IMDb rating: 7/10
I had high expectations for this movie, and while I wasn’t
completely disappointed, I would definitely say that I’ve learned by now that I
have to put up with the idiotic parts of this trilogy (Alfrid, the giant worms
(really, Peter Jackson?)), in order to get to the more rewarding parts (the
climatic ice battle between Thorin and Azog).
It’s hard to say what percentage of the movie I loved and
what percentage I hated. I liked seeing more of Legolas and getting a glimpse
into his past. He was a lot less cold and stiff than he in the last film, and
more like the Legolas from the original trilogy. Seeing different sides of
Galadriel, Elrond, and Saruman was also enjoyable for me. You never get to see
Elrond and Galadriel do any fighting in Lord
of the Rings, so I’m glad we got to see at least a little in this movie. I
thought the acting performances of all the actors were pretty good. Not
exceptional, but not terrible. Richard Armitage as the greed-obsessed Thorin
was probably the best performance.
The good acting, however, doesn’t excuse the cheap animation
and fake atmosphere that started with the first Hobbit film. It seemed like the only aspects the animators focused
their energy on was Gollum and Smaug (which were both very good). Everything
else is pretty crappy to be honest. I understand that the time and money put
into the realism of LOTR would not be
totally replicated, but The Hobbit
doesn’t even come close. The orcs aren’t nearly as frightening in computer
animation form as when they were actors clad in armor and disgusting makeup in LOTR. The rest of the animation is just
as bad. And it doesn’t help that it seems that 90 percent of the film was shot
on green screen, which just doesn’t have the same effect as shooting on location
in gorgeous New Zealand.
I also thought the movie felt rushed, which is absurd
considering that one short book was split into three long movies. If the
filmmakers had cut some of the more painfully awful parts (like any Alfrid
scenes), then there would have been more room for something else. The ending also
felt rushed for some reason, which I never thought I would say about a Peter
Jackson movie. I liked how the ending came full circle with Bilbo and Galdalf’s
reunion from the beginning of Fellowship
of the Ring, but it just felt off somehow. There were just so many parts in
this movie, and the two before, where I had absolutely no idea what was going
on, even though I’ve read the book twice. More than I few times I questioned
Peter Jackson’s sanity, like how he gave Alfrid almost as much screen time as
some of the main characters (did I mention how much I detest Alfrid?)
I could write pages and pages about how much The Hobbit pales in comparison to The Lord of the Rings, but the truth is that
the original trilogy just has better characters and a better storyline, which isn’t
the filmmakers’ fault. It’s not even J. R. R. Tolkien’s fault, really, because The Hobbit was a prequel, and he was probably
saving his best story for the sequels. It is so much more entertaining watching
the characters of Fellowship fight to save Middle Earth, rather than a watch bunch
of goofy dwarves trying to save their treasure.
I'm still giving this film a 7/10 though because there were
parts that I enjoyed immensely and since it’s still a Tolkien story I feel a
kind of loyalty to it. I really hate not liking movies, and I really wanted to
like this movie. I’m sure some people will love it, but I think I will just
stick to watching The Lord of the Rings.
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