I must say I had forgotten a lot between reading the book in 2002 and watching the first two movies before re-reading the book, including who died at the end. I enjoyed re-reading the book. The movies didn't stray too much, with some exceptions.
What I loved about the book and movies equally:
- Bilbo
- The dwarves
- Gollum, the riddles, and how Bilbo gets the ring
- The eagles
What I loved in the movies more than the book:
- The elves
- Smaug
- Orcs/goblins
What I loved in the book more than the movies:
- The lack of the love triangle
- The focus on Bilbo's story
What I disliked about the movies:
- The love triangle
- The battling of the Necromancer (It was a little anticlimactic for me.)
- The splitting of the book into three movies (Two would've been better.)
- The way the third movie lacked a beginning, middle, and end and felt more just like the end
- Radagast (Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy this strange little wizard, but I felt his scenes were a bit too long.)
What I loved about the movies that wasn't in the book:
- Tauriel (So I didn't care as much about the love triangle, but she was pretty kick@ss in general.)
- I liked the earlier Necromancer scenes, just not the final one
- The connection with The Lord of the Rings (Now I want to re-read The Lord of the Rings and re-watch the movies!)
Have you read The Hobbit or seen the movies? What did you think of them?
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31 comments:
It didn't need a love triangle, but the ending with Tauriel and Fiji was touching and bittersweet.
No, three movies weren't necessary. Then again, we got to romp around Middle Earth one more time.
I liked that Jackson weaved in so many things that connected this story to LOTR.
Didn't mind the treatment of The Lord of the Rings, but having read the Hobbit to many many classes of English school children, and then seeing the first film episode of The The Hobbit, I was angry and didn't watch the rest of the trilogy.
I read the Hobbit and LOTR series in my teens and in college. I really loved them but wonder if they'd move too slow for me now. I still have them. I've only seen the first two movies in The Hobbit series so I'll have to see if I agree on 2 movies being enough.
Would you believe I have never read either The Hobbit or LOTR?
I'm so bad...
The love triangle didn't bother me, and I started bawling at the end of the last movie.
I grew up with the cartoons, so I kept comparing the two. I think the live action ones turned out better than the cartoons, though I still miss the song, "Where there's a whip there's a way."
I'm one of the few folks that haven't seen the movies yet. I read the novels a long time ago. One day I need to reread them, but my TBR list never gets any smaller! *LOL*
I still haven't read the books, so this makes me want to read them even more. They're waiting for me on my bookcase.
Loved your review of The Hobbit book and movie! I agree with you on all points except one . . . I liked Tauriel's romance with Kili even if it wasn't anywhere in the book. However, I wished it hadn't been a love triangle - that just annoyed me as a "must have love triangle box checked off the list" kind of movie decision. As a reader, I was so into Bilbo that I didn't really think about the lack of kicking heroines in the book, but I liked the addition of Tauriel in the movie. My only other wish is the Beorn would have had a bigger role - I remember the stay at his house as magical and in the first movie it just seemed to be a momentary stop-over.
I loved the way that Martin Freeman (Bilbo) and Ian Mckellan (Gandalf) just sat with each other after Thorin's death - their acting skills made the last movie not seem overlong to me. However, I do think it could have been two movies and not three. I think my oldest daughter who reads books on acting and studies movies and shows for acting skills is the only person I know who truly loved the length of the scene with Thorin facing his gold issues. She was totally impressed by the range of emotions played in that scene. And, I have to say that the talent of the cast made the movies work for me, as a whole, as a different version of one of my favorite books of all time.
=) I grew up on The Hobbit. My oldest brother was a HUGE J.R.R. Tolkien fan, and because of that it became family culture. We were so excited about the movies when they first released that the hubby and I saw Lord of the Rings 3 times in the theater. Crazy, right? I had a few gripes too with the way the movies deviated from the books, but overall I liked the adaptations.
Smaug was impressive in the films. I loved their pick for Bilbo. Martin Freeman was perfect in the role. He had the right sense of honor and innocence.
Ugh love triangles. Now I'm even less inclined to watch the other Hobbit movies. We rented the first one and I was excited about it, but in the end I was so disappointed. I HATED it! To me, it just felt like they kept distracting from THE HOBBIT to remind you that Lord of the Rings happens afterwards and that we've already seen it. I couldn't even enjoy my favorite scenes because I was waiting for them to jump over to LotR related scenes. After that, I have no desire to see the rest of the films.
Why do people want to add love triangles to everything? They drive me crazy. There are some stories where they make it work, but they are few and far between.
LOL ... Kili
I saw the last Hobbit movie last weekend and have had time to digest ... I wore out my copy of LotR/The Hobbit/Silmarilllion many moons ago - which is how much I loved the books ... and I loved the movies too, all 6 of 'em.
When I watch movies that are adaptations of books I try and make sure I don't carry my expectations from either into the other - less swearing at the screen and/or throwing of books at walls that way. :)
That being said, the 'love triangle' was on a par with the gratuitious bra-and-undies scene in the Star Trek movie.
Tauriel was kick-ass all by herself and didn't need surfer-dude Legolas being all emo around her.
I haven't seen or read anything Hobbit-related. I tried to read the book twice, but couldn't get into it and gave up after a few pages. I'd like to see the movies, though.
I told my family on the ride home from the theater that I thought the movies would have been better (they were good, just saying I'd have like them better) if each movie had it's own subplot. It was like watching a "to be continued" series. They got mad. Glad someone else agrees with me!
I've read the book three times, and everytime I'm reminded how The Hobbit is a book for children. The dwarves are pretty hopeless to be honest. So I loved how Jackson made the films scarier and deeper. I LOVED Thranduil and Thorin, and especially Bard. The scenes with his family were very special.
I didn't like the love story. The film didn't need it. I did love Tauriel though.
I love the riddles from The Hobbit. I can't even remember if they were in the movie. I still haven't seen the last Hobbit movie, but so far, the movies are very different from the book. It's not really so bad to have a version of the story that has so much more than that basic story. Some people complain, but I think if people want to experience the original, then they can just read the book. I appreciate in the inclusion of some girls in the story!
I've only seen the first two movies so far, which were enjoyable. The book was a great read/listen. I listened to it on tape ages ago... obviously if it was on tape. lol
I did the same with the Hunger Games. First I read the books, which I could not put down until I finished the whole trilogy and then I had withdrawal symptoms for weeks; then I watched the films. Even though I thoroughly enjoyed the films and totally fell head over heals for Josh Hutcherson, I feel that the books have more of a hold over me. Not once did I get up and make a coffee or a cup of English tea :) when I was reading but I did pause the film. Suzanne Collins did a fantastic job.
Indeed. Two movies would have been so much better. It's beautiful to look at, but too repetitive. Never read the books, though.
Yep, they included the riddles. :)
I think I'm the only person who's neither read these books nor seen these movies. Same is even true for other movie franchises, since I'm pretty pop-culture deficient, LOL. Not surprised to hear they added a needless love triangle. Movie makers seem quite fond of that trope, for some reason...
I love the Middle Earth movies and books. Some of my favourites.
I read the book back in high school and haven't reread it. I probably should though because it has been so long. I haven't see the movie yet, but I did see the LOTR movies. They were beautifully done. Thanks for sharing your thoughts- interesting to see the differences between them written out. :)
~Jess
I've read the Hobbit probably 15 times :) I used to read it annually - so light and fun, as opposed to LOTR which I've only read once. Talk about a difference in voice! I pretty much agree with your comparisons between the two exactly. And the last movie got real overly dramatic...
I've had a hard time getting into the Hobbit movies. I was a big fan of the LOTR trilogy, and it seems like Jackson was trying to relive his glory days -- and failing miserably -- by stretching that poor Hobbit into 3 films.
I'm behind. I just watched the second of the Hobbit movie and was left feeling meh. I loved the first trilogy, but I'm completely confused about the length and all the changes in the Hobbit movies. I'll watch the third installment at some point, but I'm not jumping up and down to do so.
I guess that splitting into three movies was profit based, but maybe it simply allowed them to develop the story more fully. Haven't seen the last one yet.
I'm not big on the love triangles either. Way too much drama for me and really I just don;t care.
It's strange how books and diverge in the portrayals so much. I'm with DMS, super-long books intimidate me. I don't often have the time or patience. The Passage was an exception to that.
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