An Unexpected Journey
might as well describe the arduous process of bringing J.R.R. Tolkien's
celebrated novel, The Hobbit, to the
silver screen. The adaptation languished in development hell due to legal
entanglements and the dire financial straits of MGM, who were co-producing it
with New Line Cinema. While Peter Jackson stayed on as producer and co-writer
with collaborators Philippa Boyens and Frank Walsh, the directorial reins were
handed over to Guillermo Del Toro. However, after two years of pre-production
in New Zealand, Del Toro departed and Jackson returned as director. Not to
disparage the man's undeniable talents, but a fresh pair of eyes may have done
wonders for The Hobbit.
Jackson's remake of King
Kong received similar criticisms to his LOTR
prequel in that both were lambasted for being self-indulgent and overlong. Things
might have turned out differently had The
Hobbit been filmed first as originally intended. The novel was a
lighthearted adventure aimed at children whereas The Lord of the Rings was an expansive trilogy that weaved a rich
and incredibly complex mythology. Jackson and his team somehow took what was
necessary and jettisoned the extraneous to craft three pictures that stand as
remarkable cinematic achievements. Now that he's given the audience a taste of
mammoth spectacle, Jackson may have felt obliged to do the same with The Hobbit. The question remained how
Jackson would adapt one book and some extra material into a new trilogy.
Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) lives a simple and quiet life
that is interrupted upon the arrival of the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellan).
Gandalf practically shanghais Bilbo into a quest with a band of dwarves led by
Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage). They seek to take back their kingdom of
Erebor from the dragon Smaug that drove them from their land and treasure years
ago. Along the way, they are pursued by a bloodthirsty Orc named Azog the
Defiler (Manu Bennett), who killed Thorin's father during a battle at the gates
of Moria.
It's truly wonderful to return to the world of Middle-Earth
as envisioned by Peter Jackson. Once the nostalgia fades, you realize just how
laborious the story is. The Hobbit
takes its time introducing the protagonists and Bilbo doesn't embark on his
adventure until about half an hour. Characters given only a passing reference
in the book, such as Azog and Radagast the Brown (Sylvester McCoy), are expanded
upon for the movie. The quest itself takes numerous detours including an
interminable stop at Rivendell where Gandalf seeks council with Elrond (Hugo
Weaving) and Galadriel (Cate Blanchett). The majority of the sequence doesn't
advance the plot, but merely serves as a setup for later installments. There's
also a scene depicting the elderly Bilbo (Ian Holm) and Frodo (Elijah Wood) set
just before the events of Fellowship of
the Ring that should have been reserved for the Extended Edition Blu-ray. Jackson
threatens an additional twenty minutes of footage for that version.
Freeman's Sherlock co-star Benedict Cumberbatch receives a prominent credit for playing Smaug and the Necromancer. Yet, he doesn't appear at all or speak a single line.
Freeman's Sherlock co-star Benedict Cumberbatch receives a prominent credit for playing Smaug and the Necromancer. Yet, he doesn't appear at all or speak a single line.
While Jackson may not be the most judicious writer, he does
have a remarkable eye for action. There's a scene where two mountains come to
life and clash against the backdrop of a torrential thunderstorm with Bilbo and
the dwarves helplessly caught in the middle like insects. Another sees the
heroes fight their way through an underground goblin den.
Despite the inordinate runtime, the large company of dwarves
are hardly flesh out save for Thorin though most get a smidgeon of personality.
Owing to a lack of doom and gloom, Gandalf is a less portentous character in
the prequel. He's a little looser and more whimsical, allowing McKellan to have
some fun with him. The same goes for Hugo Weaving as Elrond. The real star of The Hobbit is Martin Freeman who is
perfectly cast as the unlikeliest of heroes. Freeman has great comic timing and
the right amount of nervous reluctance. Even with all the amazing set pieces,
the highlight of The Hobbit is the
sequence where Bilbo and Gollum (Andy Serkis) challenge each other to a game of
riddles. These scenes run the gamut of emotions from humorous to frightening. A
lot of that is owed to both the performance of Freeman as well as Serkis with
an assist from the motion capture artists. Technology has grown to allow Gollum
a more expressive and ghoulish visage.
Speaking of technology, The
Hobbit is the first feature film shot at 48-frames per second (aka High
Frame Rate), which is double the industry standard. Thus, audiences have the
choice to see it in plain old 2D, regular 3D, HFR 3D, IMAX 3D, and HFR IMAX 3D.
I saw The Hobbit first in 2D in order
to avoid any visual distractions. That would be my preferred format. The HFR
version features exceptionally clear picture quality and a far more defined
depth of field for the 3D. On the other hand, the resolution is so sharp that
the movie looks more like a high definition broadcast of a theatrical play. There
are times when the characters move as if they are on fast forward. I haven't
mentioned the eyestrain it caused me from time to time. Maybe when James
Cameron shoots Avatar 2 and 3 at 60FPS the tech will have improved,
but for now HFR should be considered a work in progress.
After shooting Star
Wars in 1977, George Lucas didn't return to the director's chair until he filmed
The Phantom Menace over twenty years
later. Fans immediately decried the prequels as drivel that emphasized special
effects over genuine emotion. The Hobbit:
An Unexpected Journey certainly isn't as awful as any of the Star Wars prequels, but it hardly holds
a glowing blue sword to the Lord of the
Rings trilogy. The Hobbit simply
didn't need to be told on such a grand scale.
Rating: *** (*****)
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