Guys, guys guys, you have no idea how much I have missed writing for this blog! I'll be having quite a few adventures in the next few weeks, so you'll be seeing more exciting stuff here on le blog.
But now on to the task at hand. THE HOBBIT.
In short, oh my God, you guys it was so good I can't even.
But here's the long version.
So I've waited eight years for The Hobbit. I was six when I first watched Lord of the Rings ( I had an older brother), and now we're finally getting the rest of the story. And as the previews started rolling in the theater that fateful Saturday afternoon, I thought to myself "Was eight years worth it?"
Um. Yes. Yes. YESYESYESYESYES. Oh my gosh yeeeeeeeeees.
Mind the incorrect grammar, but yes, the film was amazing. I am happy to say that I enjoyed every single frame, even if they weren't being projected at a higher rate than normal.
Okay, let's see here.
1. I really enjoyed how much the film ties into Lord of the Rings, and still remains it's own separate thing. The continuity is incredible. However, the tone is lighter than that of it's predecessors, which works, because the Hobbit is lighter than Lord of the Rings in book form as well.
2. If you've never seen Martin Freeman playing one of your favorite literary characters (and you do have a variety to choose from), you're missing out. Because I have yet to see a role he has played and I haven't genuinely liked his performance. Bilbo Baggins is no exception. He completely manages to carry of this giant of a film. And there are tons of other characters reprising their roles as well. There is no bad performance in this film.
3. Soundtrack is perfect, as is expected of the extremely talented Howard Shore. New themes are laid down, as well as some throwbacks to the also perfect Lord of the Rings soundtrack.
4. The pacing is absolutely perfect. I was never once bored through the three hours of the movie and that's saying quite a lot since I haven't taken medication in..........three years.
5. Even though this is only part 1 of the film, it feels like a cohesive thing by itself. My main problem with split adaptations is that part 1 feels like nothing but buildup and part 2 feels like a lengthy explosion. This feels like a movie, not a buildup. Points.
6. It's a faithful adaptation while adding in stuff from the appendices found at the back of Return of the King and some thing to make it a little more cinematic, but everything is straight from the book, including most of the dialog.
But maybe the best thing of The Hobbit is that it feels like coming home to somewhere you've forgotten about. There's no denying that it's been quite a long time since there have been Hobbits in the movie theater. But this feels like a welcome return back to Middle Earth, and I for one enjoyed it a lot.
And I definitely did not cry when the opening credits rolled, thank you very much.
-Randi
