Though reluctant at first, Bilbo’s journey into unfamiliar territory strips him of his proverbial “shell”, and he ultimately finds a side of himself that he didn’t know existed. Though Bilbo’senlightening sojourn involved goblins, orcs, dragons, and elves, the experience draws parallels to experiences many of us have in life. Perhaps the most endearing sentiment found in the novel however is the bond that forms between humble homely hobbitBilbo and scholarly curmudgeon wizard Gandalf. Let’s take a look.
Peter Jackson has faced a reasonable amount of criticismrecently for shooting The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in brand new 48 frames per second technology. Critics of the newstuff got a ten minute sneak peek of the film at this years CinemaCon, and essentially claimed that the films aesthetics looked “TOO GOOD”:
While 48fps may create a more realistic, “you are there” picture quality, it actually works against The Hobbit from the 10 minutes of footage we saw. This undeniable “reality” kept pulling me out of the movie rather than immersing me fully into its world as the Lord of the Rings films did; the very fantasy element, the artifice of it all (whether it’s the wigs, fake beards or CG monsters) was plainly, at times painfully, evident.
Peter Jackson responded to the skepticism by saying that people will simply have to deal with his movie looking “too good”:
At first it’s unusual because you’ve never seen a movie like this before. It’s literally a new experience, but you know, that doesn’t last the entire experience of the film; not by any stretch, after 10 minutes or so,” said Jackson. “That’s a different experience than if you see a fast-cutting montage at a technical presentation.
Ya. You idiots. Oh. Did I just say that out loud? Can Peter Jacksonyet again bring us a dope sauce rendition of J.R.R. Tolkein’s absolutely delight-filled and charming classic fantasy novel The Hobbit? If I was a bettin’ man. I’d say yes. Because The Hobbit is literally, figuratively, and arguably one of the best fictional novelsof all time. Ever. Don’t hold me to that one that though. As there are some pretty solid stories in book form in the world as we know it. Like this top 10:
WHAT TRULY MAKES a vivid, illustrious, and captivating fictional tale you ask? Well. Some would say that it starts with a dense and meaningful relationship between the main characters. Like for instance the somewhat strained but still very dear friendship between Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey. Who? You ask? Well. Let’s take a look.
Rationals and Guardians can indeed make for powerhouse dynamic duo’s, as both of them seem to share an inherent fondness for the structures within society, Rationals seek desperately to improve it, while Guardians work tirelessly to preserve it. Indeed a Rational’spragmatic, skeptical, and relativistic mindset match up quite well with a Guardiansstoical, pessimistic, and fatalistic viewpoint. The two however do have a bright side, and can sometimes take break’s from their work to sit back and enjoy one anothers company.
Good morning!” said Bilbo, and he meant it. The sun was shining, and the grass was very green.
But Gandalf looked at him from under long bushy eyebrows that stuck out farther than the brim of his shady hat.
“What do you mean?” he said. “Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?”
Gandalf the Grey later known as Gandalf the White is an Istari, a race of superior men that were chosen to aid the people of Middle-Earth in the fight against evil. Gandalf has been trying to prevent evil powers from rising in Middle-Earth for over 2,000 years, and does so for good at the end of The Return of the King. Gandalf is the wisest and most powerful of the Five Wizards, and has spent much of his time on Middle-Earth learning, teaching, reading, and studying. Powerfully intelligent, infamously wise, highly pragmatic, rightfully skeptical, and extremely analyticalGandalf is a dynamic example of a Rational. Indeed Gandalf’s never-ending quest for wisdom and knowledge is undoubtedly that of a Rational. However, as wise and powerful as Gandalf is: he has no desire for fame or recognition, and is primarily and strictly concerned with the mission he was given to protect Middle-Earth from evil.
Warm and eager was his spirit (and it was enhanced by the ring Narya), for he was the Enemy of Sauron, opposing the fire that devours and wastes with the fire that kindles, and succours in wanhope and distress; but his joy, and his swift wrath, were veiled in garments grey as ash, so that only those that knew him well glimpsed the flame that was within. Merry he could be, and kindly to the young and simple, yet quick at times to sharp speech and the rebuking of folly; but he was not proud, and sought neither power nor praise… Mostly he journeyed unwearingly on foot, leaning on a staff, and so he was called among Men of the North Gandalf ‘the Elf of the Wand’. For they deemed him (though in error) to be of Elven-kind, since he would at times work wonders among them, loving especially the beauty of fire; and yet such marvels he wrought mostly for mirth and delight, and desired not that any should hold him in awe or take his counsels out of fear. … Yet it is said that in the ending of the task for which he came he suffered greatly, and was slain, and being sent back from death for a brief while was clothed then in white, and became a radiant flame (yet veiled still save in great need).
Gandalf’s dear friend Bilbo Baggins, on the other hand, is a very friendly and well-manneredHobbit who like all his hobbit brethren, is fond of food, drink, a full pipe, his friends and good cheer, and was known for greeting friends and family with hospitality saying “At your service and your families”. Being related to both the Tooks and the Baggins: two family groups that were fundamentally opposite in their mentalities, with the Tooks being more fond of adventures and wandering, and the Baggins who were more fond of the settled life, Bilbo had two different sides to him something he referred to as the “Took side” and the “Baggins side”. This meant that he secretly relished having adventures but still wanted to remain settled and was very afraid. Warmly hospitable, extremely dependable, surprisingly courageous, and unabashedly concernedBilbo Baggins is a classic Guardian. Indeed Bilbo spends half of The Hobbitvoicing his concern and pessimism for the adventure he was forced into, but turns out to be the most courageous and stoic of them all.
“Good morning!” said Bilbo, and he meant it. The sun was shining, and the grass was very green. But Gandalf looked at him from under long bushy eyebrows that stuck out farther than the brim of his shady hat. “What do you mean?” he said. “Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?” “All of them at once,” said Bilbo.
Fiege hinted at the fact that ‘phase two of the Marvel Movie Universe‘ will include another round of solo films, and then culminate in a second Avengers film. That however, is not all. Marvel reportedly has five projects currently in development. Iron Man 3 is in pre-production for a 2013 release attached to director Shane Black. Thor 2 will begin pre-production soon and just picked up director Patty Jenkins (Monster). An Ant-man film is ‘still nebulous but definitely in the works’. Guardians of the Galaxy and Inhumans films are also reportedly in the works. With so much success in their mainstream characters it seems a bit risky to put out obscure characters like some mentioned above. Lucky enough for Marvel it has an insurance policy: The Walt Disney Company.
Disney bought Marvel about two years ago for over $4 billion. While things indeed seem to be going well for both companies since the acquisition, Marvel has made deals with other studios to distribute some of their movies (spider-man, x-men, daredevil, etc.) making the Avengers and its four superheroes a coveted ‘in-house’ Marvel enterprise. Without kissing too much Walt-Disney/Marvel ass, let’s take a look at the first avenger to make it to the big screen, and also by far the most box office successful avenger: Iron Man.
Anthony Edward Stark is the son of industrialist and inventor Howard Stark, and demonstrated his mechanical aptitude and extraordinary inventive genius at an early age. Inheriting his father’s company Stark Industries, Tony blossomed into a billionaire industrialist, and an ingenious engineer. With a highly ‘innovative attitude‘, an ‘entrepreneurial spirit‘, and a ‘charming capacity‘ to ignore the standard, the traditional, and the authoritative: Tony Stark is undoubtedly an Inventor Rational. Indeed the Inventor‘s tendency to depend on their capability and inventiveness can get them in trouble at times. Tony took this concept a bit too far when he ignored security concerns and ended up with shrapnel lodged in his chest. In classic Inventor Rational fashion, Tony used his creative and inventive genius to devise a mechanical suit that saved his life. And thus, Iron Man was born. Indeed Tony is constantly searching for new projects, as we will no doubt see in the Avengers, and always tinkering with and improving his mechanical suit. Indeed given their exceptional propensity to innovate, Inventors have a tendency to live their lives somewhat on the brink of disaster: as evidenced by Tony Stark’s perpetuated struggles with alcoholism. Tony Stark having a somewhat reckless and at-times irresponsible persona in the comics goes hand-in-hand of course with casting the likes of Robert Downey Jr.The Armored Avenger can be seen amongst his super squad May 2012, and again by himself May 2013.
While Marvel/Disney seems to have it’s sh*t together, DC/Warner Bros. is still searching for solid cash cows to replace the likes of Harry Potter and The Dark Knight. While they do have The Hobbit films coming up, they simply cannot afford setbacks like Green Lantern if they actually want to directly compete with The Avengers and it’s four characters with already well-developed fan-bases.
