A Reel Opinion: Concerning Hobbits

The cinema world may be finished producing films based on the works of JRR Tolkien’s fantasy-world of Middle-Earth, but that hasn’t stopped that populated world of wizards, hobbits, elves, and dragons from making waves this week.

The first minor internet-tsunami rolled in when writer Gracie Law penned an open letter to Warner Bros. pictures. In the eloquent and earnest letter (read it HERE), Law took WB back behind the woodshed for their latest big-budget film adaptations which have been met with sneers and jeers from fans and critics. Recent disasters such as WB’s adaptations of DC Comics properties were cited, such as this year’s SUICIDE SQUAD and BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE. Law also included the last three films based on Tolkien’s Middle-Earth, THE HOBBIT. The three films, which adopted the famed and beloved book and included extra material from Tolkien’s vast appendices, were a relative box office hit, but were not met with super-enthusiasm from critics and fans, and certainly did not live up to the emotional impact, culture-impact, or awards-season success that its predecessor, THE LORD OF THE RINGS had.

Hardliner fans of THE HOBBIT films, and fan-sites across the web went nuts at the inclusion. To them, THE HOBBIT films were a wild success, and much better films than what the DC Comics adaptations have offered so far, and are quick to point out the $4 billion the films made worldwide.

The issue of THE HOBBIT movies being better than the DC Comics films is debatable, and a huge box office return doesn’t always mean quality as franchises tend to have their own built-in fanbase who will show up no matter what. Fandom tends to look at their films through rose-colored glasses, and can ignore flaws in storytelling and filmmaking as long as they see the characters and places they desperately want to see. Tolkien-fans aren’t alone in this; fans of STAR WARS, TREK, HARRY POTTER, can be just as guilty…and on a smaller level, fans of cult-directors such as Tim Burton or Quentin Tarantino. This Blogger will always appreciate the fiery passion that a fan can have for anything, but a balance must be struck between objectivity and desires, or else they’re just abandoning reason for madness.

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Love or hate the three-film adaptation of THE HOBBIT, it’s coming back to store-shelves and online orders, as just today a new Middle-Earth box set, containing all six films, will be released October 4^th.

The monster set includes 30 discs overall (bonus material), which are housed in faux leather-books on a collector’s wood-shelf designed by Peter Jackson, director of the six films. There’s also a book of original art by long-time Tolkien artists Alan Lee and John Howe. The price for this dragon sized horde: $800.

Like many, this Blogger has already made his purchases of the Middle-Earth films, so don’t expect a review of this pricey-set at anytime (although Christmas is coming, and your favorite movie-Blogger has been very good this year). Either way it looks like a crowning addition to any collector’s kingdom. For better or for worse, Middle-Earth spins on.