2. Connection To The Lord Of The Rings
I was overjoyed when Peter Jackson agreed to direct these films. His "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy has been one of my favourite film series of all time (despite, on occasion, displaying poor choices in adaptation, they remained, as a whole, fantastic and faithful-to-the-feel-of-the-novel-if-not-precisely-to-its-plot films), so I was keen on him bringing the story of "The Hobbit" to the silver screen. I loved that he brought back old actors, sets, and crewmaking the look of the world flush with the previous trilogy. However, he took a number of steps too far. Consider this: the sitcom "Friends" takes place in the same world (Earth) as the police drama "Luther," but the feel of the show is utterly and completely different. Perhaps you are saying, "Well, that's obvious: they are, after all, completely different shows." Well, there you have it. Some connection to "The Lord of the Rings" film trilogy is welcomeby all means set "The Hobbit" in the same visualized worldbut there is no need to extend this connection to the feel and tone of the story. Both "Luther" and "Friends" take place in a familiar world, and from that base they expand into their own territory. Alas, not only do "The Hobbit" films take place in the Middle Earth previously conceptualized by Peter Jackson and his team, they also strive to match the tone and feel of "The Lord of the Rings" film trilogy. To introduce this idea, we have a second prologue that bridges the gap between the two film trilogiesfeaturing entirely unnecessary cameos from Elijah Wood and a very tired, very old Ian Holm. To perpetuate this idea, we have a meeting of the White Council in Rivendellfeaturing entirely unnecessary cameos from Cate Blanchett and a very tired, very old Christopher Lee (whose remaining power and gravitas is completely stolen by a bored camera and a painful script). Azog the Lore-Defiler, xenophobic elves, xenophobic dwarves, extravagant action sequences with goblins, and extravagant action sequences with stone giants are all the spawn of this same idea.