Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opens in theaters across the U.S. today in high frame-rate 3D. The film will also be available in 2-D, 3-D, Imax and Imax 3-D, all at the rate of 24 frames per second. Directed by Peter Jackson, screenplay written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro. The original music was composed by Howard Shore, with cinematography by Andrew Lesnie, (director of photography). The original novel, The Hobbit, is by J.R.R. Tolkien.
This is the plot in two, somewhat long sentences, to avoid any spoilers.
The film opens with a Dwarf-Goblin battle and the fight between Thorin and the Goblin king, Azog. After a first meeting in Bilbo Baggins's hobbit hole, Bilbo the hobbit, Gandalf, the wizard and 13 Dwarves headed by Thorin Oakenshield set off on an epic quest over the Misty Mountains to reclaim the lost, ancient treasures of gold of the Dwarves, (in the depths of the Lonely Mountain), and reclaim Erebor, one of the ancestral Dwarvish homelands.
Richard Armitage communicates very intense emotions in interpreting the character of Thorin Oakenshield. Despite minor differences from the more somber character in The Hobbit, the on-screen persona of Thorin was well-developed and magnificently delivered by Armitage. Bilbo Baggins, played by Martin Freeman seemed to grow a little more slowly into his character, but only because we are used to seeing Ian Holm for so long in the The Lord of the Rings film credits. Cate Blanchett brings her customary august bearing to the role of Galadriel. Gandalf's familiar riddles and wise mien are played with Kellen's trademark conviction, the similarly excellent performance that he delivered in The Lord of the Rings films. I didn't see much of noteworthy in the acting of the rest of the Dwarves, who comport themselves as bombastic buffoons for the most part. Thorin's character clearly carries the group in thought, deed and charisma, and Armitage's performance sets the bar highest, as the leader and heir apparent of the Dwarvish race. Andy Serkis's rendition of Gollum shivers off the screen. Gollum's pale, shrivelled CGI figure has terribly realistic contours in high frame-rate 3G projection. I found the CGI rendering of Gollum's vulgar smile and his hoarse gasp of delight startlingly real at times, such as in this scene:
Bilbo Baggins: Why don't we have a game of riddles?
Gollum: And if he loses? What then? Well if he loses precious then we eats it! If Baggins loses we eats it whole!
Bilbo Baggins: Fair enough.
Jackson made the fine decision to use a song during the final credits (composed by Neil Finn), called Song of the Misty Mountains based on the original Tolkien poem, Over The Misty Mountains Cold. Apparently, some critics have registered their disquiet with the length of the Dwarf songs in the film. Good thing Finn didn't use the original Tolkien poem, which is 27 stanzas long.
A great kvetchfest has been had by critics of the fact that Peter Jackson "filled in the gap" of the film with other tales and lore from the Tolkien legendarium. Point in fact, the opening battle scene, the Battle of Nanduhirion (Azanulbizar). Perhaps they have not read "The Hobbit" and Tolkien's other works. Taking some of the background information from the Tolkien legendarium such as the stories, poetry and the lore from The Lord of the Rings is essential to creating an understanding of what the actual quest of The Hobbit is about. How can we understand why Thorin Oakenshield has such a burning desire to find the lost treasures of the Dwarves and to reclaim their homeland? It was during this battle that Thorin fought alongside Thráin II (son of Thrór), bearing the right to primogenitur as Thrain's eldest son and Thror's grandson. The primordial, viscerally raw reason for the quest, in Thorin's eyes, was to retake this honor for his family and for the Dwarvish kingdom. Azog had killed his grandfather, Thrór in Moria (Khazad-dûm), and startled the Dwarves into the great Dwarf and Goblin Wars.
Jackson seems, at first, to take the most license with the character of Radagast the Brown. Tolkien refers to him only twice in The Hobbit (The Hobbit; Ch. 7: Queer Lodgings), six times in The Fellowship of the Ring (Part II; Ch. 2: The Council of Elrond) and once in The Unfinished Tales of Middle-earth and Numenor (II: The Istari). In the film, Radagast discovers the Necromancer of Mirkwood (in the tower of Dol Guldur in Mirkwood) and then hastens to warn Gandalf and the rest of the company. The inclusion of this scene simply proves that Jackson is a true Tolkienite, because he has done his research. Radagast did, in fact, live on the Western edge of Mirkwood, and could easily have encountered the Necromancer in his wanderings through the dark, forested area near the Tower of Gol Guldur. Jackson clearly picked up the idea from an early 12-page typescript which Tolkien scholar John D. Rateliff calls "The Bladorthin Typescript." According to Rateliff, Tolkien most likely considered explaining Gandalf's absence in the storyline of The Hobbit, following Thorin and his company's departure from Beorn's house, by saying that he went to visit Radagast (who lived close by in Mirkwood) for the purpose of planning the attack on the Necromancer. Rateliff maintains that Sauron first appears in the Tolkien legendarium as Sauron the Necromancer in the poem,The Lay of Leithian, and after the destruction of the tower at Tol Sirion, the Necromancer fled to Taur-na-Fuin, which he thought to be Mirkwood.
And then, there's the high frame-rate of the film. The best explanation of HFR 3D that I found was here. Basically, HFR 3D doubles the industry standard of 24 frames per second, reducing what Jackson calls "movement artifacts, like strobing, flicker and motion blur." As far as the actual cinematography is concerned, the wide, panning movements of the camera across panoramic vistas such as mountains, dales, valleys, rivers, trees and swarming throngs of Wargs, Goblins, and Dwarves are clearer, brighter and take on a more majestic feel with a gravitas of line. Do these apparent cinematographic effects, added to the whole, make The Hobbit a better movie? No, they don't. But who can honestly denigrate the grave beauty of the scene in the film when Gwaihir, King of the Eagles and his convocation carry the company to safety, their dark brown wings beating down against the high winds, all silhouetted against the yellowish ochre sun setting on the Misty Mountains?
Apparently, some are discontent about how the camera seems to lessen the effects of perspective and make the sets and costumes appear phony. To be honest, I was so engrossed with the story, I did not notice any "overblown, artificial quality in which the phoniness of the sets and costumes becomes obvious, while well-lit areas bleed into their surroundings, like watching a high-end home movie" or the sets having "flat lighting, a plastic-y look, and, worst of all, a strange sped-up effect" in the least. Of course, one's eyes do need to get used to the high frame-rate projection, which is possibly why, during the beginning scenes, inside Bilbo's house, viewers are just beginning to open their eyes, quite literally, and adjust both visually and psychologically to seeing the first deployment of this new technology on screen. Tolkien himself had some thoughts on the weirdness of seeing familiar things with a new lens:
And there is (especially for the humble) Mooreeffoc, or Chestertonian Fantasy. Mooreeffoc is a fantastic word, but it could be seen written up in every town in this land. It is Coffee-room, viewed from the inside through a glass door, as it was seen by Dickens on a dark London day; and it was used by Chesterton to denote the queerness of things that have become trite, when they are seen suddenly from a new angle. That kind of “fantasy” most people would allow to be wholesome enough; and it can never lack for material. But it has, I think, only a limited power; for the reason that recovery of freshness of vision is its only virtue. The word Mooreeffoc may cause you suddenly to realize that England is an utterly alien land, lost either in some remote past age glimpsed by history, or in some strange dim future to be reached only by a time-machine; to see the amazing oddity and interest of its inhabitants and their customs and feeding-habits; but it cannot do more than that: act as a time-telescope focused on one spot. Creative fantasy, because it is mainly trying to do something else (make something new), may open your hoard and let all the locked things fly away like cage-birds. The gems all turn into flowers or flames, and you will be warned that all you had (or knew) was dangerous and potent, not really effectively chained, free and wild; no more yours than they were you. The “fantastic” elements in verse and prose of other kinds, even when only decorative or occasional, help in this release. But not so thoroughly as a fairy-story, a thing built on or about Fantasy, of which Fantasy is the core. Fantasy is made out of the Primary World, but a good craftsman loves his material, and has a knowledge and feeling for clay, stone and wood which only the art of making can give.
Honestly, the reactions and admonitions against the use of high frame-rate 3D reminds me of the story of when rock and roll first came around. The parents hated it because it was noise. Politicians hated it because it was a Communist plot. And religious leaders hated it because it was the work of the devil and linked to "drugs, sexual promiscuity, gang warfare, pornography, teenage pregnancy, prostitution, organized crime, and communist subversion." I hail Peter Jackson's courage in adopting a new technology. It is clear that, as an audience, we have become used to Bag End. The cozy hobbit holes are all too familiar now. Imposing fixture though he is, Galdalf is a fixture of the storyline. We have become used to the comfortable, our friends, the characters of the perennial Tolkien universe, depicted in film for our senses in a memorable storyline at 24 frames per second. The moment these familiar characters appear changed in any way on the screen, we experience reluctance at the forced difference in perspective. The revolution of the view. Enter center stage, the Mooreeffoc Effect. It's the sensation of suddenly seeing the commonplace from an unaccustomed perspective. With the added depth of perspective and intense clarity of the images, we are seeing our old friends with new eyes. And that will take some getting used to for many. But Jackson has taken a stride in the right direction. But, it appears to be one small step for viewer-kind, one giant stride for technological innovation.
In the end, The Hobbit is simply about struggle. Not just the eventual struggle of pitting the wits of a halfling against the cunning of a dragon's intellect, strength and fireballs. But of Bilbo Baggins of Bag End against himself, and how he finds his courage. Gandalf speaks to Galadriel about how, often, strength and courage are found in the smallest of creatures. To me, this is the core ethos of the movie, there and back again:
Galadriel: Mithrandir, why the halfling?
Gandalf: Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay… small acts of kindness and love. Why Bilbo Baggins? Perhaps it’s because I’m afraid and he gives me courage.
Galadriel: Do not be afraid, Mithrandir, you are not alone, If you ever need aid, I will come.
Bilbo's quest seems simple enough: he is to be the "burglar" of the company of Thorin Oakenshield, a dwarf who is seeking to reclaim and rediscover one of the lost Dwarven homelands, Erebor. But, in the course of the journey through the bowels of the Misty Mountains, Thorin has never accepted Bilbo as a true member of the company, as he doubts his motivation and questions his courage. Bilbo soon has a chance to prove his courage to Thorin in a battle with Azog on the northeastern cliff face, the opposite side of the Misty Mountains from where they started their journey. Though he is no match for the giant Goblin's strength and his experienced blade, Bilbo confronts his doubts about his courage, and wins his inner battle, the most important one, in the end. These moments are important in the film, as they impart a lesson to those willing to listen to their message. After all, before Tolkien ever committed the scribbles to typescript and to ink on paper, his stories were composed for and meant to be read to the most precious characters in his own life, his children.
All in all, the film succeeds in it's mission: it delivers the first third of the story of Bilbo Baggins and his quest for the Dwarves. It does it with a little departure from the Tolkien canon, breaking in a new medium of high frame-rate digital projection. And, just like the parochial diatribes against rock and roll eventually passed away, the complaints about high frame-rate 3D will die down, eventually. Jackson has proven both to Tolkien fans and to movie buffs that he has heartfelt intentions of preserving the overall mission and spirit of Tolkien's opus, and is willing to go on his own journey of discovery, deep inside the Tokien mythos to create an holistic portrayal of the marvelous characters, creatures and story that we have all come to know and love so fondly. I can't wait for the next Tolkien adventure. In HFR 3D, please.
