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NAVIGATE THIS PAGE: Living That Hobbit Life | Reconsidering The Hobbit Movies at Ten Years | Lord of the Rings Books & More | Exploring the Real Mount Doom | More Lord of the Rings Books and Merchandise on Bookshop >>
NAVIGATE THIS PAGE: Living That Hobbit Life | Reconsidering The Hobbit Movies at Ten Years | Lord of the Rings Books & More | Exploring the Real Mount Doom | More Lord of the Rings Books and Merchandise on Bookshop >>
LIVING THAT HOBBIT LIFE
RECONSIDERING THE HOBBIT MOVIES AT TEN YEARS
From 2021: Next year will be a ten year anniversary of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first film in the trilogy directed by Peter Jackson and based on the book by J.R.R. Tolkien. After Jackson’s earlier success with The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003), The Hobbit was widely anticipated… but left many fans disappointed.
In the intervening decade, I have come to appreciate these movies more, in the same way I have come to appreciate the Star Wars prequels more. Both suffered from similar circumstances: having brilliant cinematic predecessors against which they were, and forever will be, judged. But comparison is a lazy form of criticism and does a disservice to both sets of films. More difficult is to judge a thing on its individual merits while trying to curtail our own biases and preconceptions.
So for their tenth birthday, I wanted to give The Hobbit films the gift of reassessment. To be as fair as possible, I rewatched and discussed the entire trilogy with a group of friends and family. Those assembled ran the gamut from rabid fans to the completely uninitiated, staunch critics to equally staunch apologists. Simultaneously, I re-read Tolkien’s book so the source material was fresh in my mind. READ MORE >>
From 2021: Next year will be a ten year anniversary of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first film in the trilogy directed by Peter Jackson and based on the book by J.R.R. Tolkien. After Jackson’s earlier success with The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003), The Hobbit was widely anticipated… but left many fans disappointed.
In the intervening decade, I have come to appreciate these movies more, in the same way I have come to appreciate the Star Wars prequels more. Both suffered from similar circumstances: having brilliant cinematic predecessors against which they were, and forever will be, judged. But comparison is a lazy form of criticism and does a disservice to both sets of films. More difficult is to judge a thing on its individual merits while trying to curtail our own biases and preconceptions.
So for their tenth birthday, I wanted to give The Hobbit films the gift of reassessment. To be as fair as possible, I rewatched and discussed the entire trilogy with a group of friends and family. Those assembled ran the gamut from rabid fans to the completely uninitiated, staunch critics to equally staunch apologists. Simultaneously, I re-read Tolkien’s book so the source material was fresh in my mind. READ MORE >>
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: BOOKS & MORE
EXPLORING THE REAL MOUNT DOOM
If you really want to experience what trudging to Mordor must’ve been like for Sam and Frodo, then a visit to the Tongariro National Park on New Zealand’s north island is essential.
There’s a reason Peter Jackson chose this area to represent Sauron’s infernal homeland.
Like much of New Zealand, the park is volcanically active with three impressive peaks, Mount Tongariro, Mount Ngauruhoe and Mount Ruapehu lined up in a neat row and all visible on a clear day. The chaos bubbling beneath the surface has created a primeval feel above — producing a craggy, semi-barren landscape swept by cold westerly winds and often covered in snow and ice. The weather is as unpredictable as the tectonics, with both rain and snow possible year round. Indeed, the park is simultaneously beautiful and hostile and I guarantee it’ll quicken your pulse and shorten your breath.
READ MORE >>
If you really want to experience what trudging to Mordor must’ve been like for Sam and Frodo, then a visit to the Tongariro National Park on New Zealand’s north island is essential.
There’s a reason Peter Jackson chose this area to represent Sauron’s infernal homeland.
Like much of New Zealand, the park is volcanically active with three impressive peaks, Mount Tongariro, Mount Ngauruhoe and Mount Ruapehu lined up in a neat row and all visible on a clear day. The chaos bubbling beneath the surface has created a primeval feel above — producing a craggy, semi-barren landscape swept by cold westerly winds and often covered in snow and ice. The weather is as unpredictable as the tectonics, with both rain and snow possible year round. Indeed, the park is simultaneously beautiful and hostile and I guarantee it’ll quicken your pulse and shorten your breath.
READ MORE >>