Reel Facts & Opinions: Concerning Hobbits

FACT: Director Peter Jackson has announced that his movie adaptation of THE HOBBIT will now be spread out over three films; the first being released in December 2012, the second in December 2013, and the third (reportedly) in the summer of 2014. Jackson, whose LORD OF THE RINGS adaptations were all released in December (2001-2003), originally planned to tell THE HOBBIT story over two movies.

OPINION: Let’s get out in front of one negative misconception already being advertised around the internets by the blockheaded troglodytes out there; this is not a shameless cash grab. Sure, all the involved parties are interested in making coin (they are, after all, in a business), but Jackson’s room-full of Oscars demands that we give him the benefit of the doubt. The man certainly has something else up his sleeve other than moolah…

First off, the 300-page book of THE HOBBIT is not being stretched too thin (like butter over too much bread) over the course of three films. Jackson and his army of filmmakers will be going through the Appendices of THE LORD OF THE RINGS books, which offer a massive amount of material concerning the happenings in Middle-Earth during the events of THE HOBBIT. It’s less of a cash-grab and more of an opportunity to film more of JRR Tolkien’s peoples and places. The material in the Appendices, while very large and substantial, likely would not hold up as their own film, so putting the material around THE HOBBIT (again, which is when these events take place in the timeline) makes perfect sense. We’ve all seen movies about the Battle of Iwo Jima, but were there other things going on in the War at the same time? Most certainly. The only real concern is if all the new material will take attention away from the main story of THE HOBBIT; but again, in Jackson we trust.

This Blogger holds Jackson’s RINGS films very close and dear to his heart, so there is a lot of cautious excitement to be had. Three big movies do seem like a lot, and the decision to release the finale in the summertime is just goddamn stupid. Middle-Earth films belong in December; that’s where they first made their home ten years ago and reaped all their golden success. But overall there is nothing wrong with seeing a bit more of Middle-Earth, as long as the right person is pulling the strings.

What say you?