I must start out by saying that though I am a pretty big Tolkien fan, the book The Hobbit was never one of my favorites. I'm not gonna lie, I never cared that much for it. The movie, to me, is far more interesting because it incorporates the themes from LotR that made me fall in love with it in the first place.
Though this movie had its flaws. It's kind of annoying that every time Jackson thinks he needs a drive in the story: RANDOM ORC ATTACK! (It felt like Indiana Jones at times, which are not some of my favorite movies, and are *not* what I look for in a Tolkien movie.) And Orcs traveling in the day? What's up with that? But overall, I actually find the movie an improvement over the book. I never like the book that much, especially compared to LotR. I'm reading it again now and it only confirms it even more: if I can say this without getting stoned, the movie is actually better than the book.
Yes, there's a little loss of the idealized loyalty and bravery, etc. But not much. In the book, the Dwarves had no personalities. Only Thorin. The rest were just names with a few physical descriptions. In the movie, each Dwarf has a distinct personality and Jackson even attempts to give some their own story by splitting the company up in Desolation.
Critics, and so-called Tolkien purists point out that The Hobbit isn't about a grand plot to use the dragon to fight for Sauron. But Tolkien *did* write that that was the reason Gandalf started the quest: exactly like it's described in the movie: he's concerned that Sauron will use Smaug. It would have been one thing if they had made the Hobbit first. But because we've seen LotR already, we need more. It would have been a far inferior movie to LotR if they had only stuck with what's in the book, just as the book The Hobbit is inferior compared to LotR. No one but a few Tolkien purists would have liked it.
I originally was just expecting a straight-forward adaption of the book, and it did not excite me. LotR is my favorite movie ever. The thought of seeing the Hobbit made into a movie was cool and all, but it just seemed like too little, too late after seeing LotR. But when I saw the movies I was pleasantly surprised by how much Tolkien they put in the movies. Seeing the first one actually made me excited to see the rest, something that I *really* was not expecting. (Haha, get it?)
It's true that the swashbuckling detracted form potential character development, but there was none in the book to begin with. There's far more character development in the movie.
The Gospel According To...
If
someone asked me where the gospel is in The Hobbit: The Desolation of
Smaug, I'd say it's in the kingsfoil (athelas). A plant that was thought
useless, and even a nuisance, by most is the key to healing life. 1 Corinthians 1:20-29
Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.
"When the the black breath blows- Return of the King
and death's shadow grows
and all lights pass,
come athelas! come athelas!
Life to the dying
in the king's hand lying!"
It's true that, really, only Aragorn is supposed to be able to use the kingsfoil, but it may be fair to say that he learned it from the elves.
The book didn't have as many strong parallels to Christianity as LotR, but the incorporation of a darker tone and more themes from LotR into the movie makes for some great parallels. This is one reason I grew to like Tauriel. She wasn't a feminist, like I thought she'd be. She retained a very feminine charm, despite her arrow-throwing. And she spoke in a very 'high Tolkien' way, with her love of the stars and all. But, as a Tolkien nerd, the kingsfoil scene really won me over.
No comments:
Post a Comment