You may remember that I read this book first when I was sixteen and again a few weeks ago in anticipation of this movie. So last night, like a meshuga, I went to the midnight (12:01am to be precise) opening of the film with my daughter and her boyfriend.
Let’s forget that I was absolutely the oldest person in that theater. Let’s also forget that I don’t think anyone in that theater was alive when I first read the book. But someone remind me, if I ever decide to do a midnight premier, why I was the oldest in that theater – a forty-seven year-old is not meant to stay awake until 4am (well, except we got a view of the meteor shower upon our departure of the theater and time hanging with my daughter) – ’nuff said.
Now the movie – how is it? Look, if you’re a fan of the series, you’re going to go. There’s no doubt about it. You will probably enjoy it too. If you’re not a fan of the series, you probably won’t go, so don’t bother reading this. If you’re the person who never read the book and goes, well I’ll be interested to hear what you think about this movie especially in comparison to The Fellowship of the Ring, pace and timing.
Did I enjoy it? Well, I’m reserving that final decision until I see it again next week with Chris, hopefully at a well-rested time in the afternoon. I personally don’t think it’s fair to condemn or applaud something after I’ve been awake for 18 hours already – my mind is not as sharp. But here are the “issues/comments” I have, and I’m noting them here to see if I still have them after my second viewing.
- The story is not 100% accurate to the book in plot line. Now I get this, the book is much shorter than the combined Lord of the Rings Trilogy and yet Peter Jackson has determined it must be broken into three movies, which means we need material to fill in that extra space. He accomplishes this (so far – remember this is only the first of three movies) by showing us the back-story of the dwarves (not a bad thing), as well as filling in information about things barely mentioned in the book (e.g., the Necromancer). I’m curious as to where he garnered his ideas for this fill-in. Chris bought me the Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”
for Chanukah, and I’m hoping to get some confirmation that Jackson kept to Tolkien’s original intent by reading that.
- The character development isn’t 100% accurate to the book plot line either. For example, an entire storyline has been added which I believe makes Thorin Oakenshield to be a bit more heroic and a bit less “dickish” then I thought he appeared in the book. I’m curious to see how this plays out.
- I don’t know if it was the sound in our theater or the sound editing in general (I tend to think it was the former) but the voices seemed muffled in comparisons to the rest of the effects. If it’s the latter, well, that sucks.
- Some of the scenes, but for the change in characters, seemed copied exactly from the Fellowship of the Ring as to angle, location and cinematography – deja vu all over again.
- I’m wondering if the pacing is slower than I would want/expect or if it was just the late hour.
I guess that’s all my sleep-deprived brain can cobble together right now. Hoping nothing I’ve said dissuades you from seeing the film and I’m curious to hear others opinions of it as you see it at more godly hours.
