The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

[Jackalope]

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First a little background: I'm a huge fan of Tolkien, I first read "The Hobbit" years ago when I was 9 or 10, and "Lord of the Rings" several years later, and have re-read both many times. I enjoyed Jackson's film adaptation of LotR immensely, despite some significant story and character departures from the novel, as well as some omissions (The Old Forest / House of Tom Bombadil / Fog on the Barrow Downs, Scouring of the Shire, amongst others). Some material had to be redacted, and changes to the story line were necessary to accommodate.

I don't necessarily expect a film adaptation of a beloved novel to be completely faithful - and I generally view films with that in mind. Directors are going to wish to leave their own creative mark on film adaptations, and I view their work with that in mind.

With that in mind...

I've now seen the film twice, the first in 2D, the second time in HFR 3D (48fps). Having seen both versions, I wish they had released a 2D HFR version - I generally find stereoscopic 3D to be a distraction and somewhat "gimmicky". This film was no exception. The HFR aspect was interesting - after a lifetime of viewing films at 24 frames per second along with the blur in action scenes, the crisp and fluid motion at 48 fps took a little getting used to but I grew to appreciate it shortly into the film. I look forward to seeing what the format will bring us in the future. (I'll note that it took some getting used to the added resolution of HDTV.)

"An Unexpected Journey", first of 3 films, covers chapters "An Unexpected Party" through "Out of the Frying-Pan Into the Fire", along with new material to weave the story of the Necromancer in Dol Guldur and an introduction that told the story of Thrain's kingdom at Erebor and it's fall. In addition, some material was added to tie the story to the LotR timeline, which I think was a good call for viewers who haven't read the books.

If I was to say that the film was a faithful adaptation of the book, I would be lying - though much of what was changed or added was fairly well done.

All in all, I enjoyed the film and look forward to the next two installments.

The remainder of this post contains spoilers.

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One of the major departures from the film were the goblin and wargs that attacked the company after their escape from Goblin-town. In the film, the goblins are led by the pale orc Azog the Defiler, who killed the dwarven king Thror I (father of Thrain II, grandfather of Thorin Oakenshield (leader of the company of dwarves in The Hobbit) when the dwarves exiled from Erebor attempted to retake Moria. After Thror was I slain and beheaded, Thorin fought Azog, chopping off his left hand and eventually driving the goblin forces back into Moria (and presumed to have died of his wounds by Thorin).

I understand Jackson's need to provide a primary antagonist for the film, however, his choice of Azog was unfortunate and guaranteed to piss off Tolkien purists. In Middle-earth lore, Azog was slain by Nain son of Dain at the east gate of Moria in the Battle of Azanulbizar years before the events in "The Hobbit". Azog was only briefly mentioned in the novel.

Despite the departures from lore, many of the scenes were very well done. The adaptation of "An Unexpected Party", which told the story of the unexpected arrival of the company of dwarves on Bilbo Baggins' doorstep, and the impromptu dinner party that followed was very well done in the spirit of the novel. The film's version gives us a much greater dimensional view into the lives of dwarves than we saw in LotR, and retained much of the lighthearted feel of the chapter, down to the singing of the song from the novel "That's What Bilbo Baggins Hates".

Likewise, the portrayal of one of the most important events in the book - the finding of the One Ring and the riddle game between Bilbo and Gollum from the chapter "Riddles In The Dark" - was brilliantly done.

Throughout the novel, Gandalf the Grey departs the company for reasons of his own that are not revealed. In other Tolkien writings, we learn that Gandalf was dealing with a second threat, the rise of the "Necromancer" in the abandoned fortress of Dol Guldur in Mirkwood. In "An Unexpected Journey", that beginnings of that storyline are woven into the main story. We don't learn the full nature of the threat in Dol Guldur, but the stage is set for the next installment.

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