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Tuesday, December 18, 2012

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012, Peter Jackson)


Years after Smaug the dragon took over the Lonely Mountain, Gandalf and other 13 dwarves ask for Bilbo Baggins’s help to regain their land. Bilbo seemed to be reluctant at first but curiosity and lust for adventures took the upper hand.

My dear Frodo, you asked me once if I had told you everything there was to know about my adventures. Well, I can honestly say I’ve told the truth, I may not have told you all of it…(Bilbo)

Martin Freeman (Bilbo Baggins) and Andy Serkis (Gollum)

Because before Frodo, Bilbo had an extraordinary journey too. After enjoying living the epic battle against Sauron, many had asked for more. Peter Jackson, nicknamed the ‘hobbit’ by some of his coworkers on the set of The Lord of the Rings directed the prequel and offers us a wonderful film about faith, loyalty and courage (again). 

The landscapes look familiar: how nice to see the Shire and Rivendell again. And having Gandalf, Elrond, Saruman, Galadriel, and especially Gollum with his ‘Precious’ brings a smile to the fans. All of them took us back to the fantastic story of the ring. Hence, the real question is: isn’t the Hobbit more like a Lord of the Rings bonus than a whole project in itself?  

Time will tell. For my part, making An Unexpected Journey was not a mistake. Bilbo, the main character is very endearing and I must add Martin Freeman (Sherlock) plays the part with great humour. The dwarves were not my favourites but as the story evolves, I began to root for them. The problem lies in the huge success of the Rings trilogy and maybe some connections that are distracting the audience from focusing on the main plot. However, this is just the beginning and I really hope the two next films will prove that I was wrong to ask the question.

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