It's been a while since I've had a complete geek moment related to movies. I thought that after the last Harry Potter movie, there wouldn't be another one. I was completely wrong and boy, am I glad I was.
I remember I read The Hobbit ten years ago and ever since I've been waiting to see if there was going to be a movie. I know I've said it many, many times, that I think the Lord of the Rings books are a little better than the movies (let's be honest, have you ever seen a movie better than the book it was based on?), but I was sure that if the same cast (or at least part of it) were to appear in a movie based on The Hobbit, then that movie would be awesome. And I was right.
It's been a while since I read the book, but the movie was done so well, it made me remember some of my favorite scenes in the book. The trolls, the game of riddles, the scene where all the dwarves are making poor Bilbo go nuts, everything was perfectly made. And the opening scene of the movie... I actually sighed when I saw it. It's perfect and if you've seen the first trilogy, you should know why. I loved how it was tied together with those first movies. It was just... maybe it sounds a bit stupid, but it was like I took a time capsule and I remembered when Frodo surprised Gandalf in the movie, telling him "You're late!". I loved that.
If you've read the book, you might have seen that some scenes from the movie weren't in the book, but they were done perfectly and they didn't bother me at all. They looked and felt like it was natural for those scenes to be part of the story.
Let's talk characters. I believe Martin Freeman did an excellent job and he got the essence of Bilbo perfectly. I don't think I'll ever be able to imagine another better Bilbo. Just like Ian McKellen is the one and only possible actor that could play Gandalf.
The surprise was Richard Armitage, who played Thorin. I remember seeing Armitage in the TV show Robin Hood as Guy of Gisborne and I always considered him one of the best actors that I've seen that played a villain so well, yet managed to be sexy while doing it. I never had a thing for villains. They were bad guys and that was that. But seeing him in the role of Gisborne made me root for his character (and swoon and drool), even while I was wishing he'd fail in his quests. So it was a good surprise seeing him as the dwarf in this movie. He played the part very well and he made Thorin look fierce and (yes, again :P ) sexy at the same time.
All the other new characters did amazing jobs and I can't wait to see the next two movies. Then you have Cate Blanchett, which I just completely adore, especially as Galadriel. And Andy Serkis is brilliant in his role as Gollum.
The music is, as I expected, beautiful. I love what the composer, Howard Shore, managed to create for the original movie trilogy and he did an amazing job for this movie as well. I'm sure the next two movies will have soundtracks just as beautiful as this one.
There isn't a thing I can think of that I wish was different. I think that's a first for me. Or maybe I'm just that big of a geek. I don't know, honestly. I loved the movie. And I'm honestly waiting for that moment, years from now, when I'll do a complete The Hobbit - Lord of the Rings movie marathon.
Of course, being the complete Tolkien fan that I am, I have to be honest and say that a little part of me is hoping for maybe a TV show based on the Silmarillion book. *le sigh*
So, have you seen the movie and if yes, what did you think of it?
