The Various Character Journeys of Mr. Bilbo Baggins...continued

Wow, now I'm hung up on Bilbo.  But, why not?  He is, after all, the title character (being the only Hobbit in the Company of Thorin Oakenshield).

But, in case you're wondering, I still have a major crush on Thorin!

Back to our friend Bilbo.

As I sat here, slaving away at my homework, my mind began to wander, and I began to think about some Hobbit/LOTR fan art I really like.  Here are a few of the images that came to mind:

http://www.guestroom.the-green-door.net/images/UncleBilboCU.jpg

http://24.media.tumblr.com/914dcce5470c14eec936aa17355c5878/tumblr_mlfqi3jupe1qda04qo1_1280.jpg

These stood out to me not just because little Frodo is so adorable, but because I noticed the tenderness they portray.  This is a moment we don't actually see in The Hobbit or LOTR.  In fact, some might say they're inaccurate to the actual story as Frodo wasn't adopted until he was almost twenty (still a teenager by Hobbit standards).  But, even so, these images evoke a certain emotion that we, as fans, readers, and viewers, can imagine and believe, even though we don't actually get to see moments like these in the story itself.

First of all, the above images depict a closeness between Bilbo and Frodo.  Frodo has, at this point, lost his family (his parents died in a terrible boating accident).  After their deaths, he lived with his Brandybuck relations over in Buckland, and he is later taken in by Bilbo.

As a side note, Frodo's adoption is never flaunted.  It's only mentioned in passing at the beginning of the Fellowship (book) as an explanation for how Frodo got there in the first place (as it is presumed that Bilbo never married).  Frodo never says anything about it, Bilbo doesn't say anything about it, and it isn't brought up or used as a trigger point toward Frodo by anyone throughout Middle Earth.  In fact, the only people who really make a big deal about it are Bilbo's notably obnoxious relatives, the Sackville-Bagginses.  "You don't belong here," Lobelia Sackville-Baggins tells Frodo in the Fellowship, "you're no Baggins - you — you're a Brandybuck".  Which isn't entirely true since Frodo's father was also a Baggins.  And, even if it hadn't been, Frodo would have inherited the Baggins name when he was adopted by Bilbo.  And the only reason they make a big deal out of it is that, if Frodo hadn't been adopted, they would have inherited Bag End when Bilbo [eventually] kicked the bucket.

Second, the above images portray a certain tender side of Bilbo we haven't seen before in either LOTR or the Hobbit (books and movies).  It's a sort of fatherly affection which we can only image Bilbo could possess, but we never actually see it (partially because we come into their relationship so late in the game by the time the Fellowship begins).  In these images, I can tell Bilbo genuinely cares about Frodo, and Gandalf even states that Bilbo would never give Frodo anything he thought might harm him (in reference to the Ring).  This is the tender hearted, selfless side of Bilbo, who takes a potentially high-energy young Hobbit into his home just because Frodo needed a home.

Granted, of course, Frodo had a home in Buckland, but his adoption by Bilbo seems to have been more official.  

It is noted in the Fellowship that Frodo was Bilbo's favorite cousin, so we can safely assume that they already knew each other very well, and had already formed a closeness that neither shared with any of their other Hobbit relations.  Whether or not this was an actual father/son relationship is never clearly stated in the books (or the movies).

But, as I continued to slave away at my homework, I began to wonder about this father/son relationship between Bilbo and Frodo respectively.  More specifically, would the Mr. Bilbo Baggins we met at the beginning of An Unexpected Journey have been this selfless?  Would Bilbo have been a good father figure for Frodo if he hadn't gone on his quest and had all of his adventures with Thorin and Company?

Taking into consideration the kind of guy Bilbo was when we first met, I'd be inclined to say no.

Why?

Bilbo isn't up for anything that might interrupt his very delicate routine (adventures were out of the question).  As we prepare to welcome my stepmom into our family, I realized that I will be an Aunt in a week.  I've already met my future niece, who is three years old.  Not only this, but I've worked with children ranging in age from infants to four years.  Children, though adorable, are a lot of work.  I can't imagine the "old" Bilbo Baggins even considering taking on the responsibility of raising a child (even if said child was almost twenty), even more so if we're talking about a young child (as depicted in the above images).

I think the pre-adventures Bilbo would not have had the patience to deal with Frodo, especially if we imagine that Frodo was a little kid at the time of his adoption.  Even if Frodo was an older kid (Hobbit equivalent teenager), I don't think Bilbo would have agreed to take him in, or would have done so with great reluctance.  Having another person (or Hobbit) in the house would have disrupted his schedule and routine.  Adopting a younger Hobbit kid would have been completely out of the question.

Another thing to think about: Bilbo, as far as I can tell from the books, became popular with the younger Hobbits because of his stories about his adventures.  While all the grown-up Hobbits waved his tales off as "uncanny", the children flocked to him, and listened in wide-eyed fascination to his accounts of his experience with Thorin and Company.  If not for Gandalf sending Bilbo on the quest with the Dwarves, Bilbo would have been just another adult Hobbit who was very sensible, neat, and organized, the kind of Hobbit who thought that children should be seen and not heard, and who frowned upon stories of dragons and elves as "uncanny" and ridiculous, and therefore not worth the time.  I think it is safe to assume that Bilbo would not have been a favorite among the younger Hobbits if he'd lived a normal Hobbit life.  In fact, there would be no need to tell his story, as nothing unexpected would ever happen (save for the occasional marriage invitation or burnt muffin).  Not much as a story there, at all.

And if there's no story, then there's no book.  And if there's no Hobbit book, then there's no Lord of the Rings.

Luckily, Tolkien had others plans.  Because Bilbo did go on his adventures, and he did find a magic Ring in a cave in the mountains, and he did become very popular with the kids because of his stories, and he did adopt Frodo (however old Frodo was).

But, it is my opinion that Bilbo would not have even been open to the idea of adopting Frodo if he hadn't gone on his adventures with Thorin and Company.  Even bigger than his character journey where the Ring is concerned and how the Ring changed him, the Quest for Erebor in and of itself changed him in many ways as well.  To be specific, he became more selfless during his adventures.

Evidence?

When the Dwarves are kidnapped by the spiders, he could have left them.  He could have disregarded anything Gandalf had already said or might say, and escaped the situation with his life.  But, he didn't.  He stayed behind and risked his life to save his friends.

When the Dwarves are captured by the Elves of Mirkwood and thrown in prison, Bilbo could have stayed behind and let them be taken.  He could have let the Elves lead him out of the forest, and left the Dwarves to rot in prison.  But, he didn't.  He snuck into the Elven palace, and hangs around for months as he tries to devise a way to help his friends escape.  He's the one who finds all of their thirteen cells, and he's the one who figures out that Thorin is also a prison of Thranduil (in the book, Thorin was captured beforehand, and the other Dwarves don't know what happened to him).  And, in the end, he's the one who gets them out of Mirkwood, and doesn't even considering getting out himself until the very, very last minute (the one glitch in his brilliant escape plan).

And thus, Mr. Bilbo Baggins's character journey isn't just one controlled by a circular piece of shiny gold metal.  It is one that changes Bilbo's life in ways I doubt even he expected.  He doesn't just come back as the richest Hobbit in the Shire and the Bearer of the One Ring, but also as a humble and selfless one.

Bilbo came back from his adventures with a bigger heart.  The adventures made him more open to doing things that might upset his routine.  When Frodo's parents die, he's the one who says, "Well, you better come live with me, Frodo, my lad."  And he takes Frodo in willingly, not out of obligation or because he really doesn't want the Sackville-Bagginses to inherit Bag End.  It's a genuine, selfless love, and one that wasn't there before his adventures.

And, Frodo learns a lot from Bilbo's example.  Frodo, himself, is generally selfless and popular with his younger cousins, notably Merry and Pippin, both of him later accompany him on his own Quest in LOTR.  When faced with the reality that he'll now have to take the Ring to Mordor, Frodo can't bear to ask any of his friends (or cousins) to go with him.  He knows, somehow, that this is a hopeless Quest, and that, even if the Ring is destroyed, Frodo himself still probably won't make it home again. By then, he's willing to sacrifice himself to save the world, and (even though he is afraid) he is willing to do it alone.  It is only Sam's stubborn determination and loyalty that make Frodo finally agree to take him along.

Frodo may have had this selflessness already, but it is my opinion that it was nourished and fully matured by Bilbo's example, as Frodo observed Bilbo's own selflessness.

This tender, loving, fatherly side of Bilbo is one that was he may not have known about, himself, but it is one that is revealed by the selflessness he brought home as a result of his adventures.  And, it is one that may never have come to light if he'd stayed home. 

The Various Character Journeys of Mr. Bilbo Baggins

So, as I stated before, one of the biggest positive elements of Desolation of Smaug was the character journeys of certain characters, specifically those of Bilbo Baggins and Thorin Oakenshield.

How, specifically?

I'm glad you asked!

Bilbo

Despite my continued affection for Thorin Oakenshield, Bilbo comes first.

On the other hand, I'm finally talking about someone other than Thorin!  Isn't it amazing?

But, I digress.

There are two major differences we see in Bilbo in Desolation of Smaug.

The first is his level of courage and self-confidence.  He is, undoubtably, braver than he was when we first met him back in Unexpected Journey.  He doesn't seem as daunted by challenges or new stages in the adventure, as the Bilbo of Unexpected Journey would have been.  He doesn't seem quite as nervous of doing his bit of spy work now and then, nor does he seem to have much trouble with the idea of using his sword anymore.  When they first arrive at Beorn's house (this will need its own blog post eventually), and they are being chased by Beorn in his uncontrollable bear form, he just automatically draws his sword to defend himself.  Later on, when the spiders have the dwarves captive, Bilbo really doesn't hesitate to attack them on his friends' behalf.

And now we know how Bilbo's Elven sword became Sting!

Back on topic.

Unlike the Bilbo of The Hobbit book, our Bilbo voluntarily climbs a massive tree to reach the sun, and get his bearing (thank you, Peter Jackson, for putting the butterflies in there!).  This scene proves to be one of those brief clips where next to nothing is spoken, but so much is effectively communicated by the character's actions.  Bilbo breaks through the canopy of dense Mirkwood trees, and the very first thing he does is take a deep breath of the fresh air.  He's managed to escape, albeit temporarily, from the almost suffocating atmosphere of the forest, and just spends a few seconds basking in the long-lost sunlight…and enjoying the pretty blue butterflies.  It is, in and of itself, a touching scene.

On the flip side of Bilbo's character journey, we start to see some not-so-positive changes as well.

More specifically, we start to see the Ring taking control.

In a world where everything was filmed and produced in chronological order, Bilbo's ring wouldn't even really be important enough to catch our attention until Bilbo uses it to snag the keys and get his buddies out of their Mirkwood dungeon.  In that world, we'd find Bilbo's affection for the ring a bit odd.  Some of us might begin to suspect something dark and sinister, but we'd probably just dismiss it as one thing or another.  "You've been watching too much X-Files," you might tell yourself.  "You're just paranoid.  Not everything is a conspiracy."

However, as we live in a Post-LOTR franchise world, we notice that silly piece of metal right off the bat.  Ring-fanatics across the globe let out a collective, "Oooooh!  It's the Ring!" on Unexpected Journey's opening weekend alone.  And then, some of us had to go back for seconds.  And then, thirds.

As a side note, I'm really beginning to think that the reason these big franchise movies (LOTR, The Hobbit, The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, Twilight, Star Wars, etc.) gross so high is because of fans like us, the people who are willing to spend untold amounts of our hard earned cash to see the movie(s) in the theatre multiple times.  On The Hobbit's Official Facebook Page, I encountered someone who complained that he/she had only seen Desolation of Smaug four times.  My reaction was, "Only four times?"  But, who am I to talk?  I've seen Unexpected Journey three times, Desolation of Smaug twice, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe six times in the theatre alone.  But, ticket prices were a bit cheaper back in 2005/2006.

Back on topic.

It becomes clear very early on (even to those of us who know nothing about The Hobbit or An Unexpected Journey) that something's going on between Bilbo and his magic Ring.  Like Frodo before him (or after him, if we're going chronologically), the 2nd movie in the trilogy shows Bilbo lying awake at all hours of the night, staring at the Ring and stroking it tenderly, as if it's a pet poodle or a new born baby.  This scene is a prime example of the measures Peter Jackson and Company went to in order to connect the LOTR trilogy to The Hobbit.  It's subtle, but Ring-fanatics like me will recognize it immediately.

The biggest evidence that Bilbo's obsession with the Ring may be unhealthy comes a bit later.  However, this moment doesn't actually happen in the book.

Due to Bilbo's tree climbing expedition (mentioned above), he was the only one of the fourteen members of Thorin's Company not to be taken by the evil giant spiders.  Okay, okay, Bilbo did get nabbed on the way back down, but some mysterious reason, he isn't entirely knocked out by spider venom.  Is the brief clip of Bilbo tied up in a spider web cocoon another tie-in between him and Frodo (who also found himself entangled in a similar cocoon back in Return of the King)?  Anyway, there's still enough life in Bilbo for him to manage to escape from his spidery bonds and go find the rest of his friends.  In order to do this effectively, though, he puts on the Ring.

Everything starts out just fine, and accurate to the book.  Bilbo fights the spiders and rescues his friends (including Thorin who should, at this point, be having his epic "You betrayed my family!" conversation with Thranduil…but isn't).  Things start to not be okay when Bilbo loses the Ring in a surprise attack by a giant spider.  Instead of staying to help his friends, as he's supposed to do in the book, he goes chasing after the Ring.  And thus, leaves his friends to fend for themselves in their fight against the spiders.  Which then makes for yet another one of those long, drawn out, unnecessarily gory battle scenes that Peter Jackson has apparently become so fond of.  And, which consequently leads to the dwarves running into and getting captured by the Elves.

Where is Bilbo this whole time?

Off searching for his Ring.  He looks over and sees it a short distance away.  All seems well.  He'll get his Ring back and go help his friends.

But, no.  Another giant spider pops up out of a secret den and lands, as Mr. Jackson would have it, right on top of the Ring.

Bilbo doesn't even hesitate.  He leaps at the spider, fights with it, and eventually hacks it to death.  He grabs his Ring, stands  over the mutilated carcass of his first cold blood murder, flashes a smile, and declares triumphantly, "Mine!"

And this is the moment that we realize that our furry footed friend who detested the idea of adventures when we first met him back in Unexpected Journey has become a vicious killing machine.  Albeit, it's an evil spider, but all the same.  Bilbo isn't as innocent as we once thought.

Bilbo follows us down this mental road a minute later, after catching his breath for a bit.  His expression changes to one that wordlessly says, "What just happened?  Where am I?"  He stares at the Ring in confusion as if to say, "How did I get here?"  Then, he looks up and sees the spider he's just killed in front of him.  He looks shocked, until he realizes, "Oh my goodness!  I did that."  His expression changes from shock to horror as if to say, "Oh my goodness!  I was willing to kill in cold blood for this stupid piece of gold."

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At this point, Bilbo should have tossed the Ring away.  But, actually to his credit, he pockets it, and later uses it to follow his buddies and their Elven captors into Thranduil's kingdom.

Why do I say this is to his credit?  The Ring doesn't let its bearers get rid of it so easily, so why is it good that Bilbo kept the Ring after everything that's happened to him?

First, because, at that point, anyone could have found it.  And anyone happens to include Sauron or Azog or anyone serving Sauron.  If Bilbo had disposed of the Ring right then and there in Mirkwood, it would have made its way back to Sauron that much faster.

End of Middle Earth as we know it.

End of story.

And, if Sauron got the Ring back so soon, the Ring would never have come to Frodo, and there would be no Lord of the Rings trilogy for us to enjoy.

Thank you, Bilbo, for not getting rid of the Ring when you thought about it!

My Ring-fanatic friend made an interesting point:  After this episode with the spiders and the Ring and all that, Bilbo seems to be more cautious about wearing/using the Ring.  Granted, he uses it to get his friends out of Thranduil's dungeon.  But, there are also a ton of other places he could have used it, but didn't.

Most notable is Erebor.

When Thorin sends him into Erebor to find the Arkenstone, Bilbo doesn't put the Ring on until Smaug begins to wake up, and that more out of panic than anything else.

Smaug can smell him, hear his breath, sense his fear, but he can't see him.  Which gives Bilbo the upper hand, in some ways.

But, Smaug hits on something, that is, in and of itself, a major tie-in between LOTR and The Hobbit.  "There is something about you. Something you carry, something made of gold… but far more precious…"  And, of course, "precious" echoes and reverberates off the walls in an overly dramatic fashion, which leads Bilbo to hallucinate and see Sauron's eye, and unknowingly take off the Ring, which then defeats the purpose of hiding from Smaug in the first place.

Now, before we get too much further, let me clear up one very important thing for you: Smaug and Sauron are not allies.

How do we know this?

Simple.  If Smaug was in alliance with Sauron, he would have been called upon to join Sauron's forces at Dol Guldor.  Which, clearly he isn't, or he wouldn't still be sleeping in his pile of gold in Erebor.

Smaug is his own little evil entity, and he's really only important to Thorin and Company's personal little journey to reclaim The Lonely Mountain.  The only people who are really concerned with Smaug's presence are Thorin, his buddies, and the people of Laketown.  The rest of Middle Earth could really care less.

Now that we've got that straightened out, let's get back on topic.

The fact that Smaug can detect at least some of the power (and possibly the all around evilness) of the Ring should say something to Bilbo.

Smaug has been practically suffocated in gold for hundreds of years.  He knows its scent like the back of his claw.  So, why should the Ring smell any different to him?

Because the Ring isn't just an ordinary ring.  Smaug doesn't have to be on Sauron's Facebook Friends List to sense his power and malice in the Ring (we find out in Fellowship of the Ring that Sauron passed some of his power and malice and cruelty into the Ring when it was forged).  Maybe Smaug doesn't quite know what it is.  Maybe he doesn't recognize it as part of Sauron or Sauron's nature.  But, he does recognize that the Ring isn't just another piece of gold to add to his collection.  He recognizes it as evil, just like himself.

Then, why doesn't he try to take the Ring from Bilbo himself?

Perhaps its because he knows it is evil?

Or, perhaps, because, like everyone else, he's heard of Sauron.  He knows the legends of the Ring that was taken from Sauron so long ago.  And, suddenly he finds himself face to face with it.  Maybe he laughs at Bilbo's obvious ignorance.  After all, how could Bilbo not know what he's got in his pocket?  But, at the same time, he doesn't want anything to do with it.

Smaug is his own evil entity, wholly separate from Sauron.  Maybe he likes it that way, he likes the idea of being an Independent bad guy instead of working for the large Mordor corporation.  And, maybe he'd prefer to keep it that way.

He could very easily fry Bilbo, taken the Ring, and delivery it to Sauron.  But, maybe he knows (or at least assumes) that, in doing so, he would be taken over by Sauron and made into one of his servants.

In any event, Smaug isn't about to find out.


Yeah, I know I said this post would be about Bilbo's character journey.  I got a little distracted by Smaug and the Ring.  But, the Ring does have a way of making itself the center of attention, doesn't it?

The Desolation of Smaug

Mr. Jackson and the others over at New Line, MGM, Wingnut, and the rest decided to open The Desolation of Smaug not only on one of the most unlucky days of the year (if you believe Friday the 13th is bad luck), but also right as all of my college instructors started piling on the pre-Finals study material/homework.

Granted, my Pastor and I went into the movie expecting to be disappointed.  I also ran into a few classmates and fellow Ring Fanatics/Whovians on opening Friday afternoon, and they'd apparently gone to see it on Thursday night (midnight?).  They absolutely loved it.  They hated the 3D 48-fps version. I'd already decided that I'd go on opening weekend regardless of what Finals looked like, so at 10am on December 14th, there I was, standing in line at the movie theatre with my Dad, my stepmom, my brother, and two of my buddies.  But, as always, we went to the 2D regular showing.

My dad and my stepmom hated it.

Both of my friends were (unbeknownst to me) terrified of giant, dwarf-eating spiders.

I think my brother and I were the only ones who really, thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing (including the spiders).  It was after the incident with the spiders and after watching The Host with one of my friends that evening that I came to the conclusion that I am officially desensitized beyond the point of no return (with a few exceptions).

But, when later asked for my personal opinion of the movie, I had to think about it.  The book-to-film accuracy freak side of me was disappointed and a bit irritated with some of the changes that were made.  The die-hard movie goer side of me loved it.  In the end, my conclusion is this; there are three types of book-to-film movie adaption categories;

1. The movie is spot on to the book, with a few minor differences to help the overall flow of the story, but usually nothing too big or noticeable.  (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is a good example of Category #1.)

2. The movie is different from the book, but is still a good movie if considered a "stand-alone" piece separated from the original story.  (Prince Caspian is a good example of Category #2.)

3. The movie is so different from the original story that it is sickening, to the point that whatever those crazy film people did to it is purely unforgivable.  (Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a PERFECT example of Category #3.)

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug falls into Category #2.  Of course, being in this category doesn't mean that book-to-film accuracy freaks like myself are all hunky-dory with all of the changes.  My Pastor, my Hobbit-fanatic classmate, and I still had our share of complaints about it.  But, my classmate and I can still somehow say, "It was AMAZING!"

Why?

I'm glad you asked.

1. Scenery

Peter Jackson and Company do not disappoint us movie-goers who sit through his two hour 40 minute monstrosities just to see the pretty scenery.  We're even happily when we discover that most of those landscapes are REAL PLACES that we could potentially go to someday! 

2. The Action

If you come out of The Desolation of Smaug and can look me in the eyes and tell me it was boring, I'll check to make sure we saw the same movie.

3. The Characters

All of our favorite characters are back again for the continuation of the adventure!

So, why didn't we like it?

Again, I'm glad you asked.

1. Orlando Bloom

If you're one of those people who went to see Desolation of Smaug solely because of Orlando Bloom, I pity you.  As it is, Legolas doesn't even show so much as a toenail in the book.  His being in the movie is purely for his fans (big star with big fandom equals more revenue for film).  Sorry Orlando.  You're a great actor, but you don't belong in The Hobbit.

However, this can be excused by the simple fact that Legolas is Thranduil's son.  Also, it is important to note that Elves lives an exceptionally long time, even longer than the average Dwarf or Hobbit.  Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that Legolas could have been present in Mirkwood at the time of The Hobbit, even though he is not directly mentioned in the book.  His absence from the book is simply due to the fact that, as my Pastor has stated to me on multiple occasions, Tolkien hadn't yet conceived the character of Legolas when he wrote The Hobbit. 

So, we have to excuse Peter Jackson and Company for working Legolas into the movies.

2. Kili and Tauriel

Save us!  Another stupid, unnecessary romance!  Tauriel was made up by the filmmakers for the purpose of giving the movies some feminine flare.  All that being said, the "romance" between her and Kili is altogether uncalled for and unnecessary. 

Besides that fact that I generally identify myself among the anti-Twilight crowd (I'm so sick of unnecessary romance), it's a flat out insult to the world and various cultures of Middle Earth.

Remember what we've already discussed about An Unexpected Journey?  Here's a quick refresh:  In summary, Dwarves HATE Elves, and Elves reciprocate.  They just do.  They've never really gotten along.  But, Thorin and the folks from Erebor have a particular grudge against the elves of Mirkwood due to the fact that Thranduil refused to help them when Smaug attacked the Lonely Mountain. 

So, would someone please explain to me why Kili is suddenly so attracted to Tauriel?  Or why Tauriel is so attracted to Kili? 

In the words of Melanie Stryder (infamous voice in Wanderer's head from The Host), "Why is he looking at you?  In fact, why are you looking at him?"

Flat out disrespect for the story.  That's the only explanation my Pastor and I could come up with. 

I understand, some things need to change every so often.  Prince Caspian is, admittedly, the slowest paced of the seven Narnia books, so the added Battle Scene was a welcome addition (even for me).  But, this added romance is uncalled for and unnecessary.  It just disrupted the flow and integrity of the story.  That is unforgivable!

Of course, you might be saying, "But, their romance saved Kili's life."

Well…

3. Kili's Wound

…Kili doesn't get struck by a poisoned arrow in the book. 

No poisoned arrow, no need for hot Elf to save him.  Problem solved. 

Again, this is another unnecessary plot change.

Which begs the question…

4. Why did the Elves just Let Them Go?

Bilbo puts Dwarves in barrels.  Okay.  They all escape through the hole int he floor.  Okay, I'm still with you.  Elves go after Dwarves.  This, I understand.  Orcs show up and attack Dwarves in barrels.  Understandable.  Elves show up and attack the attacking Orcs.  Also understandable.  Orcs run off, Dwarves float off, Elves watch Dwarves float out, then return to Thranduil.  What? 

If they're after the Dwarves, and the Dwarves are literally trapped by the river gate thing, then why do they just let them float by when the Orcs are defeated?  Wouldn't it make more sense to recapture your prisoners if they're right there and easily grab-able.  That makes no sense.  They were kind enough to let them go for the sake of us movie-goers, because Desolation of Smaug would have been insanely long and boring if they'd spent the majority of the film's duration in Mirkwood prison.  But, it's not practical.  If you're chasing a group of escapees, and you all get attacked by a mutual enemy, you still don't just let your original captives get away.  Not when you're as organized and efficient as the Elves of Middle Earth. 

There's a fine line between reality and believability.  This incident crosses both lines, and touches on the completely, unforgivably unbelievable side of the line.

So, besides scenery and all-around awesomeness, did Desolation have any redeeming qualities?

Actually, yes. 

"Like what?" you ask?

Thorin and Bilbo's character journeys for one thing. 

But, that's going to have to wait until the next blog post.  (Oh yes, I'm pulling a cliffhanger on you all!)

But, don't worry.  I won't make you wait as long this time.

The Desolation of Smaug...predicted

Now, I don't mean I'm going to "tell the future" or anything like that.

I'm just going to make some basic assumptions about the upcoming Hobbit movie based on the two previews that have been released those far.

The Desolation of Smaug

1. We'll meet up with Bilbo, Gandalf, and the Thirteen Dwarves int he general vicinity of where we left them in An Unexpected Journey, near that rock pillar the Eagles placed them after their battle with Azog and the Wargs.

2. After some walking (and potentially some moaning), Gandalf will take them to stay with his buddy, Beorn the Shapeshifter, who can turn himself into a bear when needed.

3. Beorn will loan them ponies, and they will set off for Mirkwood.  Thorin, however, will give Gandalf a big stink about going to Mirkwood, since that happens to be the Kingdom of the Woodland Elves, ruled by Thranduil, who also happens to be the same Elf King who refused to help Thorin's people after Smaug attacked Erebor (as we saw in Unexpected Journey).  We may even get a nice little debate between Gandalf and Thorin on this matter.

4. They reach Mirkwood, and send the ponies back to Beorn.  Gandalf informs them that he's going off on his own adventure, and he'll meet up with them later.  He gives them very basic instructions, "Don't leave the path, and don't drink the river water."

5. But, they don't listen, and get lost.

6. They send Bilbo up a tree to see how close they are to the other side of the forest.  At the top, Bilbo finds beautiful scenery and lovely butterflies, but no sign of the other side of the forest.

7. Shortly thereafter, they are assaulted and captured by giant spiders (none other than those spiders we saw crawling away from Radagast's house in Unexpected Journey).  Bilbo is the only one who manages to escape.  With the help of his magic ring, he fights off the spiders and frees the Dwarves...

8.  ...Who are then promptly captured by the Elves of Mirkwood.  Bilbo escapes again with his magic ring, but follows close behind them.

9a. The Elves take the Dwarves (and Bilbo follows) to Thranduil.  Somehow, the truth about their quest comes out (whether Thranduil guesses this or one of the Dwarves tells him remains to be seen).  But, for one reason or another, Thranduil agrees to help them.  And, shock of shocks, Thorin accepts his help.  But, from what I've gathered from the preview, the Dwarves still don't trust Thranduil or his Elves.

9b. The other possibility here is that, when the Elves take the Dwarves to Thranduil, they refuse to say anything, and are therefore locked up in the Elves's prison.  This would be more accurate to the book, and I'm personally looking forward to watching this scene in the movie.  The only reason I have a feeling it won't quite turn out like this is that in the first preview, Thranduil seems to know a lot more about the Quest than he should ("A Quest to reclaim a Homeland, and slay a dragon.").

10. Regardless of what happens, Bilbo (who is still wearing his magic ring) helps the Dwarves escape by having them ride down a river in barrels.  This is an iconic Hobbit moment, so I'm really hoping Peter Jackson and Company haven't totally killed it.

11. After floating in their barrels for a while, they all eventually end up in Laketown, which is a town built on the lake near the ruins of Dale (the Human town Smaug destroyed when he attacked Erebor).

12. Meanwhile, Gandalf goes to the ruins of Dol Guldor to investigate what Radagast has told him about the Necromancer.  While there, he discovers the tombs of the 9 former kings-turned-wraiths broken open, indicating that they have (somehow) been brought back to life as the 9 Black Riders.  While, I do not believe this to be strictly true to the book, it is kind of a nice tie-in to the LOTR trilogy.

13. Radagast also happens to be in Dol Guldor, and Gandalf finds him there.  While they're there, they are separated by an invisible force field wall (kind of like something out of Star Trek or Doctor Who).  They are attacked by Orcs.

14. This is not indicated in the previews at all, but I'm going to make the basic assumption that Radagast isn't really Radagast in this section of the movie.  Radagast has done his bit of investigation, so (to me, at least) it seems unlikely that he would return to Dol Guldor for any reason.  It is my opinion that who we think is Radagast is really Sauron in disguise.  I have simple reasons for thinking this;

1. We know we'll meet Sauron eventually since they've got a guy listed as the character on the movie's IMDb page (and I trust IMDb)
2. "Radagast" and Gandalf are separated by the force field thing in Dol Guldor.  If Sauron and the Orcs wanted both Gandalf and Radagast dead, why separate them?
3. The other thing is Radagast's line (from the 1st preview), "One of us are trapped."  Why only one?  That, to me, indicates that "Radagast" actually "knows" what's going on, and that the trap has actually be set for Gandalf, and therefore Radagast isn't really Radagast at all.

It's entirely possibly that I'm over-thinking this.  But, I do think it is possible.

15. Meanwhile, Thorin and Company continue walking, and eventually reach the location of the secret door.  They find the keyhole, and Thorin uses his key to open the door.  They send Bilbo in to investigate.

16. Bilbo finds himself in the vast treasure room of Erebor.  But, the gold isn't the only thing there.  Smaug reveals himself (at last!).  And here occurs Bilbo and Smaug's iconic Hobbit conversation (which I know is going to be in the movie because part of it is in the 2nd preview, and Martin Freeman said it was in the movie himself during an interview).

17. Bilbo returns to the Dwarves.  Smaug comes out, and the Dwarves just manage to get inside before Smaug destroys the secret door.

18.  Smaug then flies off to attack Laketown, but is eventually brought down by Bard the Bowman, thus ending his reign of terror.  I'm assuming this scene will be the climax, since the movie is entitled The Desolation of Smaug.

19. Whether or not the movie will end there or if they'll show the Dwarves wandering into the treasure room, I don't know.  But, in my opinion, I think it would be cool if they ended the movie by panning over to the piles of gold, and then slowly zooming in on where we can just see a piece of the Arkenstone sticking out of the pile.  I think that would be a beautiful tie-in to the 3rd Hobbit movie, because the Arkenstone will become an important factor in that movie.

So, those are my basic assumptions about how the movie will play out.  By no means am I saying this is exactly what will happen, nor will I be upset if some of my assumptions turn out to be wrong.   This is just a series of educated guesses based on the previews I have seen, and what I know about the book.  I'll have to wait until December to find out if any of it is right or not.  

About 63 more days until The Desolation of Smaug hits theaters!  Are you ready?

The Other Hobbit Trailer

For those of us who have been waiting for the 2nd Desolation of Smaug trailer, here is it!    I think we're at about 73 days until the Desolation of Smaug opens in theaters.  I don't know about you, but I'm very excited!

As I watched the trailers, I have already noticed a few things that are (possibly inexcusably) different from the book.  But, I will not make that judgement until I see the movie.

This is, also, the first time I've gotten to hear Benedict Cumberbatch voice the role of Smaug.  He did an excellent job as William Pitt, Sherlock Holmes, and Khan, so I was interested to learn that he was voicing Smaug (and Sauron?).  I think, as with the rest of the cast, Peter Jackson and the casting directors have chosen the perfect guy for the part.

I'm also very happy to see Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, and the rest of the gang return for the continuation of the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield, and Company.  

I'm imagining there was a "happy reunion" between Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, who — as some may know — also co-star together in BBC's Sherlock.  In fact, they took a break while filming The Hobbit so that Mr. Freeman could run back to England to film Sherlock season 2.

I'll have more comments about The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug later, probably after the movie comes out (I don't want to spoil anything for anyone).  But, in the meantime, please do enjoy the previews!

Bilbo Strikes Again!

Ready for the shortest blog post I'll probably ever write?

And probably the least opinionated...

Yeah, I'm writing this whole blog post to share with you the newly released Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug trailer for your viewing enjoyment.

I was under the impression this would not be released until tomorrow, but I was very excited when I found it online this morning.  So, I just had to share my excitement with all of you!

Enjoy!

(or if that doesn't load, you can copy and paste the following link into your search engine or YouTube...it should locate it for you)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJhE5OWaSho

Bilbo Strikes Again! - My Thoughts About The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

I know the second Hobbit movie hasn't opened in theaters yet.  9 Months and 10 days...not that I'm counting or anything.  Regardless, it's never too early to start thinking about The Hobbit part 2.

By now, I'm assuming most of you have seen The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (or at least read the book).  Knowing what we know about The Hobbit trilogy thus far, and about director Peter Jackson's track record with the Lord of the Rings trilogy, I'm going to take a gigantic risk and make a few 

pre-release comments and predictions about The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

I don't mean I'm going to predict the future.  Instead, consider this a weather forecast for the upcoming Hobbit movie.  Only, without the weather...

I tried really hard not to give anything big or important away, but it is very hard to do so when writing about what I think will happen, so this post probably contains spoilers.  So, you have been warned.

1. How are they all going to get down from that cliff?

Your guess is as good as mine.  Although, my brother and I think Gandalf should use his magic staff to carve stone "snow boards" for them, and then they should all go snow boarding down the side of the cliff, singing, "Surfin' Middle Earth" to the tune of the Beach Boys song.  However, I doubt this will happen.

2. Azog is still out there.  Somewhere.

Yes, folks, our friend the Pale Orc (who should technically be long dead) isn't about to give up on his prey that easily.  So, we can naturally assume he'll be back, and I'm hedging bets we'll see him and/or his cronies sometime between the opening credits and the 59 minute mark.

3. Thorin vs. Thranduil 

For those of you who may be a little confused by that section title, Thranduil is the Elf King.

Anyway, in filmmaking, we have a general rule which states that if you've got a gun in the scene, it should probably be used.  Elf Kings and dwarf grudges are no exception.

Even if you haven't read the book, and therefore have absolutely no idea what's going to happen in the 2nd movie, you just have to assume that the Elf King was not shown betraying the dwarves of Erebor in the Unexpected Journey introduction just to give Thorin a basis for his grudge.  And we aren't told that Thorin has a particularly nasty grudge against Thranduil and his elves just because Peter Jackson thought it would be a cool addition to the story.  You just know Thranduil's going to show up again sometime within the remaining two movies.  And, if you've read the book, I think it's safe to assume he's going to show up in The Desolation of Smaug.

So, if we can safely assume that Thranduil is going to show up again, presumably in the 2nd movie, we can also safely assume that he's going to run into Thorin.  And you just know there's going to be an argument between them.  And you just know that somewhere during that argument, Thorin is going to angrily blurt out, "You didn't help my people, you jerk!" (maybe in a more Thorin-like manner, of course.  If he actually says "jerk", I will not only laugh, but I won't blame Thranduil one bit for throwing Thorin in prison - oops, did I say that?)

4. Smaug

Since this second installment of The Hobbit trilogy is entitled, The Desolation of Smaug, I think it's safe to assume that we'll get to see a little more of Smaug in the movie.  So, if you were angry or discouraged by the lack of visible dragon in An Unexpected Journey, take heart!  Smaug has to show up sometime in the movie which bares his name.  Otherwise, it wouldn't be called The Desolation of Smaug.

Concerning Smaug's lack of presence, I see where the filmmakers were coming from.  Keeping Smaug (mostly) a mystery creates suspense and anticipation.  Now, we're all curious, so some of us may just come back only to find out what Smaug really looks like.

But, seriously, if they maintain the mystery of Smaug for much longer, some of us in the theater are going to get irritated.  We want to see the dragon!  Some of us allowed ourselves to be awakened at 5:45 in the morning and be dragged to a 9 am showing to see the dragon.  If there's a dragon involved, we expect to see the dragon.

Here's my theory.  They're holding out on revealing Smaug until the climax.  Then, his grand entrance will be even more shocking and terrifying because we will be seeing him in all of his fiery "glory" for the first time, just like the characters on the screen.

Here's my problem with that.  Earlier in the story, Bilbo (wearing his invisibility-inducing Ring) has a conversation with Smaug, during which Smaug accidentally reveals his one and only weakness to Bilbo.  This later becomes a determining factor during the climax, but I don't want to give things away. The only way I can see this working out is for Smaug to shake off his blanket of gold to reveal himself in full to Bilbo during their conversation.  This would still have a shocking and terrifying effect on the audience because we would be seeing the only dragon in the trilogy (and the first dragon Bilbo has ever seen up close and personal) for the first time, and thus may even share some of Bilbo's emotions.

5. Will Thorin be the one to kill Smaug?

Because we know how much Thorin lost at the claws and fiery breath of Smaug, the movie-goer in me hopes Thorin will be given this honor.

However, for the sake of book-to-film accuracy, I hope I'm wrong.

6. Swords are Named for the Deeds They've Done...

...and, as we know from The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Bilbo's sword does have a name: Sting.  We will get to see what deed Sting did to become "Sting" in The Desolation of Smaug.  Sadly, Smaug isn't involved in this.

7. Rendezvous With Spiders or Elves?

There's some speculation about whether or not Thorin will be captured by the giant spiders or will have his previously scheduled rendezvous with the elves of Mirkwood.  Someone found a picture from the B-roll footage of the movie which shows the dwarves running through the Mirkwood set, and Thorin has cobwebs in his hair.  I guess this is relatively easy to do when you've got 1 to 2 feet of thick, wavy hair.  Anyway, this picture leads some to speculate that Thorin will not have his individual rendezvous with the elves.

However, upon closer inspection of the aforementioned picture, I realized that at least part of the cobwebs that appear to be sticking out of Thorin's head are actually on the tree behind him and only appear to be physically attached to Thorin's head.  Also, we must take into consideration that Thorin has grey highlights in his 1 to 2 foot long, thick wavy hair.  These highlights could easily be mistaken for cobwebs.  

Here's my final and most concrete reason for believing that Thorin will stick to his previously scheduled rendezvous with the elves.  Time restraints.  Remember that in An Unexpected Journey they had to have Bilbo's encounter with Gollum running concurrently with the dwarves' experience, near execution, and consequent chase in Goblin Town.  Also, remember that the goblins did not bind their captives simply because the filmmakers didn't have enough time in the movie to unbind them before the Goblin Town chase scene.  Thus, in my mind, it is reasonable to assume that for purposes of time restraints, they will have to have Thorin's rendezvous happening concurrently with the other dwarves' capture by the spider and consequent rescue by Bilbo.

8. Does Bilbo actually get braver?

He must, because he rescues at least twelve of his companions from giant dwarf-eating spiders.

9. Is it safe to assume that Thorin might "die" again at the end of the movie?

No telling.  But, it wouldn't surprise me at all.  But, don't worry.  Even if he does "die" again, he's got to come back for the 3rd movie.  

10. Will they find the Arkenstone?

More than likely, no.  Not yet...