The Hobbit: A Long-Expected Film Response Post

[huinare]

This is probably going to run pretty long (the short version is "loved it, with caveats!").  In the interest of trying to make it ordered and coherent, I'm going to frame it as responses to characters.

Discussion and civil debate welcome.


Frodo and elderly Bilbo: I loved the interactions between them and how they occur just before Frodo runs off to meet Gandalf as is seen at the beginning of the Fellowship film.  They were characterized very well here.  And Shirish music. 

Erebor-era Bilbo: Freeman is great.  The only things I can find to complain about are due to the script, not the actor.  One of my favorite moments in The Hobbit is when Bilbo asserts himself when the roomful of Dwarves are dissing him in his own home: "I think I am right in believing that you think I am no good.  I will show you. " Where'd that go?  Also, the "deciding in angst to while on a mountain pass to go home before the quest is done" trope didn't become Samwise much, nor does it become Bilbo, although I did like the interaction with Bofur that that facilitated.  I'm not sure how I feel about Bilbo fighting goblins and orcs: later on, it will have taken all the power away from the scene where he first kills a spider and names his blade.

Dwarves and the Erebor flashback: I never really gave Dale a second thought, but they envisioned it beautifully!  Erebor was vast and astounding, the dragon attack totally drove home visually how terrible and event this was, and as a Dwarf fan I loved seeing a bunch of them not being comic relief (did I see a Dwarf woman or two in there?).  The wide shot of the refugees trudging away was the first of many moments where I might possibly have misted up.

Thranduil: I'm not sure what to make of this Thorin-Thranduil drama.  On one hand, it will give an interesting and solid backstory to the later scenes in the Elvenking's realm, but...why was Thranduil coincidentally there with a huge group of Elves just when the dragon came on?  I was so busy studying him and his elk that I didn't notice how the Elves were garbed: were they an army, or a ridiculously large diplomatic envoy?  Why were they there, right then?

Gandalf: Good old Gandalf.  Sir Ian is wonderful as always, and I didn't find Gandalf to suffer from the scripting problems I perceive around Bilbo.  It was great to see Gandalf the Grey again, smoking and drinking and hitting his head on the chandelier and opening a can of whoop-ass on the goblin town.  I loved his reference to the Ithryn Luin. I love the line, "Maybe because I am afraid, and he gives me courage." Excuse me while I possibly mist up again for a moment. 

Balin: I want to hug Balin.  He is adorable and wise.

Fili and Kili: I know everyone is all about them, but I really hardly noticed them.

Dori: This chap is so genteel and kind, bringing everybody tea and/or booze!  I love him.  This is a good time to say I loved the unexpected party in its entirety.  It was riotous and tense and sombre by turns, and the Misty Mountains song will never stop being gorgeous.  I do kind of miss the trailer verson of the song, however.

Ori: Here's where I was particularly let down.  Ori is the Dwarf who writes in the fair Elvish hand in the Book of Mazarbûl.  I conceive of him as an intellectual, and the film's promo images tended to have him carrying a book; I just assumed PJ was going to bear out my own interpretation. But actually, as it turns out, Ori seems particularly stupid. 

Bofur: Cheerfully pedantic in the face of danger and destruction.  Love him.  I'm going to come back to Thorin later.

The Necromancer: Eh?  I guess he was there for one second..

Radagast: It's no secret by now that I love wizards more than just about anything.  Radagast was arguably the character I was most looking forward to in this film.  From the last trailer, I thought I'd love him.  I even thought he'd be very much as I imagine him in my headcanon.  And he was, yet he wasn't, by which I mean if he'd been toned down several notches I'd have adored him.  As it was, he seemed too much like, well, a caricature of himself. The hedgehog scene, which I thought from the trailer was going to be rather poignant and serious, was kind of ruined by his repeated comical squawkings and admonitions.  Also, I realize we're to understand that Radagast is at one with nature and oblivious to all else, but can't he at least get that massive clod of bird dookie out of his hair?  Please?
But he ventured into Dol Guldûr, good on him!  I can't figure out yet if I like Sledge Lagomorph or if I just find it hokey, but I do like how this Radagast took initiative in several ways, including trying to lead enemies away from the company (where on earth did he go after that?).  And he did manage to make bunny sleighs seem strangely badass.  I'm still trying to figure out how he got the rabbit sledge over the Misty Mountains in so short a time, though.

Elrond and RIvendell: I have to admit, running into Imladris suddenly via a precipitous secret path and meeting Lord Elrond's Orc-hunting party is a lot more dignified than tra-la-la-lally.  I enjoyed getting another look at Rivendell, especially that cool platform bordered by waterfalls where Elrond reads the moon letters. At this point I had to wonder whether the writers weren't just trying to make Thorin seem like a huge douche in his constant suspicion of all Elves, because Elrond was so very civil and mild in greeting him.  I never thought I'd live to see Elrond hug Gandalf.  Mr. Half-elven seems much lighter of heart in this film.  I quite liked him.

Galadriel: She's Galadriel.  Blanchett has always fit the role well.  People seemed a bit overawed by her; I found that overdone.

Saruman and the White Council: Readers can thank Saruman for the fact that I'm in this fandom, as it was an interest in his character that originally made me look deeper into Tolkien's arcana; there was no going back from there.  It's rather bittersweet for me, probably more of the former, to revisit Christopher Lee's Saruman.  I loved how a brief flourish of the Orcthanc theme introduced him.  Go Howard Shore.  It was amusing when he started rambling pedantically about how Radagast eats too many mushrooms because I could totally see that happening, but all in all the White Council scene seemed rushed and stilted, and the characters all left me unconvinced in that scene.  Maybe I was too busy disapproving of Saruman's beard, which apparently went virtually all white in the course of 60 years.  I'm not sure if there are any further plans for the White Wizard to appear in either upcoming installment, and I'd have liked to see a bit more depth of character there since this is supposedly the era when he's switching allegiances, but given Mr. Lee's declining health I understand if that's not happening. 

Stone giants: They're not characters per se, but I'm including them because I found that thunder battle boring.  We could have done with more Rivendell time, instead of this.

The Great Goblin: His voice and expressions were good.  I'm not sure why he looked like he was part cave troll.  Can cave trolls and orcs breed now?  I did find the goblin town strangely frightening, but the visuals were so packed and overwhelming that I'd need to see it again to grasp why. 

Gollum: I'm torn about how they introduced Gollum (as I am about the drastic tweaking of the 'Over Hill & Under Hill' and 'Riddles in the Dark' chronology).  I wish they hadn't done away with the iconic image of his eyes glowing ever nearer out of the darkness, and of that being Bilbo's first impression of him; showing him first in full light seemed kind of like a cop-out.  On the other hand, Gollum stepping on and then dragging the Orc's half-dead body onto his rock was truly scary and showed us that this creature is not by any means helpless.  He seemed a bit overdone during the riddles, not quite dark and strange enough.  I found it very effective when invisible Bilbo was hesitating over whether to kill Gollum, with Sting drawn right in front of the latter's darting eyes: 'twas well done.

Wargs: I was glad they looked less hyena-like this time around.  For serious.

Azog:I've put him near the end because his mutual vendetta with Thorin is such a driving force in both the plot, and in Thorin's portrayal.  I'm not sure what I think of that.  On the one hand, I actually found Azog interesting, but long-standing vendettas between warriors is not the most original plot device.  Plus, the Thorin in the book has plenty of life experiences and motives that make him a compelling character; did we really need to add this Azog drama?  I think it's insulting in a way to Thorin Oakenshield to bring this character and subplot in, or at any rate I certainly do not doubt that he would find it so.  The implications of Azog are also huge for the debate about the merits of making original characters integral to the plot (or, in this case, expanding drastically a character mentioned in a few appendix sentences).
All of this literary stuff aside, I have to admit I thought Azog was an effective and imposing bad guy.  I tend to prefer my villains more subtle and less warlike, but this dude was so creepy and daunting in that scene with his pale lounging warg and his terrified underling that I can't help liking him. 

Thorin: What's one to say?  Armitage is a very attractive chap and his acting is wonderful.  I liked this Thorin as a character, though I have reservations about changing him so much from the book.  He's stubborn and proud and intelligent, like he is in the book, but the sort of pedantic and righteous air I get from the character when reading is quite absent here.  Don't get me wrong, I like broody characters, and I don't think he was butchered (as the Gondorians were in the LotR films).  It just seemed to me like there was a bit going on in the way of trying to make him more action hero, since a grouchy old Dwarf will not draw in most fangirls.  His Elf-phobia also seemed excessive, and this is coming from someone who is much more apt to fault Elves for Dwarf-phobia.  I've mixed feelings on the conflict with Mr. Baggins; it makes sense to play that up and it lends the characters both depth and pathos, but now it's seemingly mitigated and there's two film yet to go.  On the other hand, making Thorin come to like and respect Bilbo this early on will make it all the more brutal and wrenching for everybody involved when Bilbo steals his Arkenstone!
To end this all on a glowing note, one would be hard pressed to argue that Thorin hugging Bilbo against a beautiful scenic backdrop isn't something worth watching.