Ø66 4,722 Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Christopher Lee I thought was better than Holm, who seemed awkward and not totally there to me. As far as that goes, I actually thought Lee was better than Elijah Wood as well, who seemed to have forgotten how to play Frodo and could have been on another planet.This is nitpicking though, they were all fine and the movie was a lot of fun, and I've developed a lot of affection for it.Blu-Ray coming in April, BTW:http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/01/16/first-details-of-the-hobbit-blu-rays-arrive/hobbit-blu-rays/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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