An Unexpected Enjoyment

Surprisingly, I thoroughly enjoyed the first cinematic installment of The Hobbit.  This is mildly shocking considering my initially negative response to each of The Lord of the Rings films.  Folks who knew me in college can attest to how spitefully I nit-picked each of those movies (and this blog post comes with the sincerest of apologies to those friends who were courteous enough to endure all of my joyless griping back then).  I always told myself that my ill-will toward Peter Jackson’s trilogy arose from my lifelong adoration of J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary masterpiece.  That may have been true, however, it seems to me now that there was also a large dose of academic arrogance behind my attitude.  Simply put, I was a film student and I hated everything.

Now, a decade later, I’m pleasantly surprised to report that I had a blast watching The Hobbit.  The only negative aspect of my viewing experience was that, afterward, my mouth rather hurt from smiling so much.  Seriously, I sat through the majority of the movie with a big, dumb grin on my face -- a big, dumb grin that would have appalled my snobbish film school self.  This probably says more about me than the film itself, but at least the movie earned that grin and kept on earning it throughout its considerable running time.

There’s so much to like about The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.  It’s big, bold and imaginative.  Right from the start, with a flashback to the glory days of the dwarves, the film catches your breath and surpasses your expectations.  You think you’ve already seen a massive subterranean city with Moria?  Well, wait ‘til you get a load of the cavernous realm of Erebor and its magnificent Arkenstone!  You think you know all there is to know about elves?  Wait ‘til you witness King Thranduil ride over a ridge mounted regally on a moose!  Creative flourishes like these will surprise and delight audiences already well versed in the visual trappings of Middle Earth.

Of course, more than anything else, it’s the characters that keep us coming back to this mythical land.  And, happily, the cast of wizards, dwarves, hobbits and elves doesn’t disappoint.  Whereas The Lord of the Rings dealt extensively with various races of men, there isn’t a single human character with a speaking part in this first film.  However, that doesn’t stop the inherent humanity of these roles from emerging thanks to some wonderful performances.  Sir Ian McKellen is predictably excellent as he reprises the role of Gandalf.  Richard Armitage brings both nobility and surliness to his turn as Thorin Oakenshield, creating the most badass dwarf to ever grace the silver screen.  (Sorry, Gimli.)  Another stand-out is Ken Stott as the loyal but world-weary Balin.  And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Sir Christopher Lee, whose return as Saruman the White doesn’t amount to much more than a cameo, but who still has gravitas and presence to spare even at ninety years of age.

In the end, however, the film belongs to the hobbit himself: Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins.  His was an inspired piece of casting and Mr. Freeman seems even more at home in Bag End than Sir Ian Holm before him.  His domesticated fastidiousness is surpassed only by his evident longing for something more, something “out there.”  In a slight departure from the book, it is not Gandalf who ultimately “nudges” Bilbo out the door and onto the start of his adventure.  Rather, this scene plays out more reflectively as Mr. Baggins surveys his safe, familiar hobbit hole all the while holding his unsigned “burglar’s” contract and considering the unknown thrills and danger that it represents.  Mr. Freeman plays the moment of decision brilliantly and communicates all we really need to know about our protagonist without speaking a word.  The immense enjoyment I found throughout the film is due in large part to Martin Freeman’s terrific performance.

Of course, An Unexpected Journey is not a perfect movie.  It tries a bit too hard to inject Bilbo’s light-hearted adventures with the same sense of urgency and high stakes as Frodo’s later, darker quest.  As far as the source material goes, The Hobbit is a very different book from The Lord of the Rings.  The former is an episodic collection of bedtime stories for children.  The latter is a sprawling war epic for adults.  One wishes that Peter Jackson had made this distinction in his approach to the material.  Indeed, I couldn’t help but imagine how a single, fast-paced Hobbit film might have turned out compared to the ponderous, plodding trilogy that Mr. Jackson and company have planned.

Still, this first installment of The Hobbit gets the job done when it comes to entertaining audiences and welcoming them back to Middle Earth.  On a personal note, it also raises my esteem for Peter Jackson as a devotee of Tolkien.  I may not care for his directing style or agree with some of his choices in adapting the books to film.  However, I can’t deny the attention to detail or the amount of sheer love that he and his crew put into these productions. 

Nor can I deny that Mr. Jackson and his fellow screenwriters firmly grasp the major themes of Professor Tolkien’s work.  My absolute favorite scene in An Unexpected Journey is another dialog-free moment in which an invisible Bilbo has his blade within inches of an oblivious Gollum’s throat.  In the end, of course, Bilbo spares the wretched creature’s life and this moment becomes the crux of Tolkien’s entire saga.  As Gandalf will later remind Frodo in The Fellowship of the Ring, “It was pity that stayed [Bilbo’s] hand.  Pity, and mercy: not to strike without need… The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many...”

The inclusion of Bilbo’s compassion for Gollum gives me hope that Peter Jackson understands that these stories are about so much more than just epic battle scenes.  And this glimmer of hope has allowed me to truly enjoy a Peter Jackson film in the theater for the very first time.

Or maybe I’ve finally just chilled out.  That’s a distinct possibility as well.  ;)