The Hobbit; a movie review

Tags

action, fantasy, movies, Peter Jackson, postaday2013, The Hobbit, Tolkien

My hubby and I finally got to the movies to see The Hobbit. I can’t even tell you what in the world took us so long to actually get ourselves to the movie theater to see Peter Jackson’s latest homage to J.R Tolkien but I’m glad that we finally got there. As you can probably imagine; I loved it. I love that world and I am always happy and willing to hitch a ride onto Peter Jackson’s vision of Tolkien’s Middle Earth.

The movie clocks in at just under three hours and I didn’t feel the three hours at all. I was completely immersed in Bilbo’s adventure and I was falling under the spell of the Elvish kingdom of Rivendale. The cast of characters took on their own charm as I was refreshing my memory in the who’s who of dwarves. Thorin, the heir to the Dwarven throne, was gradually winning me over, as he was learning to accept Bilbo as a friend and trusting his value and valor as a companion. I wish that Gandulf was my friend; he is such an old and wise soul. Gandulf is truly one of the best characters in fictional history ever. His love and respect for the Hobbits, the Baggins in particular, warms my heart and reminds me that even the smallest person, deed or thing can make a difference in the course of things.

I knew that The Hobbit was being split up into three parts and the spot that Peter Jackson chose to cut from was in my mind perfect. There was the perfect lull in the action and the geography of Middle Earth, it is following the arc of the whole story; beginning, middle and end. So we are at the first entreacte or intermission and I can’t wait for Act two.

Ghosts?

Do I believe in ghosts? I really don't know. I am open to the idea. If only because it is comforting at times to think that we do have an extension of existence if our spirit lives on in ghost form. But then that brings to mind some distressing questions such as why would our spirit remain here in ghost form and not go somewhere else a lot more pleasant and are ghosts stuck here and if they are why?

That brings me back to my original doubting Thomas thought which is the only reason why I even entertain the thought of a ghost's existence is because the alternative, as in most religious beliefs, that our spirits can't be destroyed by death that they go up to somewhere else is that the thought of me, my essence, simply being extinguished for all time is too much to bear. How dare the world go on without me and my presence. Isn't that partly why religion is so important? The mere threat of complete oblivion after we die is too much for any of us to handle. The perpetual thought process of our minds gone and nothing afterwards is a concept that is too frightening and too despairing to contemplate for much longer than a few minutes is what I think.

I am going to go now because I don't particularly want to spend my Saturday getting all deep and profound. I might have ice cream later on.