The Hobbit

No Tolkien movie thread.

Well Orlando has signed on to play Legolas. I'm in. The purist apparently aren't happy.

Best part of the article -

Evangeline Lily joins the cast and first look at the Hobbit.

Since the extended editions of the LOTR came out a few weeks ago on blu-ray, I bought that and really am watching the movies for the first time. I did see FOTR on DVD and Two Towers in the theater back at the time, but I just never got into it. I'd also read the books but never got obsessive about those either, although I did enjoy the more mythological Silmarillion.

I can understand why purists are upset by Orlando Bloom being Legolas in the film because the character isn't in the book. But LOTR itself wasn't a perfect adaption of that book either, and there were subplots introduced that weren't in the novel. I guess the general belief of the fanbase is that the stuff that didn't originate with Tolkien is of lesser quality, but whatever.

My general thoughts about adaptations are that they're adaptations. So long as they aren't just cashing in on the name to bring an audience to an unrelated or marginally related story, it's not a big deal if they're alter the story to fit the medium. If it turns out to be a bad movie, that still doesn't diminish the book. And given the success of LOTR, there's no reason to believe The Hobbit will be bad.

I'm actually more curious to see how the film looks running at 48 frames per second. The choice of frame rate allows it to be reduced to 24 fps easily, but perhaps it will look good. Generally stuff running at 60 fps makes it look like soap opera, since that's what they film at. You get the similar effect with 120Hz HDTVs with their respective proprietary motion smoothing features.

Did you all see the trailer?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM--4UklaL4

I did. No Legolas Am I the only person in the world who couldn't really give a flying whoop about the Hobbit?

No. There are at least two of us. No Legolas. No Aragorn. No Scrubs.

Oh good. I'm not alone.

I remember taking my friend's daughter to see one of the LotR movies. She was probably 12, and she turns to me after the movie and asks if it was okay to think the elf was hot.

Not so much on the Legolas issue for me. But I'm feeling rather underwhelmed about the movie, as well. I guess mainly because I enjoy the story of LOTR more than TH. I know not everyone feels that way, and some folks view TH as the iconic Tolkein book over LOTR, but for me I always like the big Frodo epic more than the smaller Bilbo journey. I dunno, maybe it's because I have memories of finding longer stretches of TH boring, although LOTR certainly has its share of overly long expository world-building.

I'll probably go see The Hobbit at some point just out of the whole read-it-in-my-ubernerdly-youth nostalgia/guilt. But certainly only once...

So I guess I might just eat my words.

Ran across the Official Trailer today (again) for The Hobbit. Every time I watch it, I blasted-well get sucked back into Middle Earth.

The Hobbit Official Trailer

Maybe it's the music.

Or the scenery.

Or the moodiness.

Or the actors from LOTR that are in this.

Or even My Precious.

But I'm going to have to see this darned thing when it comes out.

Peter Jackson, you don't play fair.

Okay I watched the trailer and it looks bad!

This scene from Clerks 2 says everything how I feel about LOTR

18+ material because of language

http://youtu.be/vmuT8UeTk4s

I don't get it - the appeal of the Hobbit - I am definitely like the guy in the clip, language and all at times.

I was underwhelmed by the trailer that ran before Brave -- but then again I always thought the novel was boring, too. I always liked LOTR itself better (although admittedly those novels had expansive boring stretches, as well).

As a purist (I've cherished a grudge against Jackson since I saw Return of the King at midnight nine years ago), I have to say I got exactly what I expected, now that I've given in and seen the trailer.

I'll still see it for Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, and Howard Shore, but what I'd really like to see if Jackson producing, someone who is a bit more subtle and interested in the type of story Tolkien tells directing, and all put together into a Game of Thrones style series of The Silmarillion.

Without the 13-year-old boy immaturity.

So I saw a trailer in 3D before TPM 3D and it blew me away. I'm really psyched about it. The 3D was spectacular in ways that TPM 3D was not.

But I'm not a purist, and enjoyed the LOTR adaptations for thier breath, music and appeal (aka it sucked in my sister to my world of fantasy when usually she just scoffs about it)

This post has been edited by jade51999 on Jun 30 2012, 09:52 PM

I agree that reading The Hobbit was tough slogging, but I totally loved the LOTR Trilogy.

Nevertheless, the following image does a LOT for me in terms of interest in the coming movie.

From The Hobbit:

Yeah it's like a big sign: DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY!

And now it's a TRILOGY!

\

BTW I think this is perfect for this occassion - http://youtu.be/_zgb8N-5py0

This post has been edited by Chimpo on Jul 30 2012, 02:00 PM

OMG that image is hilarious.

I'm not crazy about the idea.

This just got demoted from "I will see it for the cast and music" to "I will see it when it's in the cheap theaters."