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The Hobbit Trilogy - Why It Sucks

The Cosmonaut Variety Hour・39 minutes read

Warner Brothers tried to extend the success of The Lord of the Rings trilogy with The Hobbit movies, turning a single book into a trilogy and deviating from the source material, resulting in a disappointing viewing experience. "The Last Lord of the Rings" movie involves resolving storylines from previous films, excessive battle scenes, and a focus on artificial tension and heroic moments, seen more as fan fiction than a true adaptation of The Hobbit.

Insights

  • The decision to turn The Hobbit, a shorter book, into a trilogy of movies led to pacing issues, deviations from the source material, and the introduction of unnecessary characters and conflicts, ultimately detracting from the charm of the original story.
  • The final film in The Lord of the Rings series, "The Last Lord of the Rings," is criticized for excessive battle scenes, artificial tension, and being more akin to fan fiction than a faithful adaptation of The Hobbit, despite commendable performances from the actors.

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Recent questions

  • What is the main criticism of The Hobbit movies?

    Deviation from source material and unnecessary additions.

  • What are the positive elements highlighted in the first Hobbit movie?

    Lighter tone, childlike adventure, and unique fighting style.

  • How does The Hobbit movie struggle to balance its tone?

    Disjointed narrative between whimsy and epic darkness.

  • What are the criticisms of the action sequences in The Hobbit movies?

    Overly elaborate and unrealistic, diminishing tension.

  • How are the performances of the actors in The Hobbit movies received?

    Praised despite flaws, seen as a highlight.

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Summary

00:00

"The Hobbit: A Mixed Bag"

  • The Lord of the Rings trilogy is highly acclaimed and beloved, but Warner Brothers attempted to capitalize on its success by creating The Hobbit movies.
  • The original plan for The Hobbit involved Guillermo del Toro directing, but Peter Jackson took over, leading to the decision to turn the single book into a trilogy.
  • The Hobbit book is significantly shorter than the Lord of the Rings books, making the decision to stretch it into three movies questionable.
  • The first Hobbit movie, while not terrible, starts to deviate from the book and introduces issues that become more prominent in the sequels.
  • Martin Freeman's portrayal of Bilbo Baggins is praised for capturing the essence of the character, but Bilbo's character development is rushed in the first movie.
  • The 13 dwarves accompanying Bilbo lack characterization and fail to evoke emotional connections, unlike the characters in the original trilogy.
  • The movie's extended flashback intro and reliance on CGI effects, including the Orcs, detract from the overall quality compared to the practical effects of the original trilogy.
  • Despite some positive aspects like Gandalf and Bilbo's interactions, the movie starts to introduce more original content that strays from the book.
  • The lighter tone, childlike adventure, and unique fighting style of the dwarves are highlighted as positive elements in the first Hobbit movie.
  • The first Hobbit movie is considered the most enjoyable of the trilogy, with creative visuals, narrative choices, and details that enhance the overall experience.

13:41

Struggles of Film Adaptation: The Hobbit

  • The movie struggles due to the limited content in the middle section of the book, with only a few key events occurring: the dwarves' capture by spiders, arrest by Elves, and journey to the mountain.
  • To enhance the story, the filmmakers introduce new elements like the Orc bad guy and focus on Gandalf's pursuit of The Necromancer, who is revealed to be Sauron, tying the film more closely to the Lord of the Rings.
  • The Hobbit is described as a light-hearted bedtime fairy tale, distinct from the darker and more complex Lord of the Rings series, with a focus on Bilbo's heroic deeds.
  • The movie struggles to balance the childlike whimsy of the original story with the darker, epic tone of the Lord of the Rings, leading to a disjointed narrative.
  • Additional characters like Legolas and Tauriel are introduced to add depth, but their roles often feel forced, especially Tauriel's inclusion as a love interest.
  • The film's pacing is criticized for being slow and dull, particularly in the Extended Cut, with unnecessary scenes added to stretch the runtime.
  • Action sequences, like the Barrel scene, become overly elaborate and unrealistic, diminishing the tension and believability of the characters' survival.
  • The climax of the movie involves the dwarves attempting to defeat Smaug by dousing him in molten gold, a plan that feels contrived and lacks the impact of the original story.
  • Additional conflicts arise in Lake Town, with characters like Fili, Kili, and Bard facing off against Orcs, further complicating the narrative with unnecessary subplots.
  • Overall, the film is criticized for straying too far from the source material, adding unnecessary characters and conflicts that detract from the original charm of The Hobbit, resulting in a disappointing viewing experience.

26:41

"The Last Lord of the Rings: Mixed Reviews"

  • The final film in The Lord of the Rings series is considered as bad as the previous one.
  • The movie is titled "The Last Lord of the Rings" and is rated R for kids.
  • The film focuses on resolving various storylines created in the previous movies.
  • The main plot involves Smaug dying, Bilbo being sidelined, and a battle for the Mountain.
  • The Five Armies involved are the Dwarves, Elves, CGI Orcs, Humans, and a second Orc Army.
  • Thorin is afflicted with Dragon sickness, leading to conflict over gold.
  • The battle scenes are criticized for being excessive and unrealistic.
  • The movie is filled with artificial tension and heroic moments for various characters.
  • Despite its flaws, the performances of the actors are praised.
  • The movie is seen as more of Lord of the Rings fan fiction than a true adaptation of The Hobbit.
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