"A Grand Adventure"

Greetings, friends out there in Blog-world!  Typically, we try to watch all Christmas movies during the month of December, but Peter Jackson has thrown a kink into that this year (and will do again next year).  This week and next….it’s all about a little hobbit….

Movie:  The Hobbit (2012, Peter Jackson, with Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, et al)

The Hobbit is the prequel to The Lord of the Rings.  In this story/movie, the focus is on a younger Bilbo (Martin Freeman) and his invitation from Gandalf (Ian McKellen) to “join in a grand adventure”.  (cue swelling, dramatic music here…)  He is met with a band of burly and rather uncouth dwarves, led by their very handsome—and better-mannered—prince, Thorin (Richard Armitage).  They make a long and treacherous journey, meeting elves, evil and menacing orcs, goblins, and other wizards along the way.  This movie is all about the visual.  It is a magnificent piece of cinematography.  You are just swept away from all you know and into a vast and beautiful land.  It is the classic good vs evil, the fight for the security and restoration of a homeland and its people, and the personal struggle to face your fears and pursue something bigger than that of yourself, that most fantasies are based around. 

**If you have not seen Lord of the Rings or read Tolkien’s work, all of this may be a bit “Greek” to you.  Although, trust us.  You want to go on a grand adventure.  Grab a blanket; grab a bucket of popcorn. Watch the movie.  Set aside about 3 hours though... Jackson believes in the lengthy epic.

What we loved:  1)  The visual effects of this movie.  It is simply stunning and breathtaking.  2) The score.  A lot of people don’t pay attention to the music that is the backdrop to a movie, but this one, composed by Howard Shore, is beautiful and dark and haunting.  3) I can’t speak for Jason and Kathy, but I absolutely love Richard Armitage’s voice (Prince Thorin).  I knew him from his stint as the character Guy Gisbon in BBC’s series Robin Hood (excellent series…highly recommend), and I loved him and his deep, dramatic, broodingly British voice then.  He carries it with him to this character of the dwarf prince, and he can completely mesmerize you with just a few words.  I’d go up against the deadly dragon by myself as long as he talked to me the entire way there.  ;-)  Mercy!

Ratings:  Solid 4.5’s all the way around.

Next Tuesday, we’ll be “celebrating our Christmas” by meeting for dinner followed by a viewing of The Hobbit:  Desolation of Smaug at our local theater.  We are all geekily excited! (Is “geekily” a word…. Hmmm… it is now…)