About The Movie:
On his 111th birthday, the hobbit Bilbo Baggins decides
to write down the full story of the adventure he took 60 years before for his
nephew Frodo. Bilbo writes about how, prior to his own
actual involvement, the Dwarf Thrór becomes
King of Erebor and
brings an era of prosperity to his kin until the arrival of Smaug the dragon. Smaug destroys the nearby town of Dale before driving the Dwarves out of
Erebor and taking their horde of gold. Thrór's grandson, Thorin, sees King
Thranduil and his Wood-elves on
a nearby hillside and is dismayed to find them taking their leave rather than
aiding his people.
Following this, Bilbo is tricked by the wizard, Gandalf the
Grey, into hosting a party for Thorin and his band of Dwarves, which
doubles as Bilbo's recruitment as the Dwarves' "burglar" to help them
steal their treasure back from Smaug. Bilbo reluctantly joins the company on
their journey to the Lonely Mountain. The group gets captured by Trolls, but Bilbo is able to stall the
Trolls from eating them until dawn, when Gandalf saves the company by exposing
the Trolls to sunlight, turning them into stone. They search the Trolls' cave
and find treasure and Elven blades. Thorin and Gandalf each take an Elf-made
blade—Orcrist and Glamdring,
respectively—with the latter finding an Elven shortsword, which he gives to Bilbo.
The group then encounter Radagast the
Brown, a wizard who lives in Greenwood.
He tells them of an encounter at Dol Guldur with
anecromancer who
has been infesting the forest with dark magic. The group is then chased by Orcs on Wargs, with Radagast
covering their escape. Gandalf leads them through a stone passage to Rivendell as
the Wargs and Orcs above are slain by Elven riders led byLord Elrond.
Elrond discloses the map's indication of a secret door that will be visible
only on Durin's Day. Gandalf talks with theWhite Council—Elrond, Galadriel and Saruman the
White—about his involvement with the Dwarves, expressing his
suspicion that the necromancer Radagast encountered is none other than the Dark
Lord Sauron.
The others are skeptical, believing Sauron to have been defeated forever, and
that this necromancer is not a true threat.
Against the Council's wishes, Gandalf sends Bilbo and the Dwarves
towards the Misty Mountains. While passing through the mountains, Bilbo and the
Dwarves are captured by Goblins and taken to their leader, the Great Goblin.
Bilbo is separated from the Dwarves and falls into a cave where he encounters Gollum, who
accidentally drops a mysterious ring while killing a stray Goblin to feed on.
Picking up the ring and placing it in his pocket, Bilbo finds himself
confronted by Gollum. They play a riddle game,
wagering that Bilbo will be shown the way out if he wins, or eaten by Gollum if
he loses. After Bilbo wins by asking Gollum what he has in his pocket, Gollum
realizes Bilbo has stolen the ring and attacks him. Bilbo discovers the ring
grants him invisibility and evades a furious Gollum, following him to find the
way out. Bilbo prepares to kill Gollum, but relents out of pity, and escapes.
Meanwhile, the Great Goblin reveals to the Dwarves that Azog, an Orc war-chief who
beheaded Thrór and lost his forearm to Thorin in battle at the abandoned Dwarven city
of Moria, has placed a bounty on Thorin's
head. By this time, Gandalf arrives and saves the Dwarves from the Goblins,
killing the Great Goblin during their escape. Bilbo finds the exit and rejoins
the group, keeping the ring he found secret. The group is then ambushed by Azog
and his hunting party, and take refuge in trees. Thorin charges Azog, but is
defeated and knocked to the ground. Bilbo saves Thorin from being decapitated
by the Orcs before the group is saved by Eagles, who fly them to safety on the Carrock.
Gandalf heals the unconscious Thorin, who acknowledges Bilbo for his bravery.
The party see their destination, the Lonely Mountain, in the distance, where
Smaug awakens.
What Is Good/Bad About The Movie:
The Hobbit settles into its own enjoyable rhythm, a
comic adventure that's a good enough excuse to make a return visit to Middle
Earth. If you can convince yourself to stop comparing it to Lord of the
Rings (not that the
movie actually encourages that). I like that we fine a far less than willing Bilbo
than the wide-eyed Frodo when it came to taking on the adventure across Middle
Earth. I liked the scenes when the group stumbles upon a mean group of hungry
mountain trolls and Bilbo finally find his purpose, digging into the awkward
group dynamics and setting up Bilbo's redemption for being seen as a coward in
Thorin's eyes.
The giant battle scene against
Smaug the dragon is being saved for the next film, but we at least get an
impressive cavern full of goblins to run away from, not to mention the return
of Gollum, whose "riddles in the dark" scene is riveting, and Andy
Serkis' performance as remarkably nuanced as ever. Some story elements are
added from the book to give more of a sense of epic continuity, like a
flashback to Smaug's takeover of the dwarves' mountain and a scene with
Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) and Elrond (Hugo Weaving) warning of Sauron's
potential rise.
I saw An Unexpected
Journey in the
much-touted 48 frames per second and in IMAX 3D, an experience I recommend, but
maybe only on second viewing. It took some adjusting to the look, which makes
everything feel more real and closer to you, an effect that's worth watching when
seeing giant trolls or goblins or even a band of tiny dwarves.
No comments:
Post a Comment