Movie: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

My rating on a 1-10 scale: I don’t even know. I’ve never not known what to rate something.

Genre: Life

Primary actors: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton

Length: Almost three hours!

Time period: 1960s, I guess, or that’s what I’m putting…anyone have a better answer?

Rating: PG-13

Year it came out: 2008

My overall opinion: We have a problem, y’all. I don’t know what I thought. Or what to rate it. Out of something like 1000 reviews, I’ve never been flummoxed on what to rate something – some were hard, but I always managed to come to a decision. Until now. This movie was unlike anything I’ve ever seen, I guess. So here’s a random collection of thoughts…

The concept is fascinating. A man who lives his life backwards? Really neat. He starts old (though
baby size) and slowly grows up with a young boy’s inquisitive brain in an old man’s body. It was fascinating. I do need to warn you that there are some rather objectionable elements in here, so make sure that you read about it on IMDB before watching, just to make sure.

Benjamin’s whole relationship with the girl…never mind, I’m not even going to try to figure out what I thought. Cate Blanchett was awesome as the girl, though! I really liked her – she did a great job.

The ending was so moving. I cried a lot. Which means the producers did something right. Yeah. I guess the ending almost redeemed it – no, more just improved it for me. It was really amazing.

All in all, I don’t know if I’d say I “liked” it, but I certainly am glad I watched it and wouldn’t be opposed to watching it again someday. Do I recommend it? I’m not sure. Some people would love it.
Some people wouldn’t. I can’t tell for you. I don’t even know what I thought. This is really disconcerting. So yeah. I think I’ll just stop here. Have you seen it, and if so, did you like it? And do you understand why I’m confused?

Movie: Robin Hood

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8.5

Genre: Life, adventure, family

Primary actors: Russell Crowe (who was about 49% of the reason I wanted to watch this), Cate Blanchett (who was the other 49%...and the remaining 2% was because it was Robin Hood), Matthew Macfadyen, William Hurt

Length: Almost 2 ½ hours

Based on: The classic story of Robin Hood

Time period: 1200s

Rating: PG-13

Year it came out: 2010

My overall opinion: This was a good movie, y’all, and I was excited to watch it – and once I started, excited to finish it (as in, it was something I anticipated watching). Be advised, first of all, that there are some reasons for the PG-13 rating, so look that up before watching this. However, if you do decide to watch it, I think you’ll really enjoy it! I really liked Russell Crowe as Robin Hood and he’s definitely one of my favorite actors just now. Seriously. Then there was Cate Blanchett, who has a really striking way about her – I liked her as Galadriel, and she was good here too. But yeah. If you can get past the things it’s rated PG-13 for, this is a really great movie.

Movie: Two Towers

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9.5

Genre: Fantasy, adventure

Series or set: Lord of the Rings

Number in series: 2^nd

Primary actors: *deep breath* Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, Billy Boyd, Christopher Lee, Dominic Monaghan, Miranda Otto, Andy Serkis, and if you know who each of those (primary) actors plays…then you know LOTR well. :)

Length: About three hours

Based on: Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien

Time period: Fantasy

Year it came out: 2002

My overall opinion: I love these movies. Be warned: this is likely the shortest of the three reviews. At least, my notes made it the shortest. And be warned – the third review will almost certainly be the longest because this one has half as many notes as that.

For those of you who may just be getting in on this… I first watched this movie trilogy a little over two years ago. That was back when Austenitis was just getting started, and my reviews…well, let’s just say my original review for this movie is a little shorter than everything I’ve written here so far. :) SO I decided that since I’ve seen the movies many times since then, and love them so much…it’s time for a heavy-duty review. So here we go!

This movie is noticeably darker and sadder and heavier than the first film -- no scenes in Hobbiton! But despite that, it has some dark parts. With no more ado, let's begin my thoughts.

Wormtongue aka Grima: He is SO disgustingly horrible. Did you know (random fact time!) that they removed his eyebrows to make him more repulsive? It’s one of those things you won’t notice on your first time through, and maybe not even after that…I only noticed after reading it in a making-of book (The Rough Guide to Lord of the Rings). But he is a repulsive being if ever I saw one!

Eomer and the Riders of Rohan: Ah, such heroic men! I especially love how close Eomer is to his sister Eowyn. He’s a man to admire…and his riders are amazing fighters! A joy to watch, especially for any horse lover.

Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli – running: Watching these guys run tirelessly over mile after mile of terrain makes me feel tired every time. And no, I’m not at all athletic. But they do so much running and still manage to make it look easy! What an amazing team of guys. You know Gimli was lugging something like 70 pounds of armor in real life during those scenes? Yup. Quite a load!

Gollum aka Smeagol: Andy Serkis does an amazing job acting the part and using the voice of Gollum/Smeagol. And his dual personalities (especially clear in this film) are fascinatingly freaky! He’s even occasionally pitiable at times, quite a character. Of course, by the next film he’s utterly abhorrent but here he’s almost likable at times. Poor Gollum.

Treebeard and the Ents: Treebeard – what a neat guy. Tree. Whatever you want to call him. He has such a neat voice. (Random fact time again!) John Rhys-Davies, aka Gimli, does the voice for Treebeard. Cool or what? I always forget to remember that as I’m watching though. But anyway. Personally? I’d really rather never battle an ent. They can be killed, but more than that you don’t see too often. They can do a huge amount of damage if they decide to! Take the destruction of Isengard – absolutely a stunning sequence of scenes and events and of course, ents.

Dead Marshes: They’re such a freaky location with all the dead faces in the water! And the lights too, of course. I am so glad that Frodo, Sam, and Gollum didn’t spend any more time in that part of the land. The smell…you can practically smell it just watching on the screen. What a horrible place.

Gandalf’s Return/Fight with the balrog: Yay! It’s such a triumphant moment when Gandalf unexpectedly reappears! Or at least, it’s unexpected for anyone who hasn’t read the book or too many spoilers. But there he is back as Gandalf the White! It’s a lovely time. I also have greatly enjoyed all the footage of his fight with the balrog…a looooong fall, a huge pit of water (the size of that thing blows my mind each time), the fight on the pinnacle, and of course, the conquering of the balrog. At which point we get our best glimpse of its actual shape. So. Very. Cool.

Soundtrack: Ah, the soundtrack. It’s beautiful! Even the credits song, though I prefer Enya’s May It Be on the first movie. But overall, awesome music and I’ve so enjoyed it time after time.

The Morannon: Or the Black Gate, for those of with slightly less random knowledge. ;) That thing is g.i.g.a.n.t.i.c. and huge. And also apparently very effective for keeping people out (and in)! Watching it open is amazing…getting crushed in that would NOT be cool. Pretty neat!

Wormtongue and Eowyn: Disgusting. I hate how he tries to get her to like him because it really doesn’t work (thankfully). But the whole way he looks at her and all is just super disgusting and I abhor it.

Theoden’s resurrection: He’s almost dead. He’s as close to dead as a human can be without actually being dead. He doesn’t think for himself, is super weak, and in very bad condition. But! Gandalf saves him (and the day) by casting Saruman and Wormtongue out of Theoden! Victory! The change in him is wonderful.

Eowyn: For the first time, I realized that her teeth aren’t perfect. And I love that, because she has such an awesome personality that you probably didn’t realize this the first time you watched it. Eowyn is all around a lovely girl/woman. She’s so easy to identify with and I love her.

Aragorn and Eowyn: As Aragorn pointed out in one commentary, Eowyn almost would have been a better match for him. They have more mutual interests and activities, I think. It’s so easy to understand how Eowyn would fall for Aragorn – and the movie doesn’t do a great job (at least, in the unextended editions) with showing how she switched to Faramir. But while I think that Aragorn and Eowyn would have been an adorable couple, I’m happy with the other…

Aragorn and Arwen: It’s so obvious that they love each other. Think of all that Arwen gave up for him! I’m not going to discuss the ending scenes yet, but let it suffice to say that they make me very happy. And perhaps Arwen really is what Aragorn needs – someone to ground him a bit more, keep him at home, and worry about him from there.

Sam and Gollum and rabbits: You remember the scene – Sam is delighted to be cooking up some nice conies, and Gollum strongly protests them being cooked at all. It’s so cute! Well, maybe not cute, but certainly funny and a scene I enjoy rather a lot.

Oliphaunts: Those things are frightful, you know? I love how much Sam loves seeing them. And I really wish…correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t he have a cute little poem about them in the book? I wish they’d found some way to incorporate that into the movie. I always liked it. But yeah, when these oliphaunts first come on screen, all you can say is “Wow.”

Faramir and co: Have I mentioned yet that I really fell for Faramir this time around? Aragorn remains my hands-down-forever-favorite, but Faramir…he’s awesome and amazing and great and so cool. I love that he ends up getting together with Eowyn in the end. I love how he handles his men. And he’s just plain pretty great…I’m so glad he gets an awesome girl. As to his role in the third movie…well, we’ll come to that in that review. Oh, and all his men in green are awesome as well – they always remind me of Robin Hood.

Warg battle: Did y’all see Legolas’ flip onto a horse at the beginning of this? I don’t specifically remember noting it before, but watched it twice this time to make up. ;) And wow – that flip is amazing. Super cool, I tell you! And then of course, there’s Aragorn’s big fall off a cliff with a warg…and for a bit, you’re sure there’s no way he survived. So sad! But then, a scene for all those horse-lovers…he recovers with his horse’s help! Okay, even I admit it’s pretty cool! :)

Legolas’ hand: Strange name for a paragraph, right? But something that has bugged me in several movies (and this trilogy several times) is that the hands never look quite real. Especially Frodo’s hand. Looking at my own, I think it’s maybe because it doesn’t have enough lines and creases. Anyway, Legolas’? I was especially impressed that it actually did look real. He had to hold Aragorn’s cloak clasp for a minute. And it looked real – I liked that.

Aragorn again: Because we can’t have too many paragraphs about this guy. His hair? All wet and mildly dirty? Yes, it sounds disgusting…but I like it. A lot. And then! The scene where he pushes open those huge double doors to Theoden’s chamber is AWESOME. He just stumbles into there. So neat. Ummm…I might be fangirling? Just for fun. ;)

Legolas in general: He’s awesome. Strong, athletic, and let’s admit it – handsome, especially by Haldir. Sorry Haldir! As you saw in my last review, I was trying in vain to figure out why his eyes are so blue in some scenes, and so brown in others. Thankfully, Kiri Liz explained all in a comment on my last review – apparently, Orlando Bloom had to wear blue contacts because he had brown eyes. But the contacts bothered his eyes, so he ended up going without them, and having his eyes digitally altered later – except there were a few scenes they neglected to alter. Interesting, isn’t it? So yes – your eyes see right. Sometimes they’re definitely brown, others definitely blue. And he rocks them both.

Legolas and Gimli’s competition: Before I get into all of Helm’s Deep, let me just mention that I way love the competition that Legolas and Gimli have going. Counting how many orc enemies killed? And comparing? Such a boy thing…and I love it. As previously stated, those two rock!

Helm’s Deep: And here we go! First of all, the explosion that took out that large chunk of wall was very impressive. Really impressive. It’s all around an amazing battle – did I hear that it was the largest filmed in movie history until the third movie came out with the Battle of Pelennor Fields? And did you know that those poor actors spent about two months being drenched and frozen every night to get that looking the way it looks. Amazing dedication. I love it when Legolas sleds down the stairs on a shield. I love it when Gimli and Aragorn get onto the bridge and start knocking off orcs left and right. Aragorn has to toss Gimli to get him there…remember the quote in the first movie about nobody tossing a dwarf? Here, Gimli lets himself be tossed with a precaution: “Don’t tell the elf.” And then Gandalf arrives! Oh joy. It’s a stunning arrival – the sun and all reminds me a bit of the trolls-to-stone scene in Hobbit: an Unexpected Journey. Yay Gandalf! That guy rocks.

Ents vs. Saruman: I’m so glad I’m not on Saruman’s side in that scene, because a battle against an ent? Not something I’m interesting in experiencing. It’s so simply smashing when they break the dam and let the river wash down and fill all the holes and put out the fires and take over everything. Yay ents! Great to have on your side in a war. There are some pretty amazing effects with that water!

Frodo and Sam’s friendship: I especially love it at the end, in those final scenes.

That’s it! Wow, I really thought this review would be shorter, but it wasn’t, despite a shorter list…well, brace yourselves for Review 3! It’ll be a REAL whopper. :)

Leave a comment! What are your thoughts on this movie? Is it your favorite? Which people should I have mentioned more? Did I happen to mention anything you didn’t notice before? Can’t wait to discuss this with y’all!

Note: I’ll reply to comments on Tuesday. :)

Movie: Fellowship of the Ring

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 10

Genre: Adventure, fantasy

Series or set: Lord of the Rings

Number in series: 1^st

Primary actors: Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies, Ian McKellen, Christopher Lee, Cate Blanchett, Liv Tyler

Length: About three hours

Based on: Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien

Time period: Fantasy

Year it came out: 2001

My overall opinion: Well, I’ve reviewed this before, way back in early 2011 when I first watched this trilogy, and when I had just started Austenitis. Back then, I reviewed much differently than I do now. I was still learning so much…still am, but I know more now than then! So, having now seen the movies four or five times, I figured it was time for a complete review – of a length that only true devotees would actually read the entire thing. This time, as I watched, I kept notes…and each movie took a full notebook page, with ROTK taking 1 and 2/3. Really. That review will be exceptionally long. Well, so is this one...over 2000 words (with this addition). But for now…here we go! I’m doing everything mostly chronologically here, in order of my notes.

WARNING: There is no attempt to avoid spoilers. None whatsoever. So...if you haven't seen it and you want some things to stay mysterious, don't read this. But if you have seen it...HERE WE GO!

Hobbiton: I love the cheerful hobbit scenes that are filling the beginning of this first movie. They are so light and happy and easy-going…the scenes and the hobbits (perhaps not so much the light part ;). I am a girl who loves happy things, so these scenes are a refresher to me, since I know how dark the rest of the movies get. It’s especially nice to see Frodo still healthy and cheerful and clean and smiling. He changes a lot over the movies.

Gandalf: Oh I love that guy! Sir Ian McKellen makes the perfect Gandalf! I love his hat. He is awesome and stunning as ever.

Bilbo: Well, now that Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is out, this is the wrong Bilbo, of course. But still…he does well enough.

Soundtrack: This soundtrack is so stunning! I’m listening to it as I write…inspiration, you know. Howard Shore did an unbelievable job with it, giving places and characters their own themes, but not so many that you can’t keep them apart. I’ve listened to this soundtrack dozens of times, and there are songs that (played loudly enough) still give me goose-bumps. :)

Pippin and Merry: Everyone loves these two! I confess, I’ve never been able to tell them apart…or rather, remember which is which. I know all the classic ways of keeping them apart…I just can’t remember them. HOWEVER, I think I’m getting better with each viewing. :D They are so hilarious with the firecrackers in the beginning scenes! I do love their friendship, and they’re pretty cute little guys.

Ring: It’s so menacing, even at the beginning! However, I must admit to being very glad that they included its history like they did. Of course, it’s sprinkled throughout the three movies (especially in the opening of the third…disgusting, but that is for another review). But seeing the history is so much clearer than reading it…I’m really glad Peter Jackson included that.

Quotes: These movies are unbelievably quotable. Probably a couple of quotes will crop up yet in this review…but I’m going to try not to use too many, and perhaps later do a post on them. For now, I just have to throw in one… “Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.” – Galadriel

Black Riders and Saruman: They are both so frightfully creepy! The Black Riders are menacing, same as the Ring…hidden faces, ragged clothes…you know they’re bad. Even the bugs know…remember the scene where one of them hunches over the edge of a little dell where Frodo, Sam, Pippin and Merry are hiding, and all these creatures (creepy crawlies!) come oozing out? Yeah. It’s gross. And Saruman…how anyone could trust him is beyond me, but dislike of him is well-ingrained in me, so I don’t suppose I can judge. Christopher Lee does amazing as Saruman – truly creepy. Oh, one thing that just occurred to me…at least in the normal length editions, you never see what happens to him, do you? I don’t think so. That’s a problem.

Special effects: There are some amazing ones! I’m not sure what scene we were on when I wrote that note, but there are so many throughout all three of the films that I’m sure you won’t have any trouble remembering some. These movies are stunning with those!

Peter Jackson: FINALLY! I spotted him in Bree! He looked quite like himself too, and I’m surprised I haven’t seen him before. I think I maybe also saw him in the third movie (we’ll see once I get to that review) but not in the second. But it made my day to spot him! Here, a picture.

Aragorn: All I wrote here was “ARAGORN! LOVE.” Yeah…that pretty much sums it up. He’s so handsome, so awesome, so great with a sword, so amazing, so brave, and he says “If by my life or death I can protect you, I will.” Simply lovely! And yes…I do love his relationship with Arwen as well. He’s simply great, definitely a favorite part of the movies for me. Which makes me sound totally fan-girl…I just might be. Viggo Mortensen rocks here!

Weathertop: It’s such an interesting place, perched on top of a hill like it is. All fallen buildings and dark crevasses. And then getting encircled by the fearsome Black Riders! Oh, it’s a stirring scene. Frodo and the hobbits attacked by the Black Riders! And my favorite part? Aragorn rides in and does a fiery rescue. Ha, those Black Riders set on fire! Ah, it’s a wonderful thing.

Trolls: I spotted them! Success! And they looked just like the ones from HAUJ. Score, Peter Jackson!

Rivendell: It’s so lovely in Rivendell – these scenes always feel peaceful. Of course, here we have
Elrond’s Council – great music. And I love seeing all the races of people gathered – men, dwarves, elves. And of course, it’s at Rivendell that we really meet Elrond and Boromir and Gimli and Legolas and somewhat Arwen, though technically she’s just before Rivendell (to be met, in a part inaccurate to the book). And I love the scene at the council where Sam runs in to accompany Frodo and then Merry and Pippin pop out too. So funny! Oh, and we see Bilbo again. And he has a freaky Gollum moment…ugh.

Legolas and Gimli: Yes, I had to give these (super cool) guys their own section. Because they’re such a wonderful part of all three movies! Of course, I’ll mention them more later. But for now…suffice to say that Legolas is simply smashing. And so is Gimli. Both so stalwart and strong and, well, handsome. Love them both! Btw...it's not just me thinking Legolas' eyes switch color, is it? Cause I'm convinced that in at least one scene they were definitely brown or at least a very dark color. And in other scenes, distinctly blue! Your thoughts?

Boromir: Oh Boromir. This was actually my first time to watch and not cry over the end of this film. It took some intense concentration. He’s got the right things at heart, the well-being of Minas Tirith, but pursues them in the wrong way. You know you should absolutely hate him, and there are definitely some times when you dislike him, but when he dies, his death is so noble…you (usually) can’t help but cry. Poor Boromir. Kind of a villain you can’t quite hate, like Javert in Les Mis. And after all, he’s the one who says “One does not simply walk into Mordor.”

Passage of Caradhras: And so the Fellowship travels on, finally coming the mountains. Oh, the Passage of Caradhras…yikes! It’s one scary cold scene. So much deep snow and so much wind. I was indescribably glad I wasn’t with them right there. Truly miserable. And Saruman controlling the weather…that’s just freaky.

Watcher in the Water: What is it anyway, some sort of overgrown prehistoric octopus? Definitely something I would like to encounter. It’s…huge and slimy and so many legs. But in the book, if I remember right, it’s an intelligent creature (or perhaps…no, I don’t think so, but maybe Saruman controls it?) and goes straight for Frodo. It obviously has enormous strength as well, because it absolutely walls them into…

Mines of Moria: You may think me strange. But? This is my favorite scene sequence in any of the three movies, with the possible exception of the entire 30 minutes or so at the end of ROTK (beginning with A’s crowning). Mines are amazing, and these are certainly no exception. Gigantic, dark, echoic, scary, monumental, impressive. I’ve oohed and aahed my way through these scenes time after time. So excuse me if I’m a little exuberant. Oh, and we get our very first glimpse of Gollum here too! (Incidentally, there is a severe lack of Moria pictures on the web, which is where I get all my pictures....just video game pix, which don't work, so excuse a lack of Moria photos).


Cave troll scene: You remember the cave troll, of course. Have you ever noticed that Aragorn uses a bow and arrows there? My question…where did he get them? He is very proficient and good with them…but he uses that instead of his sword. Random observation. And of course, the whole fight is quite fascinating. Such a slow troll, very dim witted obviously, but very heavy and strong. Dangerous. I do love it when Pippin and Merry rescue Frodo! YAY! They’re so awesome together. :D
 

Moria in general: There’s a ton of gray…really makes the fiery reds and oranges stand out when they reach those immense stairs. Of course, some of this whole scene isn’t accurate to the book…but I’m used to it and like it just as well. :) Their whole race along those perilous steps is unbelievable. In an amazing way. So dangerous and fast! I did wonder this last time through tho…what in the world is burning down there? Is it like a volcano or something way down deep? I don’t know. And the whole collapsing steps -- *heart-pounding scenes.* But remember…”Nobody tosses a dwarf.” Until the next movie, at least. ;)

Balrog: And then, despite that fast and dangerous race…they encounter the balrog on the bridge. Ah, the balrog is indeed a fearful creature…can you imagine fighting several, like back in the earlier Ages? Nearly invincible. But they all make it across the bridge and then Gandalf stands there… “You shall not pass!” And then! Oh great joy, the balrog falls and all is well…until the whip snakes back up and down goes Gandalf. After harshly whispering “Fly, you fools!” Oh, that scene is a tear-jerker for sure if you don’t know the books/movies...and maybe even if you do. (And yes, that picture isn't straight from the movie...close enough though.)

Lothlorien: On to Lothlorien. Such an amazing structure! I can’t imagine the work it took to build these sets, though no doubt much of it is in miniature. And here we meet Galadriel, and less importantly, Celeborn. And Haldir too, right? That bowl that Galadriel has Frodo look in is freaky…but then Galadriel resists the temptation to take the Ring! That too is a freaky scene. And here it is that Galadriel says “Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.”

Boromir’s betrayal and death: I’ve already covered this a bit up in the Boromir paragraph. Poor Boromir. He’s so awful and fully despicable and despisable (and yes, I’m making that a word). And then he turns around and dies defending two hobbits. *sob* I’m going to cry just thinking about it. SO sad and SO good. He is so brave and noble there at the end. Oh my.

Aragorn’s stand: As Frodo runs away, Aragorn fights off how many orcs? I don’t know, but it’s a lot. And maybe they’re Uruk Hai. Either way, it’s a lot of nasty beasts all against him…and he triumphs! And then Pippin and Merry also fighting and trying so hard to distract them from Frodo…which they do, only to have Boromir come rescue them. They’re such stupid brave little hobbits – did I mention I love them?

Sam: Sam has never been a favorite LOTR character for me, and neither has Frodo. But Sam chasing Frodo there at the end is great. He’s going along and there’s no stopping him. It’s a good thing too! But I love how he chases after, and then Frodo saves him from drowning. It’s good. Yup. Good.

Aragorn take 3: “Let’s hunt some orc.”

THERE! Did you read it all? If so, fist-bump! Very few people will actually read the entire thing, but even if you didn’t…hope you enjoyed what you did read. Now comment and tell me…

Do you agree with my takes on characters?

What scenes are your favorites?

Did I point out anything you hadn’t noticed before?

 

P.S. Go to my Spotlights page (click here) to find spotlights on several of my favorite LOTR characters!

Movie: Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9.5

Genre: Fantasy, classic, adventure

Series or set: The official prequel to Lord of the Rings

Primary actors: There are a lot! They include Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Cate Blanchett, and Martin Freeman along with others.

Length: About three hours -- just under.

Based on: The classic and amazing work of literature, The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien.

Time period: Fantasy

Quote(s): Go here for quotes!

Year it came out: 2012 (December 14)

My overall opinion: It lived up to all my hopes and dreams. Before you read any further: this review will have spoilers. Please do not read until you've seen the movie. It'll be so much better then!

Now that we're all clear on what you are or are not doing (and you'd better not be reading this if you haven't seen it -- I'm serious!)...let's go. This is in no order...just as it comes to mind. :) I saw it just a few hours ago, so it's not all in order yet.

Azog -- disgusting. And inaccurate. I knew he wasn't in Hobbit, but wasn't sure about the whole thing with Thorin. On coming home and looking it all up in my Complete Guide to Middle-Earth by Robert Foster, I discovered that sure enough, Thorin had nothing to do with Azog. Yes, Azog killed Thror, Thorin's ancestor. But though Thorin fought in that battle, he didn't apparently have personal contact with Azog. Azog was killed in that battle as well and most certainly did not come back. However, including him certainly added some excitement!

Soundtrack -- amazing. Beautiful. Unebelievable. Never going to stop listening. I love it SO much. Combines Lord of the Rings' music with the theme of the Lonely Mountain song in a beautiful way, blending familiar and new seamlessly. I found a copy on youtube and can't stop listening. I had included it below, but it appears to have stopped working, so I removed it again. It's awesome and I can't wait to get the CD soundtrack!

Panoramic scenes -- Again, beautiful. Simply stunning. Especially in a theater. The landscape is so beautiful! And there's a wide variety too! More on sets and stuff in a bit.

Goblin king -- Wow. That guy was super interesting, my dad's favorite character...for looks, you understand. A huge flap of flesh almost like a beard...so unbelievably disgusting and, well, fascinating! Warts everywhere. Puppy dog eyes. He's scary, he's disgustingly fat, he's...wow. Definitely a memorable part of the movie!

Sets -- There were so many amazing sets that I had no idea were coming! Or at least, I really had pictured them all wrong when I read the book, and hadn't pictured at all for the movie! For example, the whole goblin kingdom under the Misty Mountains (more on the kidnapping later). Astounding! And Rivendell -- beautiful. Even more so than in LOTR, I think. The waterfalls and all were amazing! I was pretty impressed. Also, the scenes including peeks into Moria (so familiar to me!) and Erebor (pretty cool) were exceptional.

Rivendell -- I loved it. Like I said above, the waterfalls were so pretty. The whole place was beautiful, and apparently also caught in perpetual sunrise. Though the movie spent relatively little time there, it was clear how peaceful and calm it was...I liked it.

Elrond -- My only reason to include him in this particular part was his age. I felt like he looked significantly younger here than in LOTR. Having looked at pictures online, I may have been mistaken. I thought his hair was a bit gray in LOTR...guess not. But he has a lot of lines on his face there, and (if my memory serves me right) not so much in HAUJ. That may be just me. Now, I know it  was 60 years or so between HAUJ and LOTR, but since Elrond's thousands of years old...he shouldn't age.

Gandalf, Elrond, Saruman, Galadriel -- The whole council meeting at Elrond's was all wrong. Saruman and Galadriel never appear in the book. Gandalf does go to visit Saruman, but it's not mentioned except that he's gone...and you only learn where in LOTR (I think...maybe appendices or something?). Galadriel was beautiful, but shouldn't have been there. And Saruman...well, yeah, I talked about him.

Gollum -- Somewhere on the web I saw someone call him cute and say they kind of liked him. At the time, I admit that I laughed at them...how could anyone like Gollum? But now that I've seen him here, I see what they meant. He is pitiable! And almost cute during the riddle game! Which I loved, btw, except that they left out some riddles...very sad. Interesting to see him here.

Bilbo -- One can hardly review HAUJ without mentioning Bilbo. I've seen some reviewers that bashed him, but personally? I though Martin Freeman made a great Bilbo. His face expressions were so neat! I liked those. I think they did a good job with picking Martin for Bilbo...I never did like Elijah Wood as Frodo, so I'm glad that this one's straight on.

Fili and Kili -- Liked them a lot! Especially Kili. They're awesome little guys. :) And I am suddenly not anticipating the third movie if it follows the book. Which I generally strongly advocate, but might make an exception for here. And if you don't know what I'm talking about...go read the book. You should've read it already anyway. :) But yeah, I liked them! Oh also. By my third time through, one thing had become clear...one of my all-time favorite scenes is when Kili jumps out from by the rock and shoots an arrow and kills the warg and orc. SO MUCH AWESOMENESS there.

Thorin -- Ah, the other must-review character. Gotta admit, Richard Armitage was great! I had seen him as Mr. Thornton in North and South and knew of his roles in Sherlock Holmes and ...was it Robin Hood? Anyway, I didn't quite know what to expect. But? I loved it. Okay, fine, I loved him. Overall. But it was rather hilarious to see him looking so short by Gandalf! A guy with a personality like he has definitely shouldn't be short. But he was pretty much awesome as a short dwarf with a big sword.

Radagast -- Okay, the whole Radagast thing was weird. I knew that he'd be in here (even though he technically shouldn't be according to the book) but like that? He was just a little ditzy! I didn't like the way he was portrayed. Now, it's true that we have practically no information about Radagast the Brown. But I don't think he was quite this crazy. And that white stuff on his head...what was it, bird doo? No. All wrong. Nests in the hair are one thing, bird doo quite another.  

History -- It wasn't in the book. And I thought it was a great idea and a great addition. All that history at the beginning of the film, and sprinkled throughout? So neat! I loved it! Seeing those things on screen was amazing. Definitely worth adding, and I'm glad they did. So yup, really liked that.

In Relation to the Book -- Overall, HAUJ did a tolerably good job of following the beginning of Tolkien's original book. One difference (not including all that I've already mentioned in passing) would be the orcs and ... wargs? you know, those things who chase the dwarves and Bilbo. Very reminiscent of LOTR TT, but not a great fit here...though they definitely added intensity. Also, the part where they all fall into the goblin realm...again, that's not how it happened in the book. I always though a crack opening at the back of the cave was plenty frightening enough, and I don't know why they had to change it to the floor cracking open. The same goes for Bilbo's fight with a goblin and fall to Gollum's lair. Though there I admit that I can see why they wanted to add a little excitement. Technically, you know, Bilbo was there through the whole goblin battle! But all in all? I'm pretty satisfied.

Stone giants -- Considering that they only have a sentence or two in the book, they were much more played up here! I'd been anticipating seeing how Peter Jackson would interpret them...no disappointment. Very interesting! Again, that section was greatly drawn out (compared to the book -- by no means boring!) but good.

Humor -- The humor was not something I was expecting...and I loved it! Gandalf had a funny comment or two, and there were a few characters who made you laugh too! It was great. :)

Battles -- Like in LOTR, they were amazing. Big scale, lots of people, and a fast camera. Great battles, for being battles!

All around -- A great movie! I can't wait to see it again.

Spotlight: Galadriel

Galadriel (Lord of the Rings)

Played by Cate Blanchett.

I believe that she appeared in all three of the Lord of the Rings films, but I'm not 100% certain. She is also going to be in The Hobbit, coming out 2012.

"This is Nenya, the Ring of Adament. And I am it's keeper. This task was appointed to you, and if you do not find a way, no one will."

Not made by me, but isn't it pretty?

"Even the smallest person can change the course of the future."