Sad or Elated now the Movies are at an End?

[Pitchwife]

I'm in the camp of indifference, I guess. I haven't seen the second and third film yet, and extrapolating from my own gripes with the first and the reviews in the Movie forum by people whose judgement I trust (reviews which, I fear, may actually have been more entertaining than the movies themselves) I don't think I've missed very much. If they're shown on TV some time (which is bound to happen sooner or later, 'round Christmas or so) I'll probably watch them for curiosity (as long as there's nothing more interesting on another channel) and move on.

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Pitchwife

I haven't seen the second and third film yet, and extrapolating from my own gripes with the first and the reviews in the Movie forum by people whose judgement I trust (reviews which, I fear, may actually have been more entertaining than the movies themselves) I don't think I've missed very much.

Haha, same here! I haven't seen the third, but I laughed my head off reading the review thread. As I said, I finally acquired a good taste for comedy.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

As I said, I finally acquired a good taste for comedy.

Perhaps one day Jackson will.

[Faramir Jones]

Speaking of 'comedy', Galadriel55, one of the biggest disappointments for me in Jackson's adaptation of The Hobbit was the missed opportunity in not properly using the humour in the book, including the black humour. I was looking forward at the time to seeing what would be done with, for example, Bombur's talk of 'dream dinners' when he finally woke up after having been carried a long distance by his fellow dwarves, and their disgusted reaction; Bilbo trying to steal food from the village but being given away by dripping and sneezing; and Bilbo's speeches in Lake Town being restricted to 'Thag you very buch'.

Sadly, this did not happen...

[Zigûr]

Originally Posted by Faramir Jones

one of the biggest disappointments for me in Jackson's adaptation of The Hobbit was the missed opportunity in not properly using the humour in the book, including the black humour.

I really think this can't be stated enough. In many ways The Hobbit is a very funny book, although I believe Professor Tolkien came to think the narrative voice was somewhat condescending.

To essentially repeat myself in early 2013:

As soon a the door was opened, he pushed inside, just as if he had been expected.
He hung his hooded cloak on the nearest peg, and "Dwalin at your service!" he said with a low bow.
"Bilbo Baggins at yours!" said the hobbit, too surprised to ask any questions for the moment. When the silence that followed had become uncomfortable, he added: "I am just about to take tea; pray come and have some with me." A little stiff perhaps, but he meant it kindly. And what would you do, if an uninvited dwarf came and hung his things up in your hall without a word of explanation?

This would have been a perfect filmic moment for comedy, Bilbo and Dwalin hovering awkwardly in the hall, neither of them entirely sure what was going on. They even had Martin Freeman, the typecast king of comic bemusement. As I've said before, I think someone on the production team with British comedy experience could have really brought these aspects to the fore.

[Faramir Jones]

I agree with you that Martin Freeman would have been superb for such a scene, Zigûr. I'm also thinking of when Bilbo and Gandalf first meet Beorn, and when Bilbo gave the Elvenking a necklace as compensation for the food and drink he stole.

But then, I feel he was sidelined in the Jackson adaptation. The book centred around one hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, and his experiences; yet the films gave too much emphasis to the experiences of others, including those of a character out of fanfiction...

[Zigûr]

Originally Posted by Faramir Jones

But then, I feel he was sidelined in the Jackson adaptation. The book centred around one hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, and his experiences; yet the films gave too much emphasis to the experiences of others, including those of a character out of fanfiction...

A couple of months ago I read this statement which Peter Jackson made in an interview around the time the third film was released:

"Obviously The Hobbit is the story of Thorin Oakenshield’s quest for the Lonely Mountain, and Lord of the Rings is the story of Frodo’s journey to try to destroy the ring. But they are nonetheless connected and they feed into each other and are in the same world."

Maybe he's just being really literal about what the narrative of The Hobbit is, but assuming he's not just repeating something he's mandated to say by WB, from a thematic or narrative-focus point of view he couldn't miss the point more if he tried. It's funny that he says that "The Lord of the Rings" (I assume he's talking about his films and not the books or anything else) is about Frodo and the Quest of the Ring (which the films are and aren't) but when he's describing "The Hobbit" Bilbo doesn't garner a mention, even though he's just named the film: "The Hobbit".
"This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, and found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected." No? It's about how a brooding Dwarf went to a Mountain? Oh, okay then.

[Morthoron]

I will mirror Faramir and Zigûr's senitments regarding the humor (or lack thereof) in the films. So much of it was strained and sophomoric, and, again (for the hundredth time), the farther Jackson strayed from the original plot, the further he descended into low comedy of the most dreadful sort.

A case in point would be the character Alfrid. He was completely and utterly unnecessary to the furtherance of the plot, and annoying every time he was foisted on the audience. He was a walking cliché of the villainous-henchman archetype and given nothing but banal gags and stereotypical dialogue. The character is an example of Jackson and Boyen's inability as screenwriters to add anything of value to an existing plot. One could eliminate all the superfluity they shat on the story and none of it would be missed.

Sandworms from Arrakis? Cardboard cut-out Legolas action figure? Mary-Sue lovelorn Tauriel? Psychedelic Radagast? Out-of-context and equally psychedelic Thorin having a bad trip from gold fever? Giant ready-to-bake golden dwarf statues? Transformer rock giants? Chutes-and-Ladders Goblintown? Instead of "Where's Waldo?" spending much of the films called The Hobbit going "Where's Bilbo?" I could go and on, so I'll refrain from further vituperation.

[Faramir Jones]

Originally Posted by Morthoron

Sandworms from Arrakis? Cardboard cut-out Legolas action figure? Mary-Sue lovelorn Tauriel? Psychedelic Radagast? Out-of-context and equally psychedelic Thorin having a bad trip from gold fever? Giant ready-to-bake golden dwarf statues? Transformer rock giants? Chutes-and-Ladders Goblintown? Instead of "Where's Waldo?" spending much of the films called The Hobbit going "Where's Bilbo?" I could go and on, so I'll refrain from further vituperation.

So could I, Morthron. I think it's best that we think of the future, and hope that later adaptors of Tolkien's works do a far, far better job.