Tolkien’s Cinematic Hurrah
It’s slightly past Christmas, and the final Hobbit cash-in has arrived. Sadly, this is it people - Tolkien will never reach the big screen again - but you’d be surprised to hear it’s not because this is the final film in The Hobbit trilogy. Alas, the decision lies with the Tolkien estate. His descendants have claimed they hate this trilogy, and that his stories have been modernised beyond recognition. Adaptation is a cruel business indeed.
What of the film itself? Well, Sir Ian McKellan will forever make a superb Gandalf (nothing new there), same goes for Christopher Lee as Saruman. There’s nothing special about the rest of the cast however; Martin Freeman continues to be as Martin-Freeman-ish as he can whilst the rest contribute to a potent display of overarching masculinity. Director ...