The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey [2012]
Directed by: Peter Jackson
Written by: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Guillermo del Toro. Based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Starring: Martin Freeman, Cate Blanchett, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Lee Pace, Ian Holm, Hugo Weaving, Christopher Lee, Andy Serkis
I’m not a Lord of the Rings fan. My introduction to J.R.R. Tolkien’s saga, 2001’s The Fellowship of the Ring, is the only entry in the series I can say I’ve truly enjoyed. I think these films, together, are the most overrated, overblown franchise in film history.
I had no desire to see yet another Tolkien adaptation by Peter Jackson, but the film geek in me wanted to witness the first film to use the 48-frames per second 3D technology. I’m happy to say that it’s not a gimmick, and the look of the movie benefits greatly from this technique, which makes the images clearer, crisp and the movement more fluid.
However, good looks will only get you so far. The Hobbit has nothing else to offer. This, along with Avatar, is probably the biggest waste of budget I’ve ever been subject to. Even for the first film in a trilogy, the one supposed to set up the story, nothing at all happens (except for a string of mindless, uneventful fights). The cheesy, silly tone is grating and the 169-minute runtime is excruciatingly difficult to sit through.
I wanted to leave the theater, and I came very close a couple of times, but I stuck it out as a sign of respect for my wallet. I want to like every movie I see, because I value my time and my money, so I say this not to raise controversy, but because I truly feel it: this is the worst movie I’ve seen all year and one of the worst I’ve seen, ever. I’m aware that very few (if any) will agree with me, but I just can’t get in the LOTR bandwagon, especially not after this New Zealand-set turd. Just torture.
Wow, man. I know you didn’t like it but that is one severe beating! If it ain’t your thing, it ain’t your thing 🙂
You do know it’s a documentary though, right?
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LOL
A documentary about the shooting in NZ would be far more interesting, I think! haha and yeah, it was definitely not my thing.
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Oh, I’m glad I’m not the only one who isn’t a fan of the Lord of the Rings. I enjoy them, but I don’t think they’re anywhere near as good as everyone says. Regardless, I know I will see this but I can’t help but think it looks really cartoonish. Nice review.
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Thanks, it is cartoonish but not for its looks actually but for its very silly tone, which clearly I didn’t like. Also, it was just extremely boring.
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Oh my! You feel about the Hobbit exactly how I feel about Cloud Atlas 🙂
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We all have one (or a few) movie we can’t understand the love for. This is mine. It was almost physically painful to get through it for me.
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Your feelings about LOTR mirror mine about the Star Wars franchise, which is going to be milked even further by Disney in the not-too-distant future. I won’t be spending any money going to see that rubbish, so I can empathise with your review on that score. I really enjoyed The Hobbit, although I recognised a few flaws. I’m hoping Peter Jackson ups his game in the next two films, because the book deserves a great adaptation.
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Thanks, Andy! Glad that you understand, even if you don’t agree 🙂 Appreciate it!
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Amen! Haven’t seen it yet but, boy, do I hate the Lord of the Rings movies. I’m really iffy about sitting through 3 hours of the same horrible crap but I’m masochistic like that.
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Hahaha. Skip it, please.
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Way, way too long, but that was expected (and there are two more movies!). Not convinced on 48 fps, looks beautiful but gets very weird in action. I guess that’s just how I feel and accepted it as. Good review.
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Thanks, Dan. It WAS way too long and while I actually liked the 48 fps, it tends to look weird and too fast at times.
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Harsh words! I’ve just got back from seeing The Hobbit and I enjoyed it, plus I’m a fan of the LOTR trilogy. It is interesting to read a review from someone who is so in the other camp regarding these films.
I understand your points though, especially regarding the silly, comic tone. I didn’t mind it but can see how it could grate.
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Hahaha, yes, “so in the other camp” would be a perfect way to describe it. Thanks for understanding even if you don’t agree.
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Woah dude, brutal review. Have heard relatively average reviews all round so far. Still hasn’t opened here yet, and I’m not sure if I will even see it after all the dramas with the animal deaths. But will let you know my thoughts after it happens.
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Haha, thanks, I guess? I couldn’t help it all this mean-ness came out of me like lava, haha. As you can see, I didn’t like this at all. I’d love to hear your take once and if you see it!
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“I think these films, together, are the most overrated, overblown franchise in film history.”
YESS!!!! YES YES YES YESS!!!! ONE PERSON HAS SIDED WITH ME!!!!
I did really enjoy the Lord of the Rings trilogy, as written by J.R.R. Tolkien. The films were varying, for me, but the only entry I can actually understand earning a Best Picture nomination is The Two Towers. The Hobbit was written several years before the trilogy’s inception, it’s a children’s book (unlike the rest of the trilogy), it’s 300-something pages, and it’s pretty slow (I can’t remember if I ever finished it), so I wouldn’t expect it to work out all that well as a film (or three). I did promise to, like, everybody that I would see The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey when it came to home video. But if that weren’t the case, you’d have given me an aversion to it already.
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Thanks. And I really hope you enjoy it much more than I did when you eventually see it.
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BEST REVIEW EVER! The Hobbit, like LOTR generally, is so boring!
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LOL, I can sesnse your enthusiasm from here. Glad you liked my review 😉
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