'The Hobbit' An Unexpected Retrospective
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An Unexpected Return
When The Return of The King hit theaters on December 16th, 2003, many believed that their journey to Middle-earth on film was over. Never again would audiences see the beautiful world that Tolkein had crafted, driven through the eyes of Peter Jackson. The period afterward was quite a time for Tolkien fans. We had the books and now movies to savor when enjoying our time in Middle-earth. However, there were rumblings, whispers of something on the horizon that we did not expect. Then, it happened. Another Middle-earth movie was announced, but this time, we would be telling the tale…of The Hobbit. For many, the most exciting news came when they discovered there would not be one single movie but a trilogy of films, with the first one being The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
An Unexpected Change in Direction
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The Hobbit films had quite a turbulent production history going back to their initial announcement. First and foremost, Peter Jackson was not set to direct this movie but simply be the executive producer overseeing it, giving the directorial reigns to Guillermo del Toro. Fans thought that while some actors would reprise their roles, del Toro would bring his own unique vision of Middle-earth. However, del Toro would leave the project in 2010, leaving Warner Brothers and New Line Cinema scrambling to get the project off the ground. Hence they went back to Peter Jackson.
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Sadly, Warner Brothers and New Line Cinema did not give him the prep time necessary due to the delay that occurred with the handover of directors. Peter Jackson has said in various interviews that pre-production was far more rushed and that there was a lot of crunch time compared to his development of Lord of the Rings. It did not give him the time to prep and space out the movie and the visual effects as much as he wanted. This crunch time was also one of the primary reasons this story became a trilogy in the first place, instead of a two-parter like initially intended. The split into three films would give Peter Jackson some extra time to make the film with at least a little breathing room, but not by much. There were still a few pacing issues with the story and the digital effects crunch that happened during the production of this film.
Despite the struggles, the first of The Hobbit films was released on December 6th, 2012.
An Unexpected Reception
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When The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was finally released, there was an initial wave of excitement to return to Middle-earth as seen through the eyes of Peter Jackson. Seeing familiar actors like Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett, and Christopher Lee return to their prominent roles from the Lord of the Rings trilogy was a fun treat for many. However, the film did not receive the glowing reviews and reception that the original The Fellowship of the Ring received during its initial run. It was not completely lukewarm per se, but it was not the universally praised film many would hope for.
The trilogy was criticized for its overuse of CGI instead of the practical effects, unlike in the original The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Another criticism was the type of camera that was used which made the scenery look “off.”
There were positive reviews as well, such as Martin Freeman’s stellar performance as Bilbo Baggins (in this author’s opinion, the perfect casting for the character). Several scenes and songs from the books were directly translated and brought into the movie. Even the additions from the Appendices, like the White Council scene, are interesting to see on screen. Other additions to the story of the Dwarves met mixed but mostly positive results as they added depth to the story of Thorin, and his struggles to reclaim his home from the vile dragon Smaug.
On the whole, the reception to the first movie of The Hobbit Trilogy was mixed but leaned toward positive for the most part. While a bit overloaded in parts with some strange cinematic choices, it still managed to capture the heart of what made The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings so special. It successfully depicted likable characters in a fun atmosphere, with a few moments that feel like they come right off the page.
While The Hobbit films were not necessarily the cultural touchstone, their predecessors were. They certainly were, starting with the first one…An Unexpected Journey.
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