When I watched Lord of the Rings trilogy during my college days I remember loving it more than anything. I saw those films one by one after completing each book. This was the only movie I remember doing full justice to book. So those four hours didn’t seem to be long enough. In fact I wanted it to go on and on. I’d wait to sit on my computer to watch the movie. And whenever you watch the movie after reading the book it’s a special feeling because you’ll know what is gonna happen and when it comes from the book it is not a spoiler instead a feel good factor. If the same story we had known through internet or through some other source it’d have pissed us while watching the movie. That’s the specialty of books. It continues to engage us even after we’re done with it.
If I had read the book just before the movie may be I’d have got a better feel. But the book this time was just 200 pages and not an epic like The Lord of the Rings so I was a bit confused when this three part movie was about to come. One more thing that worried me was the news that Guillermo Del Toro was going to direct the movie. If it’s Lord of the Rings it has to be Peter Jackson others just don’t fit. Only when Jackson’s name was announced as director I was relieved. I don’t think anyone could recreate the magic that he did. Like how Tolkien dedicated his entire life for the Hobbits, the ring and the Middle earth Jackson too has dedicated his entire life to bring it to life.
When this was to be made as a three part epic I thought the movie will focus more on the life of hobbits than the adventure. I love the way the hobbits live. They are the happier lot. As soon as you see them you’ll fall for their innocence. They are short fellows who live in a far off land, eat well, party well but adventure, a big NO! Even though I’m an adventurous guy I like people who’re self content and don’t crib about the life like how I used to do. Hobbits don’t crib about their life, they are happy in their little shell with no high ambition. It’s a rarity to see such folks so needless to mention I was impressed by their idea of life even though mine doesn’t match with them. They had clarity in their thoughts.
But that hobbit life was exhibited only for few minutes in the movie then the adventure started. Bilbo becomes heroic time and again. We don’t see him getting afraid most of the time. The other folks too don’t have the variety that people had in Lord of the Rings where Frodo was accompanied. I of course missed Frodo’s friends. But it’s a different story and Bilbo is a different person.
I couldn’t appericiate the HFR technology. This movie would have been better if I had watched on theatres. But I shouldn’t have got the feel. I watched Lord of the Rings at home and I was spell bound by its magnanimity it wasn’t the case here. The things here would have worked only because of 3D and there were a lot of actions which looked like compulsively inserted songs in Tamil films. Because of these things The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey looked like a popcorn film. Lord of the Rings on the other hand was appreciated for its vastness not only for the time frame but for the way the story was told to us too.
One scene which I’m sure would have got the highest applause was the introduction of Gollum and the ring falling out of his pocket. Gollum is the Vetaal who gets on top of Vikram who is Bilbo. Bilbo carefully negotiates him. The highlight of this story is their chemistry. That was very well played by both the characters. I thought the movie would end with the silhouette of Gollum. It’d have been great because everyone would have been expecting Gollum right from the first instead there is another fight towards the end before the movie ends.
The movie works well as a remembrance piece, a nostalgic one which reminds us of those good old days but doesn’t ply well emotionally doesn’t let us give a whole new feel of shire and their quest for now. The expectancy one had during those days was not be seen here. That’s the reason this movie becomes a time pass movie where we could sit and hoot for certain scenes but don’t really get the feel that Bilbo has. In fact we don’t even know what Bilbo is feeling inside. He looks quite plain throughout. May be we could expect more with coming films.
constantscribbles 