The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey review

Another Peter Jackson epic!! Based on The Hobbit, and set before the events of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Tis be the perfect way to celebrate Christmas, with 13 dwarves, a hobbit, Gandalf, and a lot of fights.

I just missed the mailman.

I haven’t read The Hobbit, so I can’t make any comments to compare the book and the movie version, nor comment on how well it made the transition to the silverscreen.

Still, I found the movie very enjoyable.

Just like The Fellowship of the Ring, the movie starts off a bit slow, setting the whole scene: we are introduced to a young Bilbo Baggins (excellently portrayed by Martin Freeman) and the company of dwarves; the fall of the Dwarven kingdom, Erebor to Smaug, the mighty dragon (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch).

But, about one-third into the movie, the pace picks up and we are introduced to a whole lot of action.

TROLLS!!

GOBLINS!!

ORCS!!

GOLLUMGOLLUMGOLLUM!!!

And, er, even more ORCS!!!

AZOG SMASH!!

Inevitably, there will be comparisons made to LotR: same director, being a prequel and all that. Personally, I didn't bother with the comparisons and saw it as a different trilogy (yes, it’s another epic trilogy) that explains some things.

For example, there was always a bit of unfriendliness between Legolas and Gimli, due to the fact that the former is an elf and the latter a dwarf. I always thought it was due to cultural conflict and such. But in The Unexpected Journey, there was an explanation for the hostility, though I’m not sure if that is the exact reason for the conflict.

Some might find that the huge cast a bit hard to follow, I won’t blame them. I could barely keep up with the names of the 13 dwarves alone.

So, take a deep breath….

Good luck telling who is who.

Dwalin, Balin, Kili, Fili, Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, and last but not least, Thorin II Oakenshield, Son of Thrain, Son of Thror, King Under the Mountain.

Good lord, that was a mouthful.

Still, I particularly enjoyed Thorin as a character. He was my favourite character, after Bilbo.

Special mention goes towards the Great Goblin.

I got me eye on you.

Seriously, the guy looks like a gigantic piece of lard goblin, and I was half expecting him to talk like some rickety old coot, wheezing for breath, or the typical deep and “villainy” monster voice.

Imagine my surprise when he started talking in a smooth voice with a penchant for humor!! By far, the scenes with him were one of my favourite scenes of The Unexpected Journey. In an era where all villains speak with so much serious-ness and the deep booming voice of a blackhole, it is extremely refreshing to see a rather unique portrayal of a villain. Even if he is a minor one.

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Without a doubt, The Hobbit trilogy is set to be the new epic that will define the moments of cinematic history for the 2010s.

Go watch this movie. ‘Nuff said.

And then, I want a giant explosion with helicopters flying overhead.
Yea, I was on the phone with Michael Bay just now.
How did you know?

Movie review: Wreck-it Ralph

I was looking forward to this movie for quite some time: a tribute to old school gaming? With cameos by actual gaming icons?? Sonic, Zangief, M. Bison, Q-bert, Dr. Robotnik??

YES.

If I haven’t said it before, I’ll say it again: 2012 is the year of the geeks, and the era of the geeks will most likely continue for some time. Hollywood just discovered a huge goldmine.

Wreck-it Ralph is simply great. There are plenty of shoutouts to video games and a lot of love has gone into it. This is by far, one of the best video game themed movies in a long, long time.

Resident Evil can suck it.

Especially her! If you know what I mean...

The marketing for the movie IS a bit misleading, the trailers and ads make it look like the various licensed video game characters get a lot of screen time, but they don’t. Most of them are merely cameos, appearing for a few seconds, or a few minutes at most.

But, even if you are not a gamer, fret not, beneath its video game tribute shell lays a story that has a big heart.

The story is about Ralph, who is a Bad Guy in an old-school arcade game, called Fix-it Felix Jr.

After doing his job for 30 years, he feels unappreciated by the denizens of the game, the Nicelanders. Despite the fact that, without him, the game would not function at all. At least Felix still treats him nice.

Hell, on the 30^th anniversary of the game, the Nicelanders didn’t even bother to invite him. Seriously, they’re fucking dicks.

Those 8-bit assholes.

I mean, come on, Ralph is a fucking saint. As Zangief puts it, “You are a Bad Guy, but you are not a bad guy.”

Ok, that may be a bit confusing, but if you watch the movie, you will get the meaning of the message.

So, after the Nicelanders, especially the biggest fucking dick of all, Gene, refuse to accept him, Ralph decides to go prove his worth, which sets the whole story in motion.

The top asshole.

Along his journey, Ralph visits Hero’s Duty, which is kinda like a sci-fi-ish Call of Duty/Medal ofHonour/Battlefield as an on-rails light gun arcade game and Sugar Rush, a Japanese Daytonna USA/Super Mario Kart game, where he meets the like of Sergeant Tamora Jean Calhoun and Vanellope von Schweetz.

The storyline is simple enough, detailing Ralph’s journey to become a hero, despite his label as the Bad Guy. The Aesop of the story is pretty much: Be Yourself, though I felt that it was done as well as it should.

However, what Wreck-it Ralph does well is presenting the characters, especially the brother-sister relationship that Ralph eventually develops with Vanellope, which is honestly freaking adorable. She was annoying at first though, but watching their relationship develop was one of the many great joys of the movie.

Aww....

And I love John C. Reilly’s voice acting and the characterization for Ralph, it’s just so easy to feel for the big guy, who gets outcasted in his own game for doing his damn job, and is still a gentle and nice guy despite all of the shit he is given for over THIRTY years.

Look at that!!! I just wanna give him a big hug.

Seriously, Nicelanders…everyone hates you. Please go die.

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Though I was really looking forward to this movie, I was afraid that this movie would not live up to my expectations.

But, as it turns out, it was a lot better than I thought. Sure, it was a bit slow at first, but it picked up the pace in the 2^nd act, and it was a helluva ride.

And just in time for Christmas too, almost. Definitely a must watch.