If Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy was plagued by too many endings, then his new Hobbit trilogy prequel will remembered as being burdened by too many beginnings. We follow the opening title with a prologue within a prologue. First, we’re taken back to the same day that kicked off the original trilogy. An elderly Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm) is penning his book while his nephew Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) scurries to prep for his Uncle’s 111th birthday. Bilbo’s story begins with a brief lesson on all things concerning dwarves, not hobbits. The 101 intro ends in a large-scale battle between the defeated dwarves and an unseen foe that will be saved for another chapter. It is Peter Jackson’s way of injecting a heavy dose of backstory and spectacle to tide us over for a long hour of talky exposition. But by the time we’ve finally glimpsed a younger Biblo (Martin Freeman) smoking a pipe and greeting a strange wizard visitor, Gandalf (Ian McKellan), we’re already been prepped for a long, long ride.
Anyone who argued that LOTR involved lots of walking will have their claims reinforced here. Jackson takes endless helicoptor shots as our bevy of dwarves, hobbits and wizards scale the vast mountains, forests and praries of New Zealand, um, I mean Middle-Earth. Unlike Jackson’s predessor, The Hobbit doesn’t involve a natural series of obstacles and stopping points. Instead, the heroes are randomly assaulted by the various evils of Middle-Earth, only to be bailed out, not once, but twice, by Gandalf, who has now eclipsed Darth Vader in the total number of grandiose entrances.
The Hobbit feels like a carbon-copy of the original trilogy, in which the moments you cherish and love remain in place. We only have one hobbit, but Martin Freeman has fun with his finnicky, safe and secure Bilbo, who’s swayed to join a band of abbrasive dwarves who plan to reclaim their lost kingdom. Unfortunately, his place in the saga, despite being the title character, is side-stepped for the dwarves. Although there are 13, only a handful of them will stick out.
Despite the wide range of interesting faces and noble efforts, The Hobbit simply lacks the heart of the original. There’s no Sam or Aragorn. There’s no romantic subplot that suddenly doesn’t feel as tackled on to the orginal trilogy as before. Even poor Gandalf is reserved to dictate the severity of the dwarves’ quest, but doesn’t match the same level of soulful heart-to-hearts with his hobbit companion. Instead, poor Freeman is left to wander in the backdrop.
So, why do I recommend this film? Simply put, The Hobbit is tremendous entertainment, despite the sluggish first hour and its seemingly endless battles that wear thin and lack the excitement we felt during the first’s Mines of Moria or the large-scale wars of parts two and three. The backdrops offer pleasurable distractions from what is an endless exchange of swords and axes where none of our heroes suffer injury. The finale produces any endless number of decapitations and ridiculous video-game-like twists in physics (Our heroes take one large plunge in a cave that beckons a “WTF” reaction from its audience.)
Yet, the tapestry and visuals bleed into our senses. My initial viewing was without any 3D or the contraversial 48-frames-per-second. However, I remains dazzled by the asthetics. There are many new untapped areas of Middle-Earth on display — most of which dazzle with imagination.
There’s also some interesting new faces including Gandalf’s gentle wizard counterpart Radagast (Sylvester McCoy), whose appearance is only hindered by some rather crappy-looking CGI sled-riding scenes. The dwarves that do ingrain in our memories are fun. There’s hope that their characters will mature and stick with us during the second and third parts of this saga.
The special effects have blossomed by two steps in many sequences, but have taken the plunge by one in others. Jackson clearly loves his special effects team and has made the mistake of entrusting them with too many tasks, whereas the original saga (especially the first) had a more natural blend of practical and digital wonders. There are moments when a bit of practical bit of lighting would have removed any distractions as witnessed during the magical moments in Lothlorien — where many familiar LOTR faces make a cameo appearance simply for the hell of it. But there are stride, especially with the larger foes. The goblins and trolls are remarkably life-like thanks to Weta Digital’s brilliance with motion capture and facial animations.
Then there’s Gollum, who is the real reason The Hobbit deserves my recommendation. Andy Serkin once again injects his tortured CGI counterpart with equal parts menace and tragedy. There’s some beautiful uses of subtly in the performance, such as Gollum/Smeagal being a tad more lucid and cognizant than we’ve seen, as if to suggest that 60 more years of torment have not been kind to the little guy’s sanity (as well as being deprived of his precious).
The Hobbit is a welcome journey to anyone who missed being in Middle-Earth. But like any return trip, there’s a chance you will experience more turbelance and a feeling a deja vu. And it’s also one very long ride — much too long. If you thought Lord of the Rings was laborious, then stay away. But if you like all things concerning hobbits, and dwarves, and wizards, and elves, and goblins, and bizarre giant rock people, then it’s at least worth taking the trip once. But I doubt you’ll refer to the film as your precious.
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