I found the mixed reaction to An Unexpected Journey a little surprising as, to me, it came across as a lot more faithful to the tone of J. R. R. Tolkien’s work than Peter Jackson’s own Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Even though I really liked LotR, what bothered me about Jackson’s treatment of it was that great wads of story were left out in favour of endless and tiresome action set pieces. Moments that originally may only have taken up a paragraph’s worth of material in Tolkien’s prose. So, with the decision to expand The Hobbit into three films instead of two, Jackson is proving that, had he had the chance to make nine LotR films, they probably would have been a lot more satisfying to the Tolkien purists.
Basically, The Hobbit feels like how LotR should have felt – like a travelogue. A sprawling collection of notes about a journey and the peoples encountered on that journey, with the odd sprinkling of peril thrown in.
The Desolation of Smaug starts off how I thought AUJ should have started off: with Gandalf and Thorin Oakenshield meeting at The Prancing Pony for the first time. However, the decision to move it to the second film does provide the audience with a reminder of what’s going on and why. A clever device, for sure, but it still feels a little strange tacked on to the start of this episode.
The first quarter or third of the film was enough of a mess to make me fear I was about to experience a repeat of the The Two Towers, but once the scenes with Beorn are out of the way, the film hits its stride perfectly. Boern is basically The Hobbit’s answer to Tom Bombadil from LotR, in that he’s a confusing character who doesn’t serve much purpose to the overall thrust of the story.
And a character who’s just bloody hard to bring to life on the screen.
The spider attack in Mirkwood forest made me turn away, just as I thought it would. Luckily, and I use that term very loosely, my failing eyesight cut out a lot of the really yucky stuff. The barrel riding sequence defied my bored expectations and won me over completely, providing a staggering rollercoaster ride of a chase without dragging its heals.
The mean elven king Thraduil, played with glee by Lee Pace, was marvellously devilish, and the addition of Evangeline Lilly as the spunky Tauriel to “girl-up” the testosterone-heavy cast was a brilliant choice. Luke Evans’ Bard is understandably given more to do on film, considering the key role he will be playing in the third film, and Evans carries the weight well. Such beefing up of the characters and plot is entirely justified, considering the very slender series of events and characterisations that appear in the actual book.
I was surprised to find Jackson and his team pinching amiably, but most likely unconsciously, from both Alien 3 and Ninja Scroll when it came to the dwarves tackling Smaug the dragon. I have no problem with this. The whole final section was a pleasant surprise of an adventure, that added yet more meat to a very raw bone.
I was expecting more of Martin Freeman in this one, but he’s yet again sidelined in what has now officially become The Richard Armitage Show. That’s not to say Freeman isn’t good, he just has a lot more to do that to say. This makes his character crucial but lacking the memorable lines and humour that the dwarf pack are blessed with. In fact, Bilbo is painted with much darker shades, now that he’s become a Ring Bearer, unaware of the trouble he’s found himself in until it’s too late. He’s a tragic figure here, even more so than Frodo, in that Bilbo has no idea what’s happening to him, whereas Frodo will.
So, yes, after an unassuming start, the film rises to the perfect pitch that An Unexpected Journey managed and gives those who felt Jackson raced through Lord of the Rings something to savour at last.
If you’re a true Tolkien fan, then ignore any negative or mixed reviews you may read from those who simply don’t get it.
You’ll love it.
Do stay in touch, darlings.
Toodles!
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