The Hobbit and EWTN

Waiting for Godot to Leave ^ | November 21, 2013 | Kevin O'Brien

[Kip Russell]

How in the world they left out the penultimate “Scouring of the Shire” is still something I shake my head about.

I believe the problem was pacing; we've just spent nine hours (twelve in the director's cut) in three movies, and the One Ring & Sauron are finally destroyed...and then we're going to take 20 minutes to show a bunch of ruffians being run out of The Shire? And then show 20 minutes of endings tying up plot threads? In a movie, it just wouldn't work well.

The book is another matter, of course.

[Tax-chick]

Several, although I know about them only from the reports of observers ;-).

[redgolum]

At some point in time, most of us have drank with those dwarves... Good times.

Love the books. The movies not as much. I can see what will happen with the next one, and don’t like the direction.

[redgolum]

That is a risk with all fantasy.

The trouble is that, even in Narnia, it presents a mythology that can be viewed as an alternative to Christianity. I have known a few people who dabbled in the occult because of their love of the wizards in LOTR.

But I have also known a few who found it a great bullwark to their Christian faith.

[Kip Russell]

The trouble is that, even in Narnia, it presents a mythology that can be viewed as an alternative to Christianity. I have known a few people who dabbled in the occult because of their love of the wizards in LOTR.

A few people will becomes obsessed with any form of fiction that has a huge fan base, especially films. Just look at (for instance) Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter, and the Twilight franchises. In all of these cases, there are a small number of people who take their involvement with the films beyond mere fandom into obsession.

I don't think that's a reason for any rational person to avoid enjoying any of them.

(mind you, there is a different reason to avoid Twilight...it's terrible)

[Zionist Conspirator]

I still like the 1977 Rankin-Bass version.

[Tax-chick]

Yes, some people are just going to go overboard over something, whatever it is.

[Kip Russell]

I still like the 1977 Rankin-Bass version.

1977 vs 2012:

[Tax-chick]

Thorin is supposed to be old, over 200, not a hottie.

[Kip Russell]

Thorin is supposed to be old, over 200, not a hottie.

Heck, Aragorn is 88 years old by the time of the events in The Lord of the Rings, Frodo is 50, Gimli is 139, and Legolas is over 800. Gandalf is thousands of years old.

Some people (especially non-human people) age really well in Middle Earth

[Tax-chick]

Yes, but Thorin is described as appearing old, including a long, white beard.

[Kip Russell]

Yes, but Thorin is described as appearing old, including a long, white beard.

Er...the film version has white highlights?

Ok, that's a stretch. It's pretty obvious that in Jackson's version of The Hobbit, Thorin is filling the "Aragorn, Jr." slot.

[Tax-chick]

I agree. The characters are reworked to fit Jackson’s vision of the story, not the author’s.

That doesn’t keep it from being somewhat fun, but it’s still obnoxious. Especially all the falling!

[Kip Russell]

That doesn’t keep it from being somewhat fun, but it’s still obnoxious. Especially all the falling!

I was more annoyed by the over the top stunts; Legolas surfing the shield down the stairs, bouncing around like Spider-Man on the oliphaunt, etc. That and some of the lame attempts at humor (most of which had Gimli as the butt of the them) did detract from the films.

But that having been said, they remain the greatest fantasy epic ever put on film. I just like to nitpick :-)

[Tax-chick]

Legolas surfing the shield down the stairs, bouncing around like Spider-Man on the oliphaunt, etc. That and some of the lame attempts at humor (most of which had Gimli as the butt of the them) did detract from the films.

Yeah, that too. And Arwen, Warrior Princess.

[Kip Russell]

Yeah, that too. And Arwen, Warrior Princess.

While shoehorning Arwen into that role wasn't faithful to the source material, I don't think it hurt the movie as such the way lame jokes did.

[Tax-chick]

I suppose I have to agree. If the viewer hadn’t read the books, he wouldn’t know any different about that character, but the stupid contemporary jokes affect the movie as an independent work of art.

[Kip Russell]

but the stupid contemporary jokes affect the movie as an independent work of art.

"No one tosses a dwarf!"

Blech.

[Tax-chick]

Agreed. Blech.