“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty,
dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a
dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a
hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.”
dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a
dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a
hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.”
– The Hobbit, J.R.R Tolkien
Thus began the first story my dad ever read aloud to me. At
least that I can recall. I was five years old at the time and the strange creatures
of Middle Earth—hobbits, dwarves, goblins, and the dragon—speedily populated
the world of my imagination.
least that I can recall. I was five years old at the time and the strange creatures
of Middle Earth—hobbits, dwarves, goblins, and the dragon—speedily populated
the world of my imagination.
By the time I was seven, my dad had finished reading The
Lord of the Rings aloud. He gave me my own copy for my seventh birthday and I
loved it so much that for the next year I slept with it at the foot of my bed.
Lord of the Rings aloud. He gave me my own copy for my seventh birthday and I
loved it so much that for the next year I slept with it at the foot of my bed.
Tolkien’s Middle Earth became a sort of home away from home
for me, the backdrop of all my imaginings. The characters became than a child’s
imaginary friends. To this day, The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings remain my
favorite books. And yet, unlike some Tolkien purists, I also absolutely love
the movies, despite their differences.
for me, the backdrop of all my imaginings. The characters became than a child’s
imaginary friends. To this day, The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings remain my
favorite books. And yet, unlike some Tolkien purists, I also absolutely love
the movies, despite their differences.
Around Christmas time, I went to see The Hobbit: Desolation
of Smaug. I’d heard mixed opinions of the movie—lots of comments about the
addition of Tauriel, Legolas/Tauriel/Fili, and the extended plot lines—so I
wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
of Smaug. I’d heard mixed opinions of the movie—lots of comments about the
addition of Tauriel, Legolas/Tauriel/Fili, and the extended plot lines—so I
wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
But I loved it. Differences. Mistakes. Drawn out plot and
all.
all.
Tolkien set out to create an epic worthy of the Norse
mythologies he studied. Mythology grows over time. It is not the work of a
single author. It’s bigger than that. It power rests in its ability to capture
and stimulate the imagination of others. And in turn, to absorb their
interpretations and additions.
mythologies he studied. Mythology grows over time. It is not the work of a
single author. It’s bigger than that. It power rests in its ability to capture
and stimulate the imagination of others. And in turn, to absorb their
interpretations and additions.
Because of that, I think that Peter Jackson’s imagining of The
Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings remains true to the spirit of Tolkien’s work,
if not true to every detail. I watch the movies as much to see the beauty of
Middle Earth in living color on the screen as to know the characters and follow
the story.
Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings remains true to the spirit of Tolkien’s work,
if not true to every detail. I watch the movies as much to see the beauty of
Middle Earth in living color on the screen as to know the characters and follow
the story.
Mirkwood. The Woodland Realm. Lake-Town.
All there. So much more fantastic than I could have imagined
them.
them.
So yes, I loved The Desolation of Smaug. Just as I loved An
Unexpected Journey. And just as I’m sure I’ll love the third and final installment
when it finally comes out!
Unexpected Journey. And just as I’m sure I’ll love the third and final installment
when it finally comes out!
I think because Tolkien’s work was such a huge part of my
childhood, watching The Lord of the Rings movies and reading the books feels
like coming home.
childhood, watching The Lord of the Rings movies and reading the books feels
like coming home.
A journey there and back again.
My husband introduced me to the Lord of the Rings movie series and I have fallen in love with all of it! I really have enjoyed The Hobbit movies too and would love to read the series by J.R.R Tolkien! I think it would be an unforgettable read!
It is! They're so good! It can take a little while to get into it if you're not used to his writing style, but the books are magnificent!
I adore that world… I should hope that some day if I ever have kids, or if my siblings have kids, they will enjoy Tolkien's world half as much as it deserves. That would be awesome.
It would, wouldn't it?
YAAAAAY! You speak it, Gillian! Hurrah for Tolkien geeks who are actually willing to accept the beauty of the movies as well!
I do admit, I was a little put off the first time I watched The Desolation of Smuag, but after I absorbed everything, I geeked out. That's so amazing that you were read The Lord of the Rings at such a young age. I've read through The Lord of the Rings at least three times, The Hobbit several times, and the Silmarillion at least once all the way through. And I love some of his other works as well. Like the Ley of Lethien. Incredible. And Farmer Giles of Ham is SO charming.
I love Smith of Wooten Major too. The Ley of Lethien is one of my favorites!
My story is very similar to yours, and I loved the movie as well. As a self-proclaimed intermediate Tolkien-purist… I still thought that the movie was Spectacular… and that if Tolkien could have seen it, he might have been just a tad disappointed in himself for not writing it the way Peter Jackson portrayed it! (I jest… slightly).
And I gotta admit… a teeny tiny part of me is kind of rooting for Smaug right now!!!
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I'm actually listening to the sound track right now!! I'm supposed to be doing homework, but I felt I needed to let my brain rest awhile! lol. Loved the post! I'm a huge Hobbit fan too! My Mom read it aloud to my siblings and I when I was twelve! I read it to myself after that, and still find myself reading the chapter " Riddles in the Dark" to see if I still know the answers to Gollum's and Bilbo's riddles!
I enjoyed the movie too, despite the differences! That was such a cliff hanger ending though! It was -30 outside when we left the theater, and my friends and I were shivering and cursing at the same time! It sounded really funny!! lol. Can't wait till the next one comes out!!
I just bought the soundtrack! So much awesome music. Listening to it makes me so happy.
"What has roots as nobody sees. Is taller than trees. Up, up, up, it goes. And yet, never grows?" :)
I'm so happy to find someone else who loves both the books and movies. I'm impressed with what Peter Jackson is doing, and I absolutely loved Desolation of Smaug. I'm ecstatic for the next one!
And to think we have to wait a whole 'nother year!
Good movie but one of the things I enjoyed about the book was created by Bilbo always being invisible in the presence of Smaug–it implied to be seen by the dragon would equal being killed by him. But in the movie Smaug sees Bilbo and yet manages to miss him. Same with the dwarfs. Even though the dragon in the film is an impressive feat of special effects, I think Peter Jackson lessened the implied power of Smaug by the way he presented him. So I was a little bit disappointed about that…
Okay, yes, I have to agree with you there. I was disappointed that Bilbo didn't remain invisible while he was talking to Smaug. His invisibility and the fact that his identity remains a secrets adds a lot to the scene.
"Barrel-rider!"
Right. And why exactly does Smaug fly out to attack Laketown when he knows for certain (or should know for certain) that those who have invaded his lair are NOT men of the lake?
Again, I enjoyed the movie but thought Smaug could have been more awesomer ;)
Ooo, I have to say that Smaug heading to the lake just for spite made him even badder.
And the way he played with Bilbo and the dwarves was like a cat with a mouse. *shivers*
As far as I'm concerned, Smaug was as awesome as he could get!
I think I'm outnumbered here…that's OK, though. I'm glad everyone else had a great experience watching Smaug! :)
Not at all! It's always good to hear contrasting opinions.
I was able to get past worrying too much about how much it matched the book and just enjoy it for its own sake, which was very entertaining!
I definitely enjoyed the complex storylines going on in Laketown which adds definite depth and lots of opportunity for new plot twists. It also brings home how terrifying it would be to really face some of the bad guys from Middle Earth.
All the best!
Yes, I loved the additional depth to Lake-town. And the score for Bard and Lake-town was tremendous!
I am glad I'm not the only one who loved it. I was starting to feel a bit lonely, going on about how wonderful I thought it was while all the other fans of the books complained. I love the books, even though I've not known of them as long as a lot of other people – I only read them between the The Two Towers movie and The Return of the King. I feel in love with the movies first, since I saw them first, but it did not lessen my love of the books.
I really loved The Hobbit. Everything about it. I have only one problem with Tauriel, I really liked it, more than I thought I would. I'm just not crazy as to WHY she was put in the movie. But that is one small problem on my part, and I was easy to forget the why and just enjoy her. And I love her hair….
I cannot wait for the finial movie.
Her hair is pretty amazing, I have to admit. All of the elves have amazing hair. No matter what they're going through, it always looks perfect. :)
The series is so fantastic! The movies have been very good so far, but I don't like the changes they've made.
I agree with you that, in aesthetic appeal, Jackson has captured the grandeur of Middle Earth. It's beautiful stuff.
But what disappoints me about Desolation of Smaug, in contrast to the Lord of the Rings movies, is the complete lack of character development and theme.
And this is coming from a fan of the first movie. I *loved* An Unexpected Journey. And I loved it not only because of the stunning beauty of Middle Earth—something that continued in the second movie—but because of all of the little touches in character development and theme, preparing for the Lord of the Rings movies that follow, chronologically. It is not great power that keeps evil at bay—yes! Wonderful!
And what do we get in Desolation of Smaug? What character development we get is between an Elf who doesn't really add anything to the plot and a handsome and not terribly dwarf-like dwarf. Even that wouldn't have been so bad if it had been equaled with the other characters—but it wasn't. It made me cringe. The focus was on special effects and dramatic acting rather than creating a moving and meaningful story.
Call me a purist – I'm not, really, seeing as I love the first movie – but as a story unto itself, Desolation of Smaug was a disappointment.