Spoilers ahead!
By now you've probably seen the new Tolkien movie adaptation of "The Hobbit." Peter Jackson takes the helm again in a new movie trilogy, bringing us back to Middle-earth for more excitement and adventure.
When it was announced that there would be three movies to one, the geek community had mixed reactions. Could it be a snooze fest? Would it be amazing? No one was sure.
However when "The Hobbit" debuted, it took in $84.4 million in its opening weekend.
I have to say it was an incredible movie experience, but I want to explore just how much padding Jackson actually put into the first movie.
Instead of going frame-by-frame, I'll give a general overview of what was added, and what was different.
The introductionAs usual in movie adaptations, a monologue introduces us to the plight of the Lonely Mountain and exodus of the dwarves from it. This is the first we see of Middle-earth, and Smaug is barely seen in his attacks. We know he's ash-colored, but that may have been from the surrounding smoke. This story is a compilation of mentions and short expositions by characters throughout the book.
Old Bilbo and young FrodoWe then find Bilbo penning his account of what we deem "The Hobbit," the day before his 111th birthday party. There is a great deal of added dialogue, and, yes, Elijah Wood appears as Frodo. Essentially the dialogue adds padding to the film and gives us some kind of time placement of the writing of the book. This is, again, total padding, but I was happy to see Frodo again, so I gave it a pass.
The Journey BeginsAfter the epic re-entry to Middle-earth we synch with the book, beginning Gandalf's dialogue with Bilbo Baggins. I have to say it was a great sight to see the Shire on the silver screen once more after all of these years.
One thing I want to mention is that nowhere have I seen hobbits actually look like the hobbits that Tolkien described, save for older folk seen in "Lord of the Rings." However, I still give it a pass because Elijah Wood and Martin Freeman are easier to root for when performing weird athletic feats as normal-looking people with big feet instead of rotund little creatures with a cartoonish look about them.
Failure to mention the Took family and fairy ancestryAnother important part (to me) that is missing is the Took family and their influence on hobbits. In the beginning of the book, Tolkien explains that hobbits don't really have any magic save for disappearing out of sight. He then goes on to describe Bilbo as unusual in that his mother, Belladona, may have been part fairy. This would have explained why Gandalf took interest in him as the "Burglar" for the operation. I always felt that it was implied that Bilbo's propensity to disappear was enhanced by his possible fairy ancestry. That combined with the Ring made him perfect for the job.
Thorin, Azog, and the WardrobeThe movie made a few more additions and alterations to the movie. For instance, the survival of Azog the Defiler. He's set up in the movie as the bad guy who wants to kill the dwarves for vengeance, however in the books he died at the hand of Dain during the battle outside of Moria (150 years before "The Hobbit" events take place). Dain was one of Thorin Oakenshield's relatives.
They see me TrollingWe see a close adaptation to the book events in the movie surrounding the trolls, save for a few changes. I didn't find the troll banter particularly funny, and apparently neither did the packed IMAX theater I was in.
We never get a true sense of danger that the crew could be eaten, because in the movie they never ate the ponies as they did in the book. That gruesome act solidified the danger of the trolls in the book, but we never actually got the feeling that these big creatures could be a threat, let alone related to the terrifying trolls we see in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
Radagast the multi-scened wizard, elves and SherlockThis was probably one of the most delightful inclusions in the movie. Radagast is only mentioned by Gandalf in "The Hobbit," but in the movie we get to see his home in Mirkwood and his propensity for animals, a rabbit-sled and his unusual face dressed with a line of bird droppings. Seriously, bird droppings from birds that live in his hat.
That said, Radagast is one of the lightest characters in the movie, and one of the most enjoyable. He also plays a direct role in helping the company escape from Azog's Warg Riders.
Another interesting scene was the inclusion of Bret McKenzie ("Flight of the Conchords") as an elf. He appears several times, and I am pretty sure no such elven character had those scenes in the book. It doesn't matter though, if you've ever listened to "Flight of the Conchords." If you have, you'll be rooting for Jemaine Clement to show up, as well.
Another interesting decision was to show Radagast going to Dol Guldur and seeing the Necromancer (who is Sauron, by the way.) The Necromancer is voiced and will be played by none other than Benedict Cumberbatch, who also voices Smaug.
There also seems to be an odd tension between the elves and dwarves, when none existed in the book.
White CouncilThen there is the additional (padded) scene in Rivendell where the White Council meets. This is (in my opinion) one of the very best scenes in the movie because even though it's an added scene and doesn't appear in the book, it is a very thoughtful addition to the overall story of Middle-earth movies. We see Saruman attempting to ignore the news and even a Morgol blade from the Witch-king of Angmar when it is set on the tab "The Hobbit" at all) and Elrond, and prompts Galadriel to hit on - I mean, offer Gandalf some help.
(Side note, I would love to have a three-hour movie in which Galadriel is the hero. Just saying.)
Gollum, the ring and the eagles
A noticeable change in how Bilbo found the ring was included. The movie depicts Gollum dropping the ring in his struggle with an unlucky goblin. Bilbo then picks up the ring and keeps it for himself. In the book this never happens, and we read that Bilbo simply found the ring in a dark part of the cave.
In the book, when Bilbo is being carried by the eagles, he's frightened but is reassured by the eagle carrying him. In Tolkien's books, the eagles are intelligent and speak. However in the movie version, the eagles do not speak. At least not yet. We still have two movies to go.
All this said, these weren't detractors from the movie but rounded it out and honestly helped the movie. If you've read this and haven't seen "The Hobbit" yet, you must go see it!
Check out Michael Smiths review of "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"
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