Well, it's over. Half a dozen movies, a span of 13 years and six guaranteed Christmas presents (tickets for the traditional Boxing Day openings in Oz) later, the Peter Jackson saga has ended.
I know many on OTF won’t agree, or even care, but I reckon the big man put in a decent shift.
Yes, the first two LoTR movies were padded interminably with inserted and irrelevant focus on Arwen and Rohan respectively. Yes, The Hobbit was what could have been two potentially fast-paced movies expanded into three that at times stretched thinner than Bilbo was by the ring. Yes, it was all done backwards. Yes, the whole project was sometimes all too obviously designed with the inevitable games in mind.
However, having waited nearly 30 years between my first read of Tolkein and any serious attempt to bring his work to life as movies, I will forgive that. Indeed I will forgive Jackson anything for just one scene.
The moment when the fellowship enters Moria and the splendor of the Dwarf halls of Khazad-dhum is unveiled is one of those cinema moments that has stayed with me ever since – like the Star Wars opening scene or Ethan framed in the doorway at the end of The Searchers.
NB: For fellow nerds the deluxe Kindle edition of The Hobbit has audio of Tolkien himself reading some passages. It is really quite good.
I know many on OTF won’t agree, or even care, but I reckon the big man put in a decent shift.
Yes, the first two LoTR movies were padded interminably with inserted and irrelevant focus on Arwen and Rohan respectively. Yes, The Hobbit was what could have been two potentially fast-paced movies expanded into three that at times stretched thinner than Bilbo was by the ring. Yes, it was all done backwards. Yes, the whole project was sometimes all too obviously designed with the inevitable games in mind.
However, having waited nearly 30 years between my first read of Tolkein and any serious attempt to bring his work to life as movies, I will forgive that. Indeed I will forgive Jackson anything for just one scene.
The moment when the fellowship enters Moria and the splendor of the Dwarf halls of Khazad-dhum is unveiled is one of those cinema moments that has stayed with me ever since – like the Star Wars opening scene or Ethan framed in the doorway at the end of The Searchers.
NB: For fellow nerds the deluxe Kindle edition of The Hobbit has audio of Tolkien himself reading some passages. It is really quite good.
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