I am not going
to even pretend to be objective about this one. I, like many other diehard
fans, have been waiting for it for a long, long time. Like a lot of said fans,
I watched the film within days of it being released to cinemas. I intend to see
it a few more times. The same way I did with the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. So
if you’re expecting an honest critique of Peter Jackson’s cinema, boy oh boy
are you at the wrong post. Oh come on. Be a love. I am brutally honest in a lot
of stuff I write. I’m allowed to rant and rave about a film or two. Besides, at
the end of the day, who can say their opinions are completely objective? We are
all shaped by our own personal experiences in life and have our own
subjectivities and… Yeah. You get the picture ;)
So, this,
as you know (probably) is the first film in the trilogy that will make up The
Hobbit trilogy. I am not about to tell you the story in complete and utter
detail, the chances are you already know it off by heart (ehm) or don’t mind just finding out at the cinema
when the time comes (in which case, I really don’t know what to do with you).
Basically, The Hobbit is the story of the discovery of the Ring that will form
the backbone of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It is the story of Bilbo Baggins
(played by Martin Freeman, one of my favourite actors EVER) who first went on
an “unexpected adventure”. The main aim was to help a dwarf prince and his
loyal band reclaim their fatherland. This, as you can imagine, is not a
straight forward matter to start with. But then, just as they finally escape
the lair of the Orcs, a mysterious ring makes its way into Bilbo’s possession.
The first film leaves off at this point, but as you know, this is the sinister
beginning of a whole different can of worms.
I can
promise you one thing. I have heard this from complete novices to the franchise
and from purists much stricter than myself alike: it just flies by. Logic
coupled with all the time measurement devices known to man tell us we have
almost spent three hours watching the film. I would happily watch a second
Hobbit film at least that long without stopping. The story combined with the
effects creates a universe so engrossing that you are just sucked in. It is a
wonderful opportunity for escapism for all my fantasy junkies. And this is also
a brilliant opportunity to get introduced to the genius of Tolkein if you
haven’t already done it.
Cinematically
of course, Peter Jackson is completely and utterly the man for the job. He is
the number one name I think of when I think of epics, films on a grand scale.
People criticise him about a lot, from being shallow to combining and
mismatching concepts. I think, although some of the criticisms may have a
foundation, he is overall a brilliant entertainer. And this is why he has done
such an amazing job with The Hobbit. And of course, the acting. Martin Freeman
is getting a bit typecast I feel, as the “everyman” that, bewildered and quite
unwilling, gets pulled into an unbelievable adventure. But I also feel that
this ability to portray this role “makes” a lot of films too. Think about it,
who is he representing as this “everyman” swept off his feet? Why, us of
course! The audience! The people who, quite literally, walked in off the street
to watch the film. Suddenly, we are grabbed out of our everyday lives and
immersed in a world of fantasy. Now, our immersion is metaphorical (or
psychological. Not sure which concept goes better to be honest) and Mr Freeman
is often, if not always, physically immersed in his adventures. But he reacts
exactly in the way we probably would have. And having such a wonderful
“representation” of ourselves on the screen in front of us immerses us in the
film even further.
And lastly,
but my no means least; I cannot possibly close this entry without saying a word
or two about the AMAZING Sir Ian McKellan. I read somewhere while the film was
still in production, that Sir Ian actually broke down and cried from
frustration on one of the sets because he was actually the only “live” person
in the scenes and he had to act with a lot of his companions being represented
by tennis balls on sticks, later to be “converted” into real people. I read in
the comments to this article that “oh he’s old, he should “get with the new
generation”. Oh I could not disagree
more. His true talent lies in his ability to adapt and change. It seems he was
frustrated; he was pushed to his limits. Yet in the finished product, he is
Gandalf as we all know him. He pulled it off. Could a younger actor be so
versatile? I doubt it. This kind of thing does have a serious amount of
experience involved. So the moral of the story is people, don’t be ageist.
Respect your elders.
But first,
if you haven’t already, PLEASE go see The Hobbit. It is definitely an adventure
you will not forget in a hurry.
Kayıtlar
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder