Yes. Too many battle scenes and movie way too lo because of this.
Tolkien and CS Lewis were close friends, indeed Tolkien helped convert Lewis to Christianity.
Tolkien's fantasy has several layers of meaning, each of which can be enjoyed by itself, or in harmony with the others.
I love them all.
My husband and son found the changes to Gandalf’s character very disturbing- the nonchalance over killing. They did enjoy the bits of the film that weren’t shoehorned in solely to achieve a pg-13. There’s actually an interview floating around out there where they explicitly state how hard it was for them to achieve that rating with the material they had to work with, but by gosh they managed it....
We'll still hit the movies, but yes, 3 hours is a long time considering we have a far superior experience at home.
I enjoyed it, though I do NOT recommend anyone see it in a High Frame Rate (HFR) showing. It’s very distracting.
Peter Jackson was again self-indulgent in the overly long battle scenes. The escape from Moria, in the book, is a race through black tunnels, not a "cut your way out" epic battle where a band of superheroes outduels a whole army. The fight in the forest with the pursuing orcs and wargs is also overdone; in the book, the dwarves, Bilbo, and Gandalf head straight for the trees. I don't know what it is about battle scenes and PJ, but he consistently goes over the top.
Aside from that, the movie was pretty good. Yes, it is long. That was probably driven by the decision to do a three movie set, which may not have been wise. The extra time in this film is devoted to character development (good), a surprising amount of generally successful comic byplay (good for the kids especially), and a lot of backstory imported from the rest of the Middle Earth canon.
I have mixed feelings about the latter. I am not a Middle Earth pro by any means, but I've read Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales, and for me the loose ends and fragmentary hints of other, older, and lost sagas is part of the charm of the canon. This sense of mystery and slow discovery is especially important in the Hobbit, in which Bilbo is being exposed to a world that is vaster and far more complex than he ever imagined. Movies and books are different creatures, but there is a risk in too much explication short-circuiting the gradual unveiling of mysteries.
This is a POV question: does the White Council really belong in The Hobbit, which is of course Bilbo's own account, written from the perspective of a hobbit who had never ventured beyond the Shire and had not a clue about the wider world. I'm also of two minds about the inclusion of Radagast, who has a very substantial role (and who is played too much for laughs -- the same mistake PJ made with Gimli in LOTR). The unfolding discovery is part of what makes The Hobbit an excellent introduction to the larger canon. PJ may have given away too much, too soon.
But of course, Jackson filmed LOTR first, which gets the narrative sequencing backwards to begin with. Since I already knew the backstory, I enjoyed seeing it on film, but something may be lost for the next generation, who will almost certainly use the films, not the books, as their initial point of entry into Middle Earth.
Saw it in 3D yesterday and was prepared to hate it, but actually thoroughly enjoyed it. The length didn’t bother me, as the theater had nice overstuffed recliners.
Well I loved it - it was a little corny at times and almost jumped the shark a few times but the scenery is awesome and special effects excellent. It went too quick for me even though the film is long it mostly kept me interested.
Mel
Loved the scenerey, thought the fight scenes were too long and thus pushed the film out too long. That’s especially important for me, because I have a bum left knee and sitting for long periods of time is hard on that knee.
Having read the books years ago when I was young and not being an afficienado, one thing I picked up on was the fact that the dwarves homeless plight seems to be allegorical to the Jews without a home. I know that Tolkein was very religious and this being written in the 30’s seems to me that Zionism at that time was gaining a lot of steam. Is there any truth to what I’m saying. Was the dwarves allegorical to the Jews?
Saw the movie Christmas Eve with my family, thought it was great ... would go see part 2 tonight if it was up.
Thought the scenery was absolutely outstanding.
My wife and I both enjoyed it. Saw i in 3D, hope to see it again in 2D. She thought Gollum stole the show. I read The Hobbit and LOTR many years ago and love that they can now make movies that do them justice.
I have read the Hobbit & The Lord Of The rings yearly since I was 17. (1975) In that time I have worn out at least 4 sets of books.
I liked the movie and agree that they tried to stay true to the book. The visuals were great and I hate having to wait for the next installment.
The “banquet” scene at the meeting of the dwarves could have been cut to no more than a minute or two and the battle scenes could have been cut a bit. Altogether the movie seemed to be played for laughs rather than as a “serious” folk tale
Why is it that anyone who puts on the ring turns invisible EXCEPT for Sauron?
Haven’t seen it yet. I do often wonder what Tolkien would have thought about the movie versions of his writing, and how they would have turned out if he had been involved in a way similar to Stan Lee was in his own work.
I just love the story, however it is told.
Saw some of it in 2D, left after Radagast’s chase (i had forgotten that it was going to be Dr Who Sylvester McCoy — who I knew from Dr Who conventions — in that outfit!). I enjoyed the (overlong) part in the Shire then lost interest. Recently re-watched the movie Hitchhikers Guide to hear Alan Rickman — didnt realize that the guy who played Arthur Dent in that was Bilbo in this, a very similar role. I first read the Hobbit as a kid in the late 60’s when it became trendy, so am glad PJ even tried to film it.
My family saw the Hobbit over the weekend and thought it was great. Every bit as well done as the LOTR. Can’t wait to see the dragon in Part II.
The difference is, our society has become so feminized it cannot fathom violence, even to protect the good and the innocent. As Professor Tolkein's dear friend CS Lewis predicted, we are a society of "men without chests."
Other than minor changes (White Orc got killed before Battle of Moria) and additions (back story from Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion added at the beginning to continuity), I had no argument with the movie. I thought Peter Jackson did a fine job. The Hobbit was every bit as faithful to the book and as entertaining as the first Lord of the Rings movie.
I’ll check it out when the movie is free-
Hollywood doesn’t get a penny from me.