The Hobbit Trilogy

Earlier today I found out that Peter Jackson, director of The Lord of the Rings and the upcoming Hobbit double feature, is going to be extending The Hobbit duel movies into a trilogy, which of course sent me into a fit of nerd hysteria! I've been an amateur Tolkienite since I first stepped into Middle-Earth when I was twelve years old and have since read the whole collection twice and soon to be thrice. So when I heard that Jackson was finally given the green light to start work on a Hobbit movie, I was overjoyed; even more so when I found out that it was going to be a two part series. However, even with two movies based on one book, I was already calculating in my mind how much was going to be left out or squeezed to fit it all in. For instance, trying to envision the mid-point where the first movie would end and the second would begin was difficult to picture. Would it be at the house of Beorn, or the escape from the elf-kings' hall?

 Now that we know there will be a third installment, here's how I believe the trilogy will flow: The first movie will end when the eagles save Bilbo and the crew from the worgs & goblins and deliver them to the Carrock. The second will pick up with the introduction of Beorn and with the departure of Gandalf from the company. Now Peter Jackson has said that there is going to be more emphasis on Gandalf & the White Council's battle against the Necromancer, so a good chunk of the second show will revolve, not just on Bilbo and the dwarves marching through the dusky veils of Mirkwood, but also on the former, less mentioned, yet just as important event Gandalf takes part in. The end of the second will be when Bilbo busts the dwarves out of the fortress of the elf-king via barrels. Then finally the third and final movie will pick up outside Esgaroth, the Lake-Town.

For those who believe that turning it into a trilogy was all about the money, you are probably only half right. Of course the film corps that are funding the movies are in it mostly for the money, but it was Peter Jackson himself who asked Newline Cinema, MGM Pictures and Warner Bros. Studios if he could extend and make a third. According to a couple of different articles I read on the subject, Peter Jackson wants to add Hobbit lore written by Tolkien that wasn't added into the published book, such as added lore concerning the dwarves of Erebor, not only the fall but the rise of the Necromancer in Mirkwood, the battle of Dol Guldur and more.

No matter which way you look at it, a Hobbit trilogy is a good thing. If it was Peter Jackson who came up with the idea, is basing completely on Tolkien's writings and enlarges the mythos of Middle-earth, the only thing that could possibly surpass this in sheer awesomeness would be. . . A SIX PART SILMARILLION SERIES! OH YEAH!!!!

John Carter of. . .Who Knows?

So I found out a while ago that the new John Carter movie has flopped in the box office and the worst part is that it was a really good movie! Sure there were some cinematic corners cut to fit the first book into a two hour movie, but it stayed true to the source and had everything needed to deliver an outstanding film…except for the title.

                I was disappointed to see that the show was called, simply, “John Carter” using bland, block font without any real hook to grab people’s attention. I mean, if I’d never read the books by Edgar Rice Burroughs, I wouldn’t have had the foggiest idea of what this movie was about. It’s like painting gold nuggets brown and throwing them in a rock quarry. Everyone would pass them by not knowing the worth behind the paint, which is exactly what happened with this movie. You had action, romance, an amazing tale from a master storyteller and cutting edge CGI, but the first thing people see is John Carter and they end up confused; not intrigued or curious, just confused.

     If I were at the reins of the advertisement for this movie, here’s what I’d have done differently: First off, instead of calling it John Carter, I’d have gone with "Barsoom: A Princess of Mars". In case you haven’t either read the books or watched the movie, Barsoom is the name of Mars in the Martian language and is the title heading of the chronicles written by E.R.B., while the first book of the series was A Princess of Mars. Both parts of the name would draw much more curiosity and intrigue than John Carter ever could. Would you have been just as interested in Pirates of the Caribbean if it were called Will Turner? And, of Course, I’d change the font into something more captivating and, dare I say, Boisterous instead of a font that figuratively hides back in the corner.

                Secondly, I would have republished the first three books of the Barsoom series a year in advance to gain a following with the newer generations. Look at how Harry Potter and, more recently, The Hunger Games, have driven such a devoted fanbase. Republishing those first three books (A Princess of Mars, The Gods of Mars and Warlord of Mars) would have completely changed the game opening weekend.

                 Another thing that ought to be considered is that movies based on older books don’t always do well at the first go because there isn’t a huge fan base accumulated yet. Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings:The Fellowship of the Ring, though did very well in theatres, was completely eclipsed by the following two films because of the inflated fan base. Then again, New Line Cinema rereleased the trilogy in bookstores which helped to bolster fans, unlike Disney who’ve seemed to turn a blind eye to the concept entirely with this movie.

War of the Pandas

Here’s a little something that’s been on my mind ever since I heard about it and I want to regurgitate this so my brain can move on to other things. This past weekend was Blizzcon. A gathering of the nerdiest of the nerds to see what Blizzard Entertainment (i.e. the Starcraft, Diablo and Warcraft computer game series) has in store. The most anticipated revelation was what the next World of Warcraft expansion was going to be. One thing you need to know about me is that I used to be a huge WoW nut and still am to a degree. I don’t play it anymore mainly because the storyline or lore has grown stale and that, more so than the attraction of better virtual gear or constant reruns of the same dungeons, is what interests me most about the franchise. However, this fourth expansion into the gaming universe may temporarily reignite my interests. The name of said expansion is called The Mists of Pandaria, which will feature the anthropomorphic pandas called the Pandaren as the new playable race along with the all new monk class that other races will be able to play as well.

                Okay, I know what you’re thinking. A heavily Chinese inspired race of Kung Fu fighting panda bears sounds really familiar. But here’s something you might not know. In 2003, Blizzard released Warcraft 3: Frozen Throne, which was the last installmentof the Warcraft strategy games that preceded the MMORPG. In that game, you eventually run into Chen Stormstout, the first time a Pandaren is introduced in the game. Interestingly enough, DreamWork’s Kung Fu Panda launched production one year after said computer game was out and another four years afterwards until the movie hit theatres. I haven’t found any quotes of Dream Work’s executives saying that the movie was inspired from ol’ Chen, but it is a definite curiosity that the one springs up after the other. Now, I'm not trying to dis against DreamWork's movie. I loved the show and am really looking forward to the third one when it comes out. 

                In conclusion, the only point I am trying to make is that, despite what people may say about the new WoW expansion being a rip off of Kung Fu Panda, it was Blizzard who came up with the earliest published idea in the first place. It would be comparable to Seth McFarlane of Family guy claiming that Matt Groening of The Simpsons stole his idea. All I'm trying to do with this post is to show that the Chicken came before the egg, but that doesn't make the egg any less as appetizing than the chicken. So pass the KFC, pour me some of that egg drop soup, sit back and enjoy both renditions of an endangered species kicking back.