What to expect from An Unexpected Journey - going from film to book

First up, Happy New Year everybody! To kick start this year off I have posted below a review (ish) of The Hobbit film/book. I strongly recommend that if you haven’t already read the book you do that before you see the film as although the film is based on the book the storylines are quite different. Secondly, sorry for the lateness of this blog post!

The Hobbit

18.30, 3D glasses really starting to annoy me, been in the cinema for 3 hours. Really enjoying it but losing track of the endless dwarves. And those geeks in the front row are really starting to get on my nerves with their Lord of the Rings quotes. Martin Freeman looking at a bird flying off in the distance. Cut to credits. OMG it’s gonna be a trilogy! I have to wait a year to find out what happens to them! Yes, last Saturday I went to see The Hobbit in 3D with something about a higher frame rate. After I left the cinema I felt disappointed, not with the film itself but with the fact that it is a trilogy. The book is only 360 odd pages!

So, wanting to find out the fate of Bilbo and Co, I started reading The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. I have to admit that it has been sitting on my bookshelf ever since my mum bought it for me when I wasn’t into reading – yes that long! Strangely this time I didn’t skip the introduction (a bad habit - don’t do it). The book itself is very descriptive and uses so much imagery that would bring a smile to my English teachers face.

Unfortunately, I have the faces and mannerisms of the actors playing in my mind as I read. While I’m on the topic of characters I’ll say one thing; the characters in The Hobbit (book) are very different to those in the film. For example I’m finding that Gandalf is slightly in the book whereas in the film he is shown as wise and kind. It is interesting to spot these differences as I read the book. I can feel my whole Hobbit world crumbling as I turn each page.  So far I don’t like many of the main characters e.g. Gandalf however in the film I found I loved them. I think it’s strange that my opinion of Gandalf after watching the film and after reading the book for a short while can change.

In terms of storyline, I think the film and the book are on the same page (pun!) but I do think there are slight differences. The film seemed to have made up more details whereas the book is simpler and somewhat faster.  The numerous characters are easier to remember and recognise in the book however in the film some of the characters – particularly the dwarves – get a bit confusing. Yet, in the book I think the story is harder to grasp and follow – strange considering I’m slightly at an advantage having seen the film before reading the book!

I remember reading an article a few weeks ago in preparation for my GCSE English Language Paper about The Lord of the Rings and its visuals. The author expressed feelings of loyalty towards the book and said how films can never be as good as the books that they are based on due to the fact that are imagination is greater than CGI, animation etc. However after watching the film and reading ‘Part 1’ of the book I would have to disagree with him.

I think the films like Narnia, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings/ The Hobbit are easier to understand than the books; the setting is in front of you. For me, by the time I’ve finished reading a long paragraph about X’s bedroom I’ll have forgotten the first half of it! Yet when I see a film I only have to look for a couple of seconds at an image and I’ll remember it. I’m not saying that details are bad I just think it is easier to see the setting then to imagine it. However, many fantasy novels contain items that don’t exist, these items are therefore open to interuptation. These objects e.g. the swords Bilbo and Co. find in a cave I prefer reading about.

I can’t give you an overall view of The Hobbit as I made myself stop reading when I reached the part which corresponds with the end of the film. When The Hobbit Part 2 is released then I’ll read ‘Part 2’ of the book.

Which is better? Even though I have a strong pull towards the book (as it is a book) and I normally say books are better than films, I’d have to say The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was better than ‘Part 1’ of The Hobbit.