Peter Jackson's Ego

Rating: 6/10 (18 December 2014)

I attended all three Hobbit movies, despite the knowledge that three long movies for a short book couldn't reflect Tolkien's vision. This was Peter Jackson's vision using The Hobbit as a jumping off point. Peter Jackson focused on what he thought mattered in terms of making visual entertainment. You can agree or not, it's not a religion even though many fans of the book find the movie too different from the original and are frustrated. Smaug was well done, I would have liked more of him and less of the battle. The battles were well done too but the Orcs in general fell dead with a punch in the nose. That being said lots of dead bodies were included in the battle field. I personally liked the "Battle Hog" ridden by the Dwarf General, probably not in the original story, but nice touch. I could have done without romance between the dwarf and the elf. I wondered if it was something entirely personal that Jackson was communicating, perhaps symbolic of his love for all things Tolkien and the end of his life work. All the actors really put their very best into this movie, and if the screen play hadn't conflicted so much with the book it would be perfect on many levels. Unlike the LOTR trilogy, I don't feel inclined to revisit the movies, but I would say there are memorable moments. One is Galadriel's saving of Gandalf, and her temporary pushing back of Saron. That scene was amazing.