Beview: December 2013

Happy New Year!

2013

Tuesday, December 31, 2013
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Film Review: The Hobbit - The Desolation of Smaug

Let's talk The Hobbit. This time last year (almost to the day!), I reviewed the first part of Peter Jackson's new trilogy An Unexpected Journey. My overall verdict was that it was a very capable film, and a promising start to the series even with the comparisons to Lord of the Rings. It is inevitable, after all. Flash forward one year...several weeks ago, I went to see the next instalment The Desolation of Smaug and have a pretty positive verdict for that too! (Spoiler alert: this review may well contain spoilers. You'll have nobody but yourself to blame if you read ahead then watch the film then complain that it was ruined by reading this.)

The film is a jam-packed 2 hours 41 minutes but by now, I think we all know not to expect anything less! I don't actually know the original novel plot very well, and hadn't seen An Unexpected Journey since watching it in the cinema a year ago, so the story was a little bit hazy in my memory. To recap, hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) has been appointed as "thief" and joined an energetic group of dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage). They've set out to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from dragon Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch), meeting familiar faces along the way from LOTR (namely Galadriel and Elrond, and who could forget Gollum?). Lots goes on, including battling goblins and other evil creatures, and the film ends on the awakening of Smaug. Not a proper recap (that's what Wikipedia's for), but basically the clan don't even make it to Smaug. Which is where The Desolation... picks up.

We're treated to a frightfest of giant spiders and orcs, and the scare factor is further intensified by scenes with the Necromancer whose enigmatic identity was previously unknown. I've been told that the Necromancer/Gandalf scenes are all non-existent in Tolkein's novel, but watching it with no previous awareness of the plot, it completely made sense. It also cleverly bridges the plot and foreshadows towards LOTR in a very visually intriguing way. Because the Necromancer is...you guessed it, Sauron. We knew that anyway, but good ol' Gandalf didn't. Another character die-hard novel fans won't be expecting is...Legolas! Credit where credit's due to the make-up and CGI people for making the age-proof elf look as youthful as ever, considering The Fellowship of the Ring was made over a decade ago. Or maybe Orlando Bloom just refuses to age. The blonde archer may not feature by name in the book, but Jackson's logic was, if he was alive then (which he definitely was), why shouldn't he? This means we get to see some seriously kick-ass action scenes.

Another new character is that of Tauriel, a feisty female elf who is also skilled with a bow! It's nice to have some female presence in an otherwise all-male main cast, plus there's a sweet minor storyline involving dwarf Kili and chemistry. Speaking of new characters, there's also brave man Bard from the little town of Laketown who I reckon will play a significant part in Part 3 which will be called There and Back Again. And let's not forget Smaug, because he plays a huge role in this film. Whilst LOTR revolves around this one little ring, which actually proves quite useful for Bilbo in the film, it can be said that The Hobbit kinda revolves around this one giant dragon. He's greedy and powerful and has stolen the Arkenstone, a gem sought by Thorin. The booming voice of Benedict Cumberbatch works remarkably well, and Smaug is brought to life by spectacular CGI. On a side note, as a bit of a Sherlock geek, it's great seeing Freeman and Cumberbatch side by side in a very different circumstance.

Speaking of Freeman, I really could not picture anyone else as Bilbo Baggins. He did a fantastic job in the first film, and this certainly continues as his character development progresses. This character insight extends to the dwarves as well, although there still isn't enough distinction for me to be able to name more than a handful - or even tell them apart for that matter. Perhaps that's just me. One dwarf that does get a named mention, and not because it's one of the only names I can remember without using Google, is of course Thorin. Armitage does a tremendous job bringing to life all the raw emotions of loss and grief along with the ambition of redemption.

I can't finish this review without at least mentioning the music, scenery and special effects. Without rambling on too much, all three are stunning. From the Ed Sheeran-penned theme song which gets better with each listen, to the breathtaking scenes of New Zealand's beautiful Middle Earth, you really are invited into the wonderfully marvellous world of Tolkein. Even though I hadn't read the book beforehand, I feel like I have a very good sense of the intended story which I think Jackson has once again captured with skill.

Whilst the film is still very long, I actually wouldn't call it unnecessarily long as everything seemed integral and purposeful to the plot. I did wonder which scene they would end the film on, and it is a cliffhanger which will keep us hanging until this time next year, no doubt. I certainly enjoyed it more than its predecessor as it just felt like there was more going on. More movement in plot, more sub-plots, more meaning and backstory. And more importantly (for me), more action. There are sprinkles of laugh-out-loud comedy thrown throughout, and thoughtful nods to the future of the franchise. I left the cinema chattering excitedly, and thinking that this whole Hobbit film thing was a good idea; a very good idea.

Sunday, December 29, 2013
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Merry Christmas! Now, what is Christmas?

christmas

I've just spent over an hour watching the countdown of the nation's "favourite" Christmas song. (Fairytale of New York won, by the way.) I've also been ruining Mariah songs for the nearby public, calculated the percentage of Christmas light houses on my running route (50.9%, by the way), spent a significant amount of time searching for Christmas presents (and even more money), and I am currently sat watching Finding Nemo, having dabbled in channel-hopping The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe earlier. It can only mean one thing: Christmas.

I don't know if it's the horrific weather or the whole "you feel less Christmasy as you get older" thing, but I am feeling less Christmasy, no matter how many times I re-watch the John Lewis ad, wear a Christmas jumper, or eat mince pies/drink mulled wine/both. But with all this seasonal busyness stressing over how to cook your potatoes or answering the age-old question of "What do I buy my dad for Christmas!?", I realise I have so little time to reflect on why we came about celebrating Christmas in the first place.

I'm no stranger myself to saying something along the lines of, "I just watched Love Actually. Now it's Christmas." So does Love Actually = Christmas? Or Elf, or Miracle on 34th Street, Home Alone or "Other"? Nope it most certainly doesn't. But what is Christmas to me? It used to feel so much simpler to be a kid and recite lines from carols and the school nativity play about Christ being born and there being no room at the inn. However, the whole "you feel less Christmasy as you get older" applies here too. As a Christian, Christmas is about Christ being born and that being the start (and continuation, if you think about it) of something absolutely perfect; the best present. But truthfully, it's something so much easier to say and something not necessarily reflected in my actions. I guess I'm literally swept away by the Christmas of consumerism, like the very interesting video below shows. It was played at the Christmas service at church last week and definitely something to reflect upon.

Now, I'd be such a hypocrite if I said I didn't enjoy what Christmas is today and that presents (giving and receiving) don't bring a smile to my face. It's precious family time, too. However, I'd also be lying if I said all these things are the source of meaning. Yes they're traditions and are meaningful and have significant meaning. But I stand by the fact that they're all part of one bigger picture and one very small (but HUGE) little birthday all those years ago. I know all of these things, however it's not always at the forefront of my mind. Because I am swept away by everything else leaving no time to reflect.

Actually, at work the other day, a friend came up to me and said something like, "Bev, do you ever have time to reflect?" Which stumped me. Genuinely, I can't say that I always do. Thinking about Christmas is just one example; writing this alone has been the largest form of Christmas-related reflection I've done for a very long time. New Year is coming up, traditionally associated with change and improvement and all that, and I know at least one thing on that list. And also the fact that it needs to belong in a life, not just a list.

This is turning out to be a much deeper post than I thought. Even going back to the first paragraph, listing some of the festive fun, I came to the direct conclusion that it was Christmas:

"I've just spent over an hour watching the countdown of the nation's "favourite" Christmas song. (Fairytale of New York won, by the way.) I've also been ruining Mariah songs for the nearby public, calculated the percentage of Christmas light houses on my running route (50.9%, by the way), spent a significant amount of time searching for Christmas presents (and even more money), and I am currently sat watching Finding Nemo, having dabbled in channel-hopping The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe earlier. It can only mean one thing: Christmas."

But with my new-found reflection, I've been watching TV, singing out of tune, calculating useless statistics, am poorer, love Finding Nemo. There's got to be more than this...and there is. There definitely is. There's love, and there's a very special Christmas gift way cooler than all the ones under the tree: the gift of the love of Jesus. Now that's what Christmas means to me.

Merry Christmas - I hope it is filled with love and you get to spend it with those you love.

Love,

Bev xxx