Over the Christmas holidays, I found myself busy as always. And although I intended to write reviews for these two movies earlier, it just kept getting put off. But here they are, two movies that I highly anticipated and that managed to still impress me.
Let’s start with The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. I’ve done a blog post about this series already. https://lydiamhill.wordpress.com/2013/09/24/the-hobbit-and-movie-adaptations-2/ And I have to admit I was a little worried going into this movie. I didn’t want to be upset at the changes Peter Jackson was likely to make, but I had just reread the book recently. Thankfully, although there were quite a few changes made, I still found the film intriguing. In fact I was almost glad that Peter deviated from the book, because then I didn’t know what was going to happen, and I became more engaged with the stories.
Not everyone will like the changes he made, and there were a few that I wasn’t thrilled about, such as splitting the dwarves up and only sending a few to the Lonely Mountain. It didn’t seem right to do it, but there were so many other changes that I loved, that I can forgive this one.
For example, I loved how the dwarves actually try to battle Smaug in the Mountain, instead of sitting in a tunnel, fearing for their lives, like in the book. I also liked getting to see more from other perspectives, such as the elves, or even Gandalf. These storylines were skipped over in the original Hobbit book, though I’m pretty sure some of them were discussed in other Tolkien books.
In any case, I enjoyed the movie, it was exciting, interesting, had good character development, and it really sets up the next film nicely. I can’t wait for next Christmas!
Now on to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. This film hasn’t gotten the good reviews that I think it deserves. Some people may not enjoy the “artsyness” of this film, but I thoroughly did. From the beginning of the movie seeing the opening credits etched onto building sides and pavement, I knew I liked this film’s style. It has gorgeous footage of far off places, and a great soundtrack. But beyond all that, the story that it tells can relate to us all.
Walter Mitty is a guy with a big imagination. Ever since he was a kid, he wanted to explore, and discover and do great things. But he had to grow up quick and be the provider for his family, after his father passed away. Yet even in his routine life, he can’t help but imagine being the hero, catching people’s attention, and doing great things.
I know I’ve felt this way, wanting to be different, to make an impact on the world, to do “something mentionable or noteworthy.” To have a life.
As the film progresses, Mitty begins to take steps towards fulfilling these dreams, and begins to actually go to new places, do new things, and fulfill that desire.
I found the movie a perfect fit for the new year. It reminded me to not be afraid to try something new, and to go out and live, love and laugh.
So if you haven’t seen either of these movies, I’d encourage you to check them out. Or if you have, feel free to leave a comment.
NovelSisters 
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