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I saw The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey on Sunday, and so help me, it's made me want to write a sequel to "Those Who Linger", a movieverse Haldir/OFC one-shot I wrote in 2004(oh, my God, has it really been nearly nine years?). The ending thereof was just so grindingly bleak, and I want to write angsty fix-it fic just so I can play in that world again. I probably won't, because I already have so many other eggs in my creative basket, but it's fun to idly play with ideas in my head.
I absolutely have not imagined a scenario in which Haldir arrives in Valinor after his sojourn in Mandos, only to discover that his beloved wife isn't there. Devastated, he begins to pine and fade, and crafty old Mithrandir decides that it's time for one more heroic quest. Nor have I imagined that he finds Haldir's wife working as a police dispatcher in NYC and convinces her to return to Valinor without telling her that Haldir waits beside the banks of its river. Meanwhile, Galadriel, Celeborn, Orophin, and Rumil must find ways to distract Haldir from his grief, lest he die and return once more to the Halls of Mandos.
As for the movie, I loved it. It wasn't perfect by any stretch; scenes that should have been longer were too short, and slapstick scenes were sometimes too long. I know Thorin is supposed to be the secondary Big Damn Hero, but I found him to be an ass more often than not. He's not a bad dwarf, but he can be a tool, and when easygoing Gandalf loses patience and flounces off, you've really boffed the Balrog. He lacks the nobility and fundamental decency that made Aragorn so appealing. Of the dwarves, I found Balin, Nori, and Ori more likeable characters. Kili and Fili, too, though they're so obviously analogues to Merry and Pippin that they could very well become cloyingly twee in later installments. And bless Peter Jackson, but the frequent callbacks to the original trilogy were hit or miss for me. The scene in which Bilbo discovers the Ring's power, for instance, was so self-congratulatorily pat. "See? We recreated an unforgettable scene from FOTR shot for shot! Isn't it cool?" Not as cool as you think, no.
But there was so much more to recommend it. I do love Freeman's Bilbo, and it was lovely to see Rivendell again. Methinks Hugo Weaving was having the time of his life playing Elrond again, and it was nice to see him demonstrate his vaunted intelligence.
Galadriel is still a stone cold badass.
Saruman is still a weaselly turd. I don't know if we're supposed to glean that he is already up to no good and in cahoots with Sauron, but I wanted to punch him in the face when he issued his haughty fiat.
Now we know why Legolas was so damn hot. Too bad Thranduil was a colossal douche. Maybe he didn't want to use his kin as dragon fodder, which is an entirely reasonable position, but he could have at least helped the survivors flee.
Gollum was, as usual, utterly heartbreaking even in his villainy. God bless you, Andy Serkis.
Balin was a fantastic badass.
Radagast. Just Radagast and his rabbits.
And was I the only one who felt a little sorry for the gourmand troll? I think I'm going to call him Top Chef Troll.
I can't wait to see the next installment.
As for the movie, I loved it. It wasn't perfect by any stretch; scenes that should have been longer were too short, and slapstick scenes were sometimes too long. I know Thorin is supposed to be the secondary Big Damn Hero, but I found him to be an ass more often than not. He's not a bad dwarf, but he can be a tool, and when easygoing Gandalf loses patience and flounces off, you've really boffed the Balrog. He lacks the nobility and fundamental decency that made Aragorn so appealing. Of the dwarves, I found Balin, Nori, and Ori more likeable characters. Kili and Fili, too, though they're so obviously analogues to Merry and Pippin that they could very well become cloyingly twee in later installments. And bless Peter Jackson, but the frequent callbacks to the original trilogy were hit or miss for me. The scene in which Bilbo discovers the Ring's power, for instance, was so self-congratulatorily pat. "See? We recreated an unforgettable scene from FOTR shot for shot! Isn't it cool?" Not as cool as you think, no.
But there was so much more to recommend it. I do love Freeman's Bilbo, and it was lovely to see Rivendell again. Methinks Hugo Weaving was having the time of his life playing Elrond again, and it was nice to see him demonstrate his vaunted intelligence.
Galadriel is still a stone cold badass.
Saruman is still a weaselly turd. I don't know if we're supposed to glean that he is already up to no good and in cahoots with Sauron, but I wanted to punch him in the face when he issued his haughty fiat.
Now we know why Legolas was so damn hot. Too bad Thranduil was a colossal douche. Maybe he didn't want to use his kin as dragon fodder, which is an entirely reasonable position, but he could have at least helped the survivors flee.
Gollum was, as usual, utterly heartbreaking even in his villainy. God bless you, Andy Serkis.
Balin was a fantastic badass.
Radagast. Just Radagast and his rabbits.
And was I the only one who felt a little sorry for the gourmand troll? I think I'm going to call him Top Chef Troll.
I can't wait to see the next installment.
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