The Fellowship vs. An Unexpected Journey

Why do I have a feeling that The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit movies are going to end up being like the Star Wars episodes?

You start with parts 4, 5,  and 6, and then go back to watch parts 1, 2, and 3.

No wonder the Left Brained population of America are hopelessly confused by us Right Brained fantasy/sci fi people.  (As a side note, being left or right brained is not the same as being politically left or right.  Left brained people are more analytical, and right brained people tend to be more global.  Right brained people are more likely to understand and enjoy fantasy stories like The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings than left brained people).

Anywho...

During my Spring Break, my Dad and I managed to get out of town for a few days.  We knew the hotel room had a DVD player, so we brought some of our favorite movies with us to watch (since I usually don't have time to do this while in school).  And, of course, one of those favorites happens to be...The Fellowship of the Ring.  It took us two days to finish watching the movie.

Of course, I've seen The Fellowship dozens of times before now.  But, with An Unexpected Journey now fresh in my mind, I made some observations about The Fellowship, and more or less about the Lord of the Rings trilogy in general, that I'd never thought of before.  If this is old news to you, I'm sorry.

If LOTR and The Hobbit were restaurants, The Lord of the Rings would be a big, almost multicultural restaurant with several locations across the country (picture Hobbits running Olive Garden, and you've got the general idea).  The Hobbit, on the other hand, would be the Mom and Pop place wedged between the Real Estate office and the Haunted Hotel in the middle of the Downtown "Historic" district of town.  For anyone who has been to Flagstaff, picture Hobbits running Josephine's, and you've got the idea.  The Lord of the Rings restaurant would serve a variety of mass produced foods.  The Hobbit restaurant would serve Grandma's famous home cooked meals.  I was eating dinner while watching The Fellowship, that's why I'm comparing the movies to restaurants.

There's nothing wrong with either restaurant scenario.  Both Olive Garden and Josephine's are good restaurants.  It's more of a feeling than anything.  The Lord of the Rings feels more general and open, whereas The Hobbit feels more homie and personal.

Why?

It's actually quite simple.

Lord of the Rings seems to be more focused on the "big picture", whereas The Hobbit is more focused on an individual piece of the puzzle.

Frodo's adventures really do concern the whole world.  If he doesn't destroy the Ring, the world will be forever enslaved to Sauron, because Sauron is one of those villains who doesn't really need all those slaves, but would rather have miserable slaves then somewhat happy, "free" subjects to rule.  The entire world is literally depending on him to succeed.

Bilbo's adventures are on a much smaller, more personal scale.  The Dwarves' quest really only pertains to them, and to Bilbo since he's kinda stuck with them.  The rest of Middle Earth could really care less if Thorin manages to take back Erebor from Smaug.

The Lord of the Rings jumps between the adventures of Frodo and Sam as they make their way to Mordor, the adventures of Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Gandalf, and the various antics and adventures of Merry and Pippin.  But, at all times, no matter which part of the story is being focused on for a given chapter or scene, the thoughts of everyone always, always, always turn toward Frodo and that little piece of round metal, the destruction of which could mean the difference between freedom and slavery, life and death.  Frodo literally has the weight of the entire world on his small, Hobbit shoulders.

The Hobbit focuses solely on the same 13-15 characters at a given time.  Granted, there is the occasional episode where Gandalf goes off on his own quest, Thorin disappears (with the assistance of some Elves), or Bilbo ends up completely alone in Goblin caves.  But, for the most part, the story follows the thirteen Dwarves, the Wizard, and the Hobbit on their quest.  And their quest is a personal one.  The dwarves have been driven from their home in the mountain, and dwarves do not take kindly to being driven from their homes by dragons like Smaug.  This mission has very personal ramifications for the dwarves.  We never really see where Gandalf runs off to, or what the rest of the world thinks of the adventures of Thorin and Co.  The only times this really becomes an issue for any party outside of the Company are when the dwarves are captured by the Goblins, captured (once again) by the Elves, show up in barrels in Laketown, and when everyone eventually gathers for the Battle of 5 Armies.

Now, you may be thinking, "But a lot of different races seem to care a lot about the quest of Thorin and Co."  But, if you think about it, you will notice a few key groups who are not present at the Battle, or at all throughout the Hobbit.  If the adventures of Bilbo with Thorin and Company are important to the rest of the world, where are the men of Rohan and Gondor?  Where are the Rangers?  Where are the Ents?  Where are the orcs of Mordor and Isengard?  Where, for that matter, is Sauron?  Or Gollum?  Or the corsairs with the black ships?  The only armies that really show up in The Hobbit are the men of Laketown, the Elves of Mirkwood, the Goblins of, well, Goblin Town (still seeking revenge over the death of the Goblin King), and, of course, the Dwarves of Erebor.  And one Hobbit named Bilbo who just runs and hides behind a rock during the battle.  Okay, let's give the Orcs of Moria credit, because they'll probably show up in the movie edition of the Battle of Five Armies.

But, outside of the Battle, we don't really follow much of the daily lives and thoughts of the men, elves, orcs, goblins, or even the other Hobbits outside of the Company of Thorin and his buddies.

The Lord of the Rings covers the journeys, thoughts, and lives of so many characters, who are all - in one way or another - fighting for the same cause: to conquer Sauron and save Middle Earth.  There's just so much going on and so many diverse characters (all of whom we, the viewers grow somewhat fond of over the course of the 9.5 hours we spend with them over the course of the three movies), that sometimes it's hard to feel a personal connection.  Their personal lives all evolve and depend on Frodo's success, but they still have to deal with their own troubles, like orcs attacking from Isengard.

The Hobbit covers the journey of thirteen buddies who are on a mission that is very personal to them.  It may seem important, but again once you step back and look at the whole picture, you can see that these thirteen guys are really just a small part of the image.  The only people really effected by the success of failure of their mission are themselves and their families.

I'm not dissing Thorin's quest at all.  I'm just pointing out the different between the feeling of The Hobbit and the feeling of the Lord of the Rings.

And, to tell the truth, I didn't really understand, nor care to understand, the extent of the tragedy of the loss of Erebor, nor the extent of the emotional damage the event inflicted upon Thorin and his kin until I saw An Unexpected Journey.  One scene that sticks in my mind is an aerial shot of the dwarves pouring out of Erebor's side door, while smoke billows forth from the main gate.  It's haunting to think that Thorin is down there, running, terrified (even though he probably isn't showing it), grief-stricken.

We know exactly what this quest means for Thorin and his pals.  And, the Howard Shore soundtrack won't let us forget either.  (If you don't believe me, go listen to the Soundtrack, and make a tally mark somewhere for every time you hear the Misty Mountain tune replayed at various speeds and tempos).

As much as I love the Lord of the Rings, we don't get that moment.  There are literally dozens of them. Hobbits running from orc invaders in the vision in The Mirror of Galadriel.  People running from angry, scary looking mountain men.  Characters running from Uruk Hai.  Characters running from orcs.  Characters running from...other characters.  You get the picture.  But, the only moments that really get me in The Fellowship are when Gandalf falls into the Abyss in Moria, when Merry and Pippin are captured by the Orcs as Boromir is dying, Boromir's subsequent death, and Sam chasing after Frodo as Frodo prepares to leave for Mordor.  All of the other very dramatic running-for-their-lives scenes, though still heart wrenching to watch, and I'm sure devastating for the fantasy people involved, do not give the viewer the same feeling of personal connection to the characters.

Let's face it.  Once you've seen one peasant village burn, you've seen them all.  I don't mean to sound heartless, but after burning village #3, desensitization begins to set in.  I'm sure the people in those villages have been traumatized and emotionally scarred about as much as Thorin.  The only difference is that we - as the readers and viewers - don't get close enough to personally connect with anyone, as we do with Thorin in The Hobbit.

So, next time you eat at Olive Garden, think of Frodo and Sam, Merry and Pippin, and all of their Middle Earth buddies.

And, next time Grandma has you over for dinner, think of Thorin, Dwalin, Balin, Fili, Kili, Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, and, last but certainly not least, Mr. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End.