The Hobbit Thoughts

Okay, so another set of rantings about a movie that has been out for ages.

Me on the way to the movie

I was torn for a long time on whether or not I wanted to see the movie.  I love Lord of the Rings, but I am against single books being turned into multiple movies.  Harry Potter, you gave everyone else permission and now other movies are abusing that power to make more money.  The Hobbit the book is short enough that it could be done well in one movie.  Then they split it into two.  Fine, I'll grumble about paying for two tickets, but I'll go.  Then it was split into three!  That's just a money grab.  

But, despite my qualms, I really liked the movie.

The Hobbit is a movie for already enthused LOTR fans.  It makes a lot of references to events and people that casual fans might not get.  At the same time, I haven't read The Simarillian and I haven't read any of Tolkein's books in years and I was able to keep up just fine.  So maybe the references are a treat if you get them, but not a stumbling block if you don't.  

There are a lot of fun but unnecessary digressions.  Let's tell a story about Thorin's childhood.  Again.  This movie was nearly three hours long.  Could they not find anything at all to cut out?  I like the extended editions, but I don't necessarily need them in theaters.  Despite these digressions, the movie was paced well.  I never got board, and I left the theater feeling like it was a 2-hour, not a 3-hour movie.  This may be a symptom of being a major LOTR fan and soaking up any bit of interesting story that exists.

The Gollum scene was great! I wish we could see more of him.  And this song still gives me the chills.  I love rumbling base.

What did you think of the moive?