The Hobbit

[ged]

Almost forty years ago, after years of being bullied by my (then) partner, I finally gave up the unequal struggle and started to read The Lord of the Rings.

By the end of chapter one I'd never been so bored in all my life, and I never got any further.

Just in case you're wondering, I routinely read three or four books in a week and I'm currently near the end of the seventh volume of Churchill's biography.

 

[muffinski]

More middle earth good stuff, bring it on I say!

 

[sandbender]

I probably will watch the third, however unlike the LOTR I won't fork out for a directors cut, instead I will wait for some aspiring young editor to splice together all the films into one, removing the gratuitous chase scenes, panning overhead shots of people running across bridges, hobbit/elf flirtations and watch that instead.

 

[Qwerty]

I will not be seeing this film. I loath what Jackson, dubbed "Hackson" by fans of Tolkien, has done to Tolkien's work. I enjoyed the Lord of the Rings, but have slowly come to dislike many aspects of those films. I saw the first Hobbit film and was so disappointed that I have not seen DoS, nor will I see this third instalment.

It's a cold and calculated, cgi-fest cash grab. Shame.

I concur 100%. Started out with such high hopes way back and it just turned into another CGI fest, merchandise spinning monstrosity. Less is more with Tolkien.

 

[THOaken]

Almost forty years ago, after years of being bullied by my (then) partner, I finally gave up the unequal struggle and started to read The Lord of the Rings.

By the end of chapter one I'd never been so bored in all my life, and I never got any further.

Just in case you're wondering, I routinely read three or four books in a week and I'm currently near the end of the seventh volume of Churchill's biography.

Your opinion of the first few chapters of the book are not unfounded, actually. I too found them a little dull. I love the detail involved in those earlier chapters, but it takes a while to get used to Tolkien's style. Many people I suspect have been turned off by those first few chapters. You have to stick with it though.

 

[THOaken]

I concur 100%. Started out with such high hopes way back and it just turned into another CGI fest, merchandise spinning monstrosity. Less is more with Tolkien.

And I couldn't agree more with that last statement of yours. Less is definitely more. I just cannot fathom why Jackson decided to stretch the novel out so much. It's just nonsense filler from what I've heard. It's depressing.

 

[Imagedude]

I'll watch for free when it appears on Sky Movies, it's just a bit of fantasy fun, nothing to get upset about.

 

[Wayland]

Enjoyed the LOTR trilogy on film and paper. Probably because I understood a lot of JRRT's cross references.

The Hobbit would have made a decent film.

Three films ? . . .

 

[Clouston98]

I'll watch for free when it appears on Sky Movies, it's just a bit of fantasy fun, nothing to get upset about.

This for me too.

 

[THOaken]

I'll watch for free when it appears on Sky Movies, it's just a bit of fantasy fun, nothing to get upset about.

Some people care about Tolkien's vision. You're right, it's just a fantasy, but it matters to some extent in those circles. It's a matter of respect. Jackson is butchering Tolkien's lore. You wouldn't tell Christopher Tolkien it's "nothing to get upset about", would you?

 

[Hibrion]

It is worth noting that supplementary material has been added from other Tolkien writings to make the three films. Of course things have to be changed for film, Tolkien himself said that. While I don't agree with all the changes made, it in no way 'ruins' any of Tolkien's stories for me

The reason why I enjoy works from Tolkien's so much universe is that the stories were written to occupy a world already created, which was in turn created to explain the languages Tolkien had created. As a historian and ancient linguist I like to get lost in the detail that some find too heavy. I understand how they feel, I stopped reading the LOTR after the first few chapters as a teenager and it took it up again later in life.
That being said, the Hobbit is a lovely book that is easily read by anyone, since it was supposed to be a children's book from the Tolkien universe. I think PJ has brought in other material to flesh out the story and make it appeal more to adults and fans of the LOTR.

Part of the joy of reading ancient epic and sagas is looking at the different versions and how they changed as they were passed through time. I think PJ and his writing team have earned their place in Tolkien history with their re-telling of the story. They certainly attracted younger generations towards the works of Tolkien, which, regardless of their medium is never a bad thing.

P.S. I still can't wait to see a war between dwarves, elves, men, orcs and wargs!

 

[Clouston98]

Some people care about Tolkien's vision. You're right, it's just a fantasy, but it matters to some extent in those circles. It's a matter of respect. Jackson is butchering Tolkien's lore. You wouldn't tell Christopher Tolkien it's "nothing to get upset about", would you?

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle-earth_Enterprises

It states here that the rights were sold. So it's not legally his anymore it's it?

 

[Col.Decker]

Can't wait for the hobbit pt3. Love them all, both hobbit films so far and the LOTRs extended versions, I can't get enough of them.

Though I haven't read the books so I've no preconceived ideas about what is right or wrong re book vs. film. So I can enjoy the films on their own merit.

A victory for laziness!!!

 

[Realbark]

Im a big Tolkein fan. The films arent true to the the books by any means, but so what? Enjoy them for what they are - cgi n all. Its all good escapist entertainment. Dont get hung up on comparisons to his writings. The Hobbit (part one) wasnt great but it was watchable, the trailer for the Five Armies looks good to me so ill be watching it at the flicks

 

[Lupis]

Someone once described the first Hobbit film to me as Carry On Dwarves, and having seen it I knew exactly what he meant. Didn't bother watching the 2nd film.
I hated what Jackson did to the LOTR films, not so much the cuts but the changing bits for changes sake, that just annoyed me. The one that really got me was
Faramir not letting Frodo and Sam go but dragging them back towards Minas Tirith and then at the fight at Osgiliath he sees Frodo walk up to and just about give
the first Nazgul he sees the one ring... which somehow changes his mind and makes him think it's a good idea to let Frodo wander off into Mordor to save everyone.
If I'd seen Frodo do that I would never have let him out of my sight again! /Rant over

 

[boatman]

I think I was ten or thereabouts when I read the Fellowship of the Ring, a lot of it while walking home up Spareleaze Hill, Loughton Essex. I am sure I didn't get all the reference and probably still don't when re-reading Tolkien today. Didn't matter, I took from the books what I wanted and the same applies to the films.

 

[Ciaopaddy]

I've read all the Tolkien books twice, first in my early teens and was bored silly. I tried them again after another ten years or so thinking maybe I'd see something more but no. I guess partially because I'd already read stuff like Donaldson's Chronicles of, what was it, White Gold Yielder and Lord Fouls Bane or something, and Gene Wolfe's Shadow of the Torturer etc. But I do recognise that without Tolkien they might not have been written.
Saying that I thought the first three films were awful, but loved the first one of the hobbit (especially where everyone is in his house for a party, that cracked me up). I've still to see the second.

 

[Imagedude]

Some people care about Tolkien's vision. You're right, it's just a fantasy, but it matters to some extent in those circles. It's a matter of respect. Jackson is butchering Tolkien's lore. You wouldn't tell Christopher Tolkien it's "nothing to get upset about", would you?

If Tolkein had bothered to write the screenplay himself there would have been no room for confusion, but no, he'd write endless tomes about hairy footed Ewoks but couldn't be bothered to write a 300 page screenplay, jolly well serves him right that Jackson amended his (Tolkein's) ramblings! I did enjoy reading The Hobbit as a child and even though the 1st film didn't seem to bear any resemblance to the book it was still a painless way to fill a couple of evenings (I fell asleep at the first attempt).

 

[Tengu]

I hate to depress you all but a group of fans is proposing to do the sil...

 

[THOaken]

I hate to depress you all but a group of fans is proposing to do the sil...

Let them try. They will fail.