Following years of hype, speculation, rumours and hearsay, December 2012 finally heralded the arrival of the first instalment in The Hobbit series: An Unexpected Journey. While a box office smash, it would be safe to say that The Lord of the Rings prequel wasnt quite the instant classic that fans had been hoping for. With two films still in the can however, should we simply abandon all hope of the Hobbit living up to the legacy of its older brother? Not quite yet ladies and gentlemen, the world of Tolkien has a few tricks up its sleeve that could save this project. First, with the release of The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug this Christmas (
the first poster for which was released a few days ago) and then The Hobbit: There And Back Again finishing the prequel trilogy in Christmas 2014. Incidentally, this does contain some spoilers.
5. Spiders and Flies
Those suffering from arachnophobia will likely not sleep for a month after this particular adventure. The chapter of the novel, aptly titled Spiders and Flies, sees the eclectic group of dwarves and misfit hobbit in the depths of Mirkwood (without the guiding hand of Gandalf) set upon by a group of giant spiders, providing Bilbo with another opportunity to prove his worth to the company. A brief glimpse of said eight legged beasties was offered in An Unexpected Journey, apparently going for a more realistic approach from the largely CGI Shelob of Lord of the Rings, and considering the fact that director of Pans Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro, is on board as a co-writer of the trilogy: this could turn out to be a surprise, tense, potentially terrifying, highlight of the project.