After re-watching The Hobbit trilogy (extended) for the first time in a good few years, I’m solidly of the opinion that, while good, there are some definite tonal issues throughout. It’s really as if Jackson just couldn’t decide if he wanted to keep the darker, mostly serious approach of the LOTR films (which isn’t to say that those don’t have humor) or go with a somewhat lighter kid-oriented approach as befitting the book’s recognized status as a “children’s book”, and ended up with a mix of the two (with the added “extended universe” material contributing a lot of the darker stuff) that is just kind of weird and doesn’t always work.
The first movie is definitely the best, with Goblintown as the low point, and the Bilbo/Gollum encounter the highlight. The second movie is still pretty strong, though the barrel escape swings too far to the goofy side of things and Laketown is dreary. Similar to the first, it’s the Bilbo/Smaug encounter that stands out. The third is just so dreary, from start to end; little more than three hours of gloom and destruction, and I can’t really find a particular lowlight or highlight. However well done it is — and it is — it’s kind of a slog to get through.
I still enjoy the trilogy as a whole, but it definitely starts strong and then goes downhill (even if only slightly, not off a cliff or anything) from there.
Other assorted thoughts:
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Why are the goblins the only builders that add any sort of railings or guardrails on their bridges (and even they are inconsistent about it)? Elves do manage to get some on their balconies, but bridges? Of elves, humans, dwarves, and goblins, only goblins seem to have, if only occasionally, figured out that falling off might be a bad thing.
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It’s rather amusing to watch these films while sitting next to someone who says, “you’re not even in this book!” every time Legolas comes on screen.
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How does Smaug know about Thorin? You pretty much get the impression that Smaug showed up, took over Erebor, and then just snuggled down under his gold security blanket for six decades until Bilbo wandered in. There’s the strong implication that Smaug is in league with Sauron in some way (dragon telepathy?), but Smaug really seemed pretty well-informed on the goings-on outside of the Lonely Mountain for a dragon who hadn’t been seen in so long that some wondered if he had died.
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The eagles are such a convenient deus ex machina that I find them one of the weakest parts. They swoop in, save the heroes, and then swoop away. I’d actually forgotten that they turn the tide of the final battle, and spent much of the Battle of the Five Armies trying to remember who the fifth army even was.
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I was excited to get the extended editions when they were first released — and as I said above, overall, I do still enjoy them — but now not only am I wondering if going back to the theatrical versions would be easier to go through, but I’m also finding myself more curious about tracking down one of the “just the book” fan edits that edit out all of the extra bits to just focus on what’s in the original book.
