The Sudafed seems to have kicked in and the cough is easing. So we went to the little cinema in Dereham to see The Hobbit. It is nine years since the final part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy was released – and believe it or not, Prince William saw that film at the very same cinema! [please note; I am not intending to spend the entire holiday travelling in the steps of the Royals]
We both enjoyed the film. Bob knows the book better than I do, and he felt it was a good interpretation. I thought the casting was very good [although I kept thinking “Isn’t that dwarf being played by….?” and then missing other bits] Martin Freeeman was superb as Bilbo.
Watching the credits I noticed that ‘Necromancer’ was played by Benedict Cumberbatch [Holmes to Martin Freeman’s Watson] I hadn’t spotted him during the film. Bob muttered mysteriously that he was shadowy and you saw his legs. No I didn’t understand either!
There were rather too many goblins for my liking. And apart from a few minor female Hobbits at the beginning, and Ms Blanchett, the actors are almost all blokes. Andy Serkis was brilliant as Gollum.
If you enjoyed the LOTR trilogy, I think you will like this one!
Thanking you for the review. :) We are intending to go over the holidays
ReplyDeleteWe saw it on Christmas day and it was very good! It really didn't stray too far from the book which was nice.
ReplyDeleteI shall be missing this...I can't stand this sort of thing. As someone once said, "Not more flipping elves".
ReplyDeleteJane x
I don't think it was "flipping",
DeleteAnnie
We're going to see it this afternoon-we've been looking forward to it all year!
ReplyDeleteWe are off to see it tommorrow evening - I have not been to a first run film all year so this is a treat. I can't wait!
ReplyDeleteAngela, the whole of NZ is in a tizzy over the film - Peter J being a Kiwi and the film having been shot here! The powers that be are hoping for a lot of tourism off the back of it. I haven't seen it yet - I will probably re-read the book and then see it - I understand there were no girls in the book but PJ and Fran have introduced some from LOTR (which was also filmed in NZ)
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
KB was interviewed the other week on Woman's Hour about being the only female in the line-up, and what that was like for filming. She was very good- talked about the lack of female characters in the text and remaining true to that. We had planned to see it these holidays but two are still very sick and also I think I heard it's a 12a! Is it dark and scary in places?
ReplyDeleteYes it is a 12A. My resident expert declared he thought it was less dark than LOTR - but still scary in places [there were bits where I shut my eyes!]Probably a bit much for your convalescing strawberries
DeleteFor some reason I thought BC was going to be the voice of Smaug....
ReplyDeleteOkay, now for a bit of carping. We saw it, and mostly enjoyed it, but I felt it lacked the believability and slightly gritty realism of LOTR. Everyone and everything in "Hobbit" looked so slick and computer-altered and, well, fake. They added a good many bits too (culled from the LOTR appendices no doubt but not necessarily enriching the storyline) - the Azog subplot for example. Could have done without that - rather too many goblins indeed.
I do wish they had kept the troll sequence and dialogue more accurate to the source material. Honestly it was much funnier in the book.
But the acting is very good, as you say, and Martin Freeman is, as always, excellent and appealing. I don't at all mind the lack of female characters - the book had virtually none, and I'd much rather the movie be an accurate reflection of the book. Why muck about with a story that has pleased its readers for over 70 years?
I am looking forward to the Beorn sequence which I imagine will be in the second film.
Some valid points here, Mrs M. The Azog subplot was probably an unnecessary addition
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