Critical Reception of The Hobbit: AUJ [Non-Spoiler]

For discussion of the upcoming films based on The Hobbit and related material, as well as previous films based on Tolkien's work
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Pearly Di
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Post by Pearly Di »

kzer_za wrote:I don't think PJ is the only one who could have made a successful LotR, but I don't think it's necessarily an easy novel to adapt for a mass audience either. Among other things, there's a very unusual plot structure (especially the way the six books are divided) and a whole lot of backstory/exposition. And not every adaptation of a classic by a good director has been a good/successful movie. So while I'm sure there are some who could have duplicated PJ's success with LotR, I don't think just any competent director could have done it.
This. It's a shame we can't *like* posts on messageboards. :)

As a friend on FB remarked, "It's like everyone's going 'oh, it's not LotR!'" Well, no. It isn't LotR. :blackeye:
"Frodo undertook his quest out of love - to save the world he knew from disaster at his own expense, if he could ... "
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Post by Stranger Wings »

Pearly Di wrote:
kzer_za wrote:I don't think PJ is the only one who could have made a successful LotR, but I don't think it's necessarily an easy novel to adapt for a mass audience either. Among other things, there's a very unusual plot structure (especially the way the six books are divided) and a whole lot of backstory/exposition. And not every adaptation of a classic by a good director has been a good/successful movie. So while I'm sure there are some who could have duplicated PJ's success with LotR, I don't think just any competent director could have done it.
This. It's a shame we can't *like* posts on messageboards. :)

As a friend on FB remarked, "It's like everyone's going 'oh, it's not LotR!'" Well, no. It isn't LotR. :blackeye:
And it's not the Hobbit either. :)
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Pearly Di
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Post by Pearly Di »

Yes, it is. ;)

In the same way the Harry Potter films are Harry Potter.

And the 2012 adaptation of Susan Hill's novel The Woman in Black is The Woman in Black.

:spin:
"Frodo undertook his quest out of love - to save the world he knew from disaster at his own expense, if he could ... "
Letter no. 246, The Collected Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
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Post by SirDennis »

...and Apocalypse Now is Heart of Darkness. Wait, what? :)
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Post by Stranger Wings »

I am astounded at how everything Quickbeam describes as a negative, is a positive for me. Here are some quotes:
To all of you expecting THE HOBBIT: AUJ to have major upheavals, multiple character deaths (Gandalf, Boromir), etc., the kind that left you crying and thunderstruck watching THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING in 2001, expect instead a more comfortable walking pace, with less bombast and careening around the story. I believe most fans will really enjoy it, but don’t expect lighting in a bottle twice.
This adaptation has a slightly different vibe. This filmic Hobbit is light-on-its-feet, less driven by harsh crises, more keen to savor a moment of literary indulgence than to rush.
a more leisurely Sunday drive with the top down
Also, not a negative,
Hidden text.
but a confirmation of the Thorin smithing scene:

"Once-noble Thorin sadly working cheap metal-craft in some nowhere town"
I mean, come on, it’s about 1 hour, 40 minutes into the flick before we reach Rivendell.
I wish that more than half of the Dwarves could have had dialogue. The lion’s share is all Thorin and Balin (a terrific Ken Stott), but come on!
- methinks Quickbeam doesn't like the way it is in the books either...
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Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

Rotten Tomatoes sure is strange! They list that Slate review as fresh, even though it is worse overall than some of the ones that they list as rotten. Oh well, I guess it is like a make-up call by a referee. Now up to 76%.
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Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

SA, I missed your post about Quickbeam's review. I had the same reaction.

I also blocked out a spoiler, since this is supposed to be a spoiler-free thread. It is easy to forget where you are posting, but try to be careful about that!
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
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Post by Stranger Wings »

Voronwë the Faithful wrote:SA, I missed your post about Quickbeam's review. I had the same reaction.

I also blocked out a spoiler, since this is supposed to be a spoiler-free thread. It is easy to forget where you are posting, but try to be careful about that!
My apologies! Here's a gift for your troubles:

:llama:
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Post by Alatar »

Tehanu's review is also pretty spoiler free I thought.

http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2012/12 ... c-telling/

I agreed with almost all of it. I wasn't disappointed with the soundtrack, it just didn't make much of an impact on me.
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Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

There are a bunch of new reviews at RT, with the mix between fresh and rotten staying about the same, and the overall rating sticking at 74%. But I'm noticing that with only a few exceptions in each direction, there isn't that much difference between the fresh and rotten reviews, with most of the latter being in the range of 2 and half stars out of 4, and most of the former being more like 3 out of 4. Most don't like the HFR, and most think the beginning is too slow, but that that it picks up. This comment from a New York Post 3 out 4 star fresh review sums things up nicely:
It’s the sort of epic that will be most fully appreciated by those who think the most important thing about an adaptation is religious fidelity to the text — not a sentiment that I especially share.
http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/m ... ent=Movies

In other words, a film made for us!
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
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Post by WampusCat »

And that is an encouraging thought. :)
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Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

Wow, all the way down to 69%!
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
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