Revisiting the magical world of Middle-earth, Peter Jackson takes us into the past in a twofold manner; the distant past of the story's characters and the recent past of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Many shots, actors, and locations return in this new epic trilogy. One could, perhaps, justify this, as The Hobbit, being a shorter and less substantial text, left Jackson needing to draw on all available resources to expand the story to an epic trilogy. It would seem that the more childish nature of the story works against a reproduction of the gravitas of The Lord of the Rings, but Tolkien's works are full of mythology and metaphor, which enriches even the most basic of plots.
The Hobbit tells the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, a well-off conservative man, who is unconcerned by the world around him. He joins a company of dwarves, who are on a quest to reclaim their kingdom from an evil dragon. Their patriarchal society, which seems completely devoid of women, had become immensely prosperous, and upon such prosperity, the foreign dragon entered their homeland (which, we are constantly reminded, belongs exclusively and inherently to the dwarves), caused trouble for the residents, and lived amid the vast wealth he hadn't earned. The foreign dragon (which, incidentally, is a symbol of China) makes living in the kingdom impossible, and eventually leads to more foreigners invading the kingdom and trying to freeload off the hard work of the natives.
The Teutonic elves, who are as perfect as they are white, refuse to aid the dwarves in their time of need. They are so enriched with culture, beauty, spiritualism, knowledge, and outstanding physical abilities that it would be ludicrous for them to risk their lives for the sake of the laborious, grubby dwarves. Later, we are reminded that they live in a paradise that is heavily gated and protected from the outside world. Given heir multiple gifts, they rightly possess an authority over the rest of the world, even if they hardly ever visit it.
Ian McKellen reprises his role as Gandalf, a wizard grounded in reality, living among the people and creatures of Middle-earth. His more academic counterpart, Saruman, makes an appearance, only to show us their parting views on the nature of goodness. Saruman believes it comes from power, which presumably means sweeping social reform. However, he lives in a gigantic tower, far from people and their problems, where idealism is his only company. He cannot see, as Gandalf can see, that his reformist ideas are no match for the small, simple gestures of good, conservative people like Bilbo Baggins.
Among the many villains this time are the malevolent orcs, and grimy, working-class goblins. Our heroes almost get eaten by trolls at one stage, the horror intensified by the prospect of being consumed by someone with such a cacophonous street accent. Fortunately, those of a lower station are not blessed with intelligence (No wonder they're so badly off!), and the company of dwarves and hobbit easily outsmart them. Andy Serkis returns and brings Gollum to the screen once again. As he is also a Hobbit, he offers a contrast to Bilbo. Instead of wasting his life on drugs and blaming the world for his problems, Bilbo pulled himself up by his boot strings, and now lives a happy and comfortable life. It reminds us that there's plenty of room at the top for those who are willing to work hard.
As I give my (work-hardened) thumbs up to this wonderful, edifying film, I hope you take notice of the wisdom it wishes to share. Middle-earth holds up a mirror to our own world, showing us the great values of the established order of things. Please, don't try to cause trouble; instead look at yourself and accept that you are probably where you are because of your own mistakes (especially that working-class accent of yours and your lack of culture).
The Hobbit tells the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, a well-off conservative man, who is unconcerned by the world around him. He joins a company of dwarves, who are on a quest to reclaim their kingdom from an evil dragon. Their patriarchal society, which seems completely devoid of women, had become immensely prosperous, and upon such prosperity, the foreign dragon entered their homeland (which, we are constantly reminded, belongs exclusively and inherently to the dwarves), caused trouble for the residents, and lived amid the vast wealth he hadn't earned. The foreign dragon (which, incidentally, is a symbol of China) makes living in the kingdom impossible, and eventually leads to more foreigners invading the kingdom and trying to freeload off the hard work of the natives.
The Teutonic elves, who are as perfect as they are white, refuse to aid the dwarves in their time of need. They are so enriched with culture, beauty, spiritualism, knowledge, and outstanding physical abilities that it would be ludicrous for them to risk their lives for the sake of the laborious, grubby dwarves. Later, we are reminded that they live in a paradise that is heavily gated and protected from the outside world. Given heir multiple gifts, they rightly possess an authority over the rest of the world, even if they hardly ever visit it.
Ian McKellen reprises his role as Gandalf, a wizard grounded in reality, living among the people and creatures of Middle-earth. His more academic counterpart, Saruman, makes an appearance, only to show us their parting views on the nature of goodness. Saruman believes it comes from power, which presumably means sweeping social reform. However, he lives in a gigantic tower, far from people and their problems, where idealism is his only company. He cannot see, as Gandalf can see, that his reformist ideas are no match for the small, simple gestures of good, conservative people like Bilbo Baggins.
Among the many villains this time are the malevolent orcs, and grimy, working-class goblins. Our heroes almost get eaten by trolls at one stage, the horror intensified by the prospect of being consumed by someone with such a cacophonous street accent. Fortunately, those of a lower station are not blessed with intelligence (No wonder they're so badly off!), and the company of dwarves and hobbit easily outsmart them. Andy Serkis returns and brings Gollum to the screen once again. As he is also a Hobbit, he offers a contrast to Bilbo. Instead of wasting his life on drugs and blaming the world for his problems, Bilbo pulled himself up by his boot strings, and now lives a happy and comfortable life. It reminds us that there's plenty of room at the top for those who are willing to work hard.
As I give my (work-hardened) thumbs up to this wonderful, edifying film, I hope you take notice of the wisdom it wishes to share. Middle-earth holds up a mirror to our own world, showing us the great values of the established order of things. Please, don't try to cause trouble; instead look at yourself and accept that you are probably where you are because of your own mistakes (especially that working-class accent of yours and your lack of culture).
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