I've been striving on my personal quest in search for a sparkle between Tolkien's world and me in the last two years. It's been a long, troubled journey, a real fight against my complete ignorance and a rather visceral dislike. You know, Tolkien's work is not my cup of tea at all. I've tried to approach it anyway, overcoming my prejudices and preconceptions. This is just an account of my latest attempt and of some prior events.
I started watching The Lord of the Rings movies with my son, who is fond of them, before the Hobbit trilogy came out, but it was rather frustrating because, as much as I wanted to like those films, I simply couldn't or, better, I could but only mildly.
I read The Hobbit in search for Thorin (here, here, here and here) and wrote a series of posts waiting for Peter Jackson's new trilogy to come out. Did I like reading it? Pass. Next question, please.
What don't I like in Tolkien's fantasy world? It's honestly the same element I dislike in other writers - whose greatness I can recognize and appreciate nothwithstanding - like Hemingway or Conrad: the total absence of great female characters.
Theirs are male-oriented worlds, where women have no relevant role or none at all. When you find female characters in their works, they are usually meant to be there in order to exalt the hero and his heroic qualities.
Second reason for my long neglecting these books or movies is the constant presence of fights, battles, wars, challenges, combats. A world always at war were very little else happens. A male world, in fact, focusing on one of boys' favorite games: war.
You are free to disagree, but do not tell me there are a lot of wonderful female characters to relate to or that there is not a prevailing presence of quests and of fighting in those books. You are free to like them, of course, while I ... As you would have guessed at this point, I just stumbled on Tolkien's work following my favorite actor's career. I did my best to like it but this is what I got.
Now, I want to point out just the most relevant - or the most irrelevant? - facts of my watching The Desolation of Smaug:
1. I saw it on DVD
2. It was visually spectacular
3. Bit boring, but less than I expected
4. I liked Thorin, Bilbo and Bard the most
5. I kept on wondering what all the fuss on Mr-half-the-world's-love-him Cumberbatch was about. Yes, I know, Smaug's voice , but ... ok, much ado about nothing.
6. I stopped the DVD and checked how much there was still left to see a few times.
Additional note 1: While watching I thought: "Look MG! It seems PJ read your mind! He decided to create a heroine (Tauriel) and added her to Tolkien's all-male population (especially in The Hobbit). Thanks for this gift, Mr J." But what's her reason to be? I really can't explain her presence in the adventures of this second installment.
Additional note 2: I couldn't avoid paying much more attention when Thorin was on screen.
Additional note 3: I was very simpathetic with Richard Armitage during the scene of the barrels in the river (see his phobia of water)
Additional note 4: Lee Pace and Orlando Bloom are not bad at all with long blond elfish hair, but I prefer them dark haired.
Additional note 5: once it was over, I thanked God we only have one more to go and asked for the strength to see the last one too. It will be the toughest, I know. Then, I thought, let's see. What do we have next in our "RA well-wisher schedule"? OMG! A disaster movie? Tornadoes?
While writing the final part of my post, my TV set in on and, by chance, they are broadcasting a series of interviews with the Peter Jackson and the cast of The Desolation of Smaug on Sky TV. Right now! The movie is on their schedule, next week ... Oh! Look! Here's Richard... I beg your pardon, I'll have to stop. I'm really busy now.