GENRE: Fantasy/Adventure
RATING:
PG-13 for intense action violence
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 49 minutes
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 49 minutes
STARRING:
Martin Freeman (BBC’s Sherlock & The
Office)
Ian
McKellan (LOTR, X-Men) Richard
Armitage (Captain America)
DIRECTOR:
Peter Jackson (LOTR, King Kong, The
Lovely Bones)
WRITERS:
Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson (LOTR)
Guillermo
del Toro (Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth)
PLOT:
Bilbo Baggins joins a group of dwarves trying to reclaim their stolen home from
a dragon.
FIVE OBSERVATIONS:
1
I understand the complaints surrounding Jackson’s three film decision and the
fact that the first film covers only six chapters, but the overall length of
the first installment did not bother me as much as I thought it would. Sure, it
does drag a bit in the very beginning when Bilbo is making his decision to join
the adventure, but after that, it moves along at a pretty good pace.
2
Freeman does a stellar job as young Bilbo Baggins. I have always loved his work
and it’s great that more people will see how wonderful he is. While Frodo got a
little tiresome, Bilbo is a breath of fresh air. Hope it lasts.
3
As a Lord of the Rings fan, its fun to see
all the familiar faces. I like that Jackson is trying his hardest to connect
the two stories as much as possible. I don’t like the birds however. What a deus
ex machina.
4
No
surprise, Gollum steals the show again. His scenes with Bilbo make the whole
wait worth it. I’ve missed that creepy little guy.
5
So I didn’t see it in 3D (bad eye) or the apparently infuriating 48 framerate
version. It was great in 2D, except the camera movements during the opening
exposition were a tad dizzying. I can’t imagine how the people watching the 3D
48 framerate felt during those scenes. Maybe that could account for some of the
mixed reviews.
RECOMMENDATION: Of course, see it in the theatre
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Hitchcock, Jack Reacher
2 comments:
Those birds are the source material's deus ex machina - Jackson and co. gave the characters more agency in that scene than Tolkien did.
I thought it was pretty good. Yes Freeman did a great job. But it just wasn't what I was hoping for. It strayed too far from the book and took on more of a disney feel than a LOTR feel. The original movies are just so grand and felt more medieval and 'epic' if you'll excuse the use of the term. This one was a little bit too CGI'd. I understand that the book was intended for children, but the film lacks the charm of the olde style the book had. Too many creative liberties were taken.
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