I've never watched any of the Lord of the Rings movies or read the books, but seeing The Hobbit trailer I was debating reading the book. I don't even know if I would enjoy it or not. I do like fantasy type books. Did you read this book and do you recommend it?
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It's one of my favourite books of all time. Although, I thoroughly enjoy fantasy & adventure.
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@.twist.: Would you compare it to any other fantasy books?
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I started reading it this summer but couldn't get into it! I think it was just way too detailed for me and I got bogged down in all the descriptions. I also kind of wanted to die from morning sickness as the time, so that may have affected my outlook...I feel like I should be able to appreciate LOTR books b/c they're classics but every time I quit pretty early on.
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I read it, but I read it in middle school and I honestly don't remember a lot of what happened! I remember enjoying it though!!
I can't remember (because it's been so long since I read it), but if it's anything like the Lord of the Rings, some sections might drag on a bit. I recently re-read the Lord of the Rings, and it takes 200+ pages just to get out of the Shire! I remember being so annoyed that it took so long, though once the story got going, I don't remember it dragging at all. It's possible The Hobbit has a similar problem, but I honestly just don't remember.
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@Bao: Not any that I've read, no.
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@.twist.: ok just curious
thanks!
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@Bao: No worries! From what I gather the movie is going to go into way more detail than the book so if you waited to see the movie and then read the book you'd still probably enjoy it. If you can watch a movie and then read the book, I know some people don't like doing it that way.
ETA: and by more detail, I think they're doing some extra stories involving the dwarves which are not in the book at all. I think they just wanted to make it into a 3 parter.... for some reason...
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@.twist.: I didn't know it was going to be in multiple parts. I'm not a huge fan of watching a movie then the book, I was hoping to read the book and then rent the movie in the future.
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@Bao: Well, it's only approx 300 pages, I think it's a pretty quick read
And yea, it will be three parts:
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
The Hobbit: There and Back AgainI'm not excited or anything I swear.
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@.twist.: haha how in the world can they split that up? Crazy. I hope I can get into it and be excited too
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I think they are taking some of the stories from The Silmarillion and incorporating those into the movie, along with things from the appendices of many of the books. Plus I think there may be a few things that occur in the books off-sight, like Gandalf visiting certain people. In the book he just disappears for a bit and then shows up again later. The movies will probably flesh these out and actually show those scenes instead of having the whole thing solely from Bilbo's perspective.
ETA: I think the third movie actually is supposed to be less about The Hobbit story and really try to connect this trilogy to the Lord of the Rings one. It will probably show events after The Hobbit book ends and before the Lord of the Rings begins. That's my guess anyway.
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@Bao: Yea, I'm a little worried about how they're going to stretch it over 3, trying not to get my hopes up too high!
@Adira: Ah, that makes sense and would definitely add to the movies.
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@Adira: I read that they didn't buy the rights to the Silmarillion? Like you mentioned though, they're incorporating material from the appendix to LOTR...
<< Unlike the dark and dense “Lord of the Rings” books, “The Hobbit,” first published in 1937, is essentially a children’s fantasy — a bright quest by Bilbo Baggins, a hairy little humanoid critter, and the wizard Gandalf to find treasure protected by a fearsome dragon named Smaug and reclaim a dwarf kingdom. The novel, which has sold more than 100 million copies worldwide, is heavy on episodic action but light on back story.
How do you make one full cinematic meal out of that, let alone three? Complicating that task even further, the screenwriters did not have the rights to Tolkien’s posthumously published “Silmarillion,” an early draft of which was written as a follow-up to “The Hobbit.” “Part of the screenwriting challenge was establishing the somewhat lighter mood of ‘The Hobbit’ while still infusing it with the tone and spirit of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy,” said Toby Emmerich, who, as president of New Line Cinema, played a vital role in bringing the “Hobbit” series to fruition.
Ms. Walsh and Ms. Boyens, a former teacher and hard-core Tolkien fan, said part of the solution came from Tolkien’s appendices to “The Lord of the Rings.” Those materials helped the writers create a bigger part for Gollum, a fan favorite, and explain the relationship between Gandalf and Thorin, an exiled king played by the British actor Richard Armitage. >>
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@mrbee: ah yes. this is what's worried me. Also, I'm not really impressed about creating a larger part for Gollum. I mean, he's a fan fav.... but I feel like making his part larger might just end up feeling like.... well... Jar Jar Binks from Star Wars... LOL. I don't know, I'm terribly conflicted on the whole thing! Unless they do more of his story as Smeagol? But they kind of already did that in LOTR.
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@.twist.: It will definitely be a challenge... but I thought they did an amazing job with the LOTR trilogy. So I'm hopeful the same time will deliver an equally amazing result!
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I feel like a bad librarian - I did not like the Hobbit and had trouble getting through it. I thought it was pretty boring even though I typically love fantasy-just not my thing I guess.
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@mrbee: I agree the LOTR trilogy was very well done, which is what gives me hope for this. Otherwise... I probably wouldn't watch it! HA
@Mrs. Tricycle: I don't think that makes you a bad librarian! haha
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I read The Hobbit every summer between 3rd grade and 9th grade. It's a favorite, but probably because its so closely tied to my childhood. I still use a certain scene from it to relax myself in stressful situations as my "happy place." Sadly, even though I've read it so many times, I've forgotten a lot of it. I need to revist!
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@mrbee: Thanks for the link! I was just guessing where they got the extra material, but that makes sense that it's mostly from the appendices.
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The Hobbit is one of my favorite books! It's definitely worth reading. I can't wait to see the movie.
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I read The Hobbit when i was 13 and was my absolute favourite. I am planning on reading it again before i see the movie.
thanks!
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