Hobbitary Commentary - My Thoughts on The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was a pleasant surprise for me.  Director Peter Jackson did an amazing job of keeping the movie spot on to the book, to the point that I can actually forgive him for the subplot he added (the whole thing about being chased by Azog, the Pale Orc, is not in the Hobbit book by J. R. R. Tolkien).  I had little hope for what will end up being The Hobbit Trilogy by 2014 after what Mr. Jackson did to the LOTR trilogy (a book-to-movie adaption that made me cry for lack of accuracy).  Mr. Jackson has now regained my trust with the first part of The Hobbit trilogy (and I better not be disappointed by parts 2 or 3, Mr. Jackson).

As a film major and Christian (and avid LOTR fan), I have decided to share my thoughts about The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey with you.  Due to the amount of thoughts I have about this film, I will probably post my various points one (or two) at a time.  So, here we go...

*Caveats*

I am not responsible for any confusion on your part.  If you have no idea what I'm talking about, please ask me, or someone you know, or go read the book or watch the movie[s].

If you don't remember anything about the movie or the book, I reference the Hobbit and LOTR books and movies here.  This may refresh your memory.

If you haven't read the book or seen the movie, I pity you.

If you are not a Tolkien fan, I forgive you.  But, I still pity you.

For those of you who don't remember anything about The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, the Peter Jackson LOTR Trilogy, or The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, there are spoilers here.  If you don't like spoilers, I'm sorry.  Just don't read it (go read the book!).  If you're okay with spoilers (as I am), then please proceed.

1. Who is the Protagonist?

As much as I love Mr. Baggins (an LMT Award goes to Martin Freeman for his performance as Bilbo), I have to conclude that Thorin is, in fact, the protagonist of The Hobbit.  

Why?

The story is told from Bilbo's perspective, so it is natural to assume that Bilbo is the protagonist of the story.  

Here's the issue with that assumption: Bilbo's only plan is to live through this crazy adventure and go home.  Thorin's the one who has a plan.  "We're going to reclaim Erebor from Smaug".

Since I've been scarred by my screenwriting class, I will now give you the first few points of a storyteller analysis with both possible protagonists:

Bilbo - 

Problem: Has been selected to join dwarves on adventure.

Protagonist: Bilbo Baggins

Plan: The protagonist is trying to complete quest with little to no damage and go home.

Thorin - 

Problem: Erebor has been stolen by evil dragon, and dwarves don't have a home.

Protagonist: Thorin Oakenshield

Plan: The protagonist is trying to reclaim Erebor from evil dragon.

The problem I have with Bilbo being the protagonist is that there's really nothing much at stake for him.  He'll return to Bag End and live a happy life.  "And he lived happily ever after to the end of his days" is how he tells Gandalf he's going to end his book.

 There's more at stake for Thorin.

This is his home we're talking about.  His home was stolen.  His people were murdered.  Thorin, grandson of the King Under the Mountain, is reduced to manual labor among the race of men just to provide for himself (since we all naturally assume he never married).  The failure of this mission means his people will forever be bereaved of their home in The Lonely Mountain.  Not to mention, he and his companions could all be killed by Smaug.

So, now that we've established the protagonist, let's move on...

2. What's the Deal with the Dwarves?

Okay, back up just a bit.
First, who are the dwarves?
I'll do my best to group them according to relation...
Thorin, of course.
Dwalin and Balin
Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur
Fili and Kili
Dori, Nori, Ori
Oin and Gloin
So, what is that?  13.
And then Bilbo Baggins is the 14th member of the company, because Dwarves are apparently superstitious about the number 13.  If they're that nervous about it, then why is the 2nd movie opening in theatres on Friday, the 13th of December?  (dun dun dun)
All you superstitious people who go to the midnight premiere, let me know how that goes.
Anyway...

Now, some of you may have seen the 1st Hobbit movie and were like, "How can I tell these crazy dwarves apart?"  Even after seeing the movie three times, I still haven't got them all down.  But, here are some helpful hints:

Thorin is, of course, the leader, and he's got some kind of animal fur over his shoulders.

Bombur is the big, rolly, polly guy with the long, circular braided beard.

Bofur is the guy with the gray hat that makes him look like Pippi Longstocking.

Balin is, notably, the oldest and, therefore, has the whitest hair and beard.

Dwalin is the tall, bald guy with the tattoos on his head.

Ori is the skinny guy, who the Goblin King refers to as "the youngest", which technically isn't accurate because Kili and Fili and actually the youngest in the book.

Kili has dark brown hair (shoulder length), doesn't really have a beard, and uses a bow and arrows.

Fili has kind of lighter brown/dark blonde hair and a shorter beard (the sides of which are kinda braided).

Those are the ones I remember.  There's still Bifur, Nori, Dori, Oin, and Gloin to figure out.  Have fun!

If you're at all familiar with The Lord of the Rings, then some of these names might sound familiar to you.  That's because they actually do pop up once in a while, at least in The Fellowship of the Ring.
But, just in case you've forgotten (or haven't read the LOTR books), here's a refresher:

In the Fellowship, when the Company finds Balin's tomb in Moria right before being attacked by orcs and the whole episode with the Balrog (another LMT Award goes to Ian McKellen for that performance — it's hard facing off to a computer animated foe in a computer animated cave), that's the same Balin who was in The Hobbit.  After the Hobbit (some 55-72 years later), Balin and a company of dwarves (which includes some of the 13 dwarves from the Hobbit) manage to retake Moria from the orcs and other critters who had overrun the place.  Balin then sets himself up as King of Moria, and rules for roughly 5 years, before he met an untimely end at the end of an Orc arrow.  And thus another battle ensued, and the dwarves were all killed.  Some years later, Frodo and his 8 companions will discover this while journeying in Moria.

At the Council of Elrond (also in The Fellowship), Gloin is present, one of the few dwarves who happen to be at the there.  Along with him is his son, Gimli.  I know, readers of the books always hear him referred to as "Gimli, son of Gloin" or "Gimli, Gloin's son", but sometimes we forget that we already knew Gloin from Bilbo's adventures, albeit a long time ago.

Okay, that's about as much about the Dwarves as you need to know.

As for why there had to be 13 of them, your guess is as good as mine.