The first part of this film has been awaited for several years, ever since Peter Jackson, who had just finished shooting the epic Lord of the Rings trilogy, hinted that he planned to make another film about the enchanting fairytale world of Middle-earth. It soon became known that he planned to make a prequel to the famous novel – a fairy tale tale “The Hobbit”, which tells the adventures of young Bilbo Baggins in the company of the dwarves and the wise wizard Gandalf. Loyal to his manner of squeezing the maximum out of the source, Jackson announced his intention to “stretch” a little fairy tale tale into three full-length series, than even more twisted the intrigue. So fans of Tolkien’s not only wondered what the ingenious director filled the time of the new trilogy, but also did not immediately remember in what order the series follow each other.
In what order should we watch the “The Hobbit” series?
In fact, coping with this task is not too difficult if you remember well the plot of this little fairy tale story, which is about to celebrate the centennial of its publication. The first part is called “The Hobbit. An Unexpected Journey.” Here the young bachelor Bilbo, living a carefree peaceful life, unexpectedly goes to the edge of the world in the company of the future Dwarf King Thorin, his companions and the wizard Gandalf, who became the mentor of the protagonist. The second part is “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” Here Bilbo and his friends reach the abode of the dragon Smaug, who long ago drove the dwarves from their underworld kingdom and seized the treasures accumulated over the centuries. Finally, in the third part of “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” Bilbo, Thorin, Gandalf and the others engage in an unequal battle with the forces of evil and get some unexpected help. Before this, they learn of the death of a dragon, who was ruined by his own arrogance. A significant role in the victory over Smaug was played by Bilbo, who discovered the only vulnerable place in the dragon’s armor.
The trilogy ends with Bilbo returning home with a rightful part of the dragon’s treasure and finding that he is considered dead and his parents are ready to sell his goods. The Hobbit reenters his comfortable home and begins to write his memoirs of adventures, which become the basis for the story “The Hobbit” translated into dozens of languages.
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
- Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
- Lord of the Rings: Two Fortresses
- Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
How Peter Jackson’s film differs from the literary source material
To turn a fascinating but decidedly children’s fairy tale tale into an epic movie for adult audiences, Peter Jackson added Tolkien’s characters’ soul-searching. This is especially true of Thorin, who transforms from the brave and avaricious king of the dwarves into the likeness of a Shakespearean hero and outshines not only the always calm Gandalf, but at times even Bilbo himself. To attract romance lovers, Jackson recalls the story of the elf queen Galadriel and her faithful dwarf knight Gimli, and invents the missing romance in the original between Thorin’s young nephew and the enterprising elfess Tauriel, who was absent in the original. (Spoiler alert for those who can’t wait for the end of the movie: there will be no “happy ending” to this romance, both lovers will die in battle alongside Thorin, paying the price for his greed and hubris).
The dragon slayer Bard suddenly and unexpectedly transforms from an impoverished heir to a noble family into a smuggler, and the main enemy of the heroes is the leader of the orcs, who, according to Tolkien’s book, was long dead by the time “The Hobbit” begins. Moreover, Jackson introduces not only Gandalf, but other powerful wizards who only appear on stage in The Lord of the Rings – the strongest of wizards Saruman, who is already ready to surrender to the forces of evil, Radagast, lord of the beasts (here he becomes a wacky old man riding a rabbit chariot), and finally the beautiful Galadriel, who not only has magical powers, but also acts as a brave warrior (in full accordance with the text in Tolkien’s other works). They are all fighting a powerful evil wizard whose shadow looms over Middle-earth – the same Lord of the Rings, Sauron, who acts “behind the scenes” in the novel and the Lord of the Rings movie, wishing to enslave the entire world. And to make watching The Hobbit easier for those who have not read Lord of the Rings and Tolkien’s other fantasy works, Jackson filled the film with comedic “gags” and puzzling adventures that make you forget about the plot thread at times and then remember what happens to the characters.
It is clear why this film has a difficult reputation among Tolkien fans as well as among the film industry, which believes that Peter Jackson was too keen on pleasing the public. And yet the trilogy about the adventures of the resourceful and courageous Bilbo won the hearts of the audience with the talented performance of the main actors, the colorful scenery, the impressive music and the abundance of special effects, as well as the excellent work of the costumers and decorators.
