The Hobbit , an Unexpected movie?

Well the first Hobbit movie is here and I went to see it first thing Friday morning. There was a father who had his child out of school to see the early show Friday. I say a fond kudos to that dad for being pretty damn awesome!

Anyway...........

The Hobbit part 1, or An Unexpected Journey

As mentioned in a previous post, the Hobbit is a big deal and influence for me, so how did it stack up?

I'll simply run a bit of pro/con here. I will make a sweeping guess that anyone reading this has read the novel. This way I can skip the plot rundown and just cover the important stuff. If you have not read the novel, then shame on you! Go read it!

PROS

These are not the Tolkein dwarves. These are all the archetype dwarves gamers now and love. They are also armed to the teeth and capable warriors. They are not just a bunch of guys off to take on a dragon with nothing but ponies, a hobbit and songs for weapons.

We get an explanation of what happened to Erebor, the Dwarven homeland they are returning to claim, and that was cool. It was something I didn't expect.

Thorin is the new Aragorn.

There was plenty of Smaug teasing and that was titillating! The third movie is where I want to be now, as it has all my favorite book parts there.

There is a better job with the source material here than in the Lord o' movies. Lines are not given to other to make it sound better. That isn't to say there were not some changes to the plot and script though, but they were ok.

The scene with Gollum (Riddles in the Dark) was everything hoped for.

There is a lot more action in here than the novel, and it did help keep the pace going.

Goblin Town, the battling stone giants fully imagined and the eagle rescue I thought were all great!

The scenery is majestic and beautiful like the previous Lord o' movies.

They added in the songs from the novel in some shape and form.

They are covering the "Rise of the Necromaner" stuff and that will be interesting to see, since it is drek to read.

Thankfully the Rivendell stuff wasn't drawn out as I can take only so much elf pomp and pretty. Plus Elrond always has me saying,"Mr. Anderson." every time he finishes a sentence.

The 48 frame rate speed that so many people are complaining about, was not an issue. Maybe it is more bothersome during the 3D screenings.

CONS

Way too much CGI. There are some monsters and creatures that need that treatment. However, not all monsters and creatures need that treatment.

Azo the Defiler looked really fake.

The Goblin King has swinging testicle chin and that was really bothersome.

They are covering the "Rise of the Necromaner" stuff and that adds another full movie to this story. It was drek to read about, so will it be better or more importantly necessary?

The scenery is majestic and beautiful like the previous Lord o' movies, but it felt a bit recycled at times.

There is a lot more action in here than the novel, and it felt a bit like heavy handed foreshadowing. Gee...I wonder who will be leading the goblin and orc contingent for the Battle of Five Armies? Hmmmm.......

Thorin is the new Aragorn.

They added in the songs from the novel in some shape and form.

They are forcing this to be a Lord o' prequel, which I knew. However, I was surprised at just how much they were making this a Lord o' prequel.

If you are a fan of the Lord o' stuff then you'll like this too. If you are a die hard Hobbit fan, you will probably be fine with what has been presented so far. If you are a casual fantasy fan, you should be satisfied. If you disliked or were annoyed with the Lord o' stuff, then stay away. This will feel too familiar in a bad way.

I dug this movie, but I am a bit biased. It didn't anger me too much and warmed the small remaining cockle of my heart at times. There was a ton of sense memory for me during this film and that just added to the enjoyment. Yes there were some issues, but they are mostly on the film making side and not the story or acting side. It has a bit of a bridge episode feeling, but that is because it is. The big action takes place later in the novel. Everything until we get there is journey and fun fantasy filler. I eagerly await the other two films as there is more of Middle Earth I can't wait to see fully imagined.