The Hobbit: Or, Been There and Done That Again (a review)
Well, I was disappointed in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit. It's not that I felt it was a bad film, in fact - it almost seems like it was made for me. The acting was great, the action was intense, it looked amazing, and it had a lot of fantastic bits that any Tolkien nerd would love.*
So how could I be disappointed in a film that, by my own admission, was made for me? Because it wasn't made for my kids.
I know, I know... Peter Jackson isn't specifically making movies for my kids. He is selfishly making them for millions of other people without regard for my family and without even consulting me. But, I think it's fair to say that, unlike The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit is a tale aimed at children. Not just my children, but children in general. It might entertain people of all ages, but it is clearly an adventure for the kids. It's the definitive, entry-level, required-reading primer to All Things Fantasy. It is not, and should not be, confused with the Lord of the Rings in tone or scope.
Unfortunately, I think that's exactly what happened. The Hobbit went too dark, too violent, too graphic. The more visceral action that earned The Hobbit a PG-13 rating was a missed opportunity to make a movie that fills the void in cinema between the animated Disney fables and more adult fare like The Lord of the Rings. Editing the film to a PG might have lost it a decapitation or a disembowelment here and there, but it would not have cost it anything in the way of story or character or excitement.
There are already a bunch of science fiction and fantasy movies that will be fun to watch with my kids when they are a bit older. I was hoping The Hobbit would be fun to watch with them now, when they are young. I wanted this to be their Star Wars moment - the movie that they see as kids that stays with them for their whole life. Instead, it was The Lord of the Rings (With Burping).
So yes, it's a selfish disappointment, one derived from my own personal expectations rather than the quality of the final product. But is is my disappointment, after all, so I'm allowed.
And, having said all that, I'll be there with goosebumps to see Smaug next year...
* (... fantastic bits that any Tolkien nerd would love.) Or hate, if you are a purist. A lot of liberties were taken to shoehorn the Azog and Radigast bits into the narrative, not to mention Galadriel and the personality makeover for Aragorn... um, I mean Thorin. Personally, I didn't mind that part so much, because Jackson excels at brewing a nice steaming cup of Tolkien, even if he grinds the beans a little coarsely.
So how could I be disappointed in a film that, by my own admission, was made for me? Because it wasn't made for my kids.
I know, I know... Peter Jackson isn't specifically making movies for my kids. He is selfishly making them for millions of other people without regard for my family and without even consulting me. But, I think it's fair to say that, unlike The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit is a tale aimed at children. Not just my children, but children in general. It might entertain people of all ages, but it is clearly an adventure for the kids. It's the definitive, entry-level, required-reading primer to All Things Fantasy. It is not, and should not be, confused with the Lord of the Rings in tone or scope.
Unfortunately, I think that's exactly what happened. The Hobbit went too dark, too violent, too graphic. The more visceral action that earned The Hobbit a PG-13 rating was a missed opportunity to make a movie that fills the void in cinema between the animated Disney fables and more adult fare like The Lord of the Rings. Editing the film to a PG might have lost it a decapitation or a disembowelment here and there, but it would not have cost it anything in the way of story or character or excitement.
There are already a bunch of science fiction and fantasy movies that will be fun to watch with my kids when they are a bit older. I was hoping The Hobbit would be fun to watch with them now, when they are young. I wanted this to be their Star Wars moment - the movie that they see as kids that stays with them for their whole life. Instead, it was The Lord of the Rings (With Burping).
So yes, it's a selfish disappointment, one derived from my own personal expectations rather than the quality of the final product. But is is my disappointment, after all, so I'm allowed.
And, having said all that, I'll be there with goosebumps to see Smaug next year...
* (... fantastic bits that any Tolkien nerd would love.) Or hate, if you are a purist. A lot of liberties were taken to shoehorn the Azog and Radigast bits into the narrative, not to mention Galadriel and the personality makeover for Aragorn... um, I mean Thorin. Personally, I didn't mind that part so much, because Jackson excels at brewing a nice steaming cup of Tolkien, even if he grinds the beans a little coarsely.
No comments have been added yet.
