Geek of Oz

Author David Mitchell once charitably said of the film adaptation of his novel Cloud Atlas, “any adaptation is a translation … and I believe a degree of reinterpretation for the new language may be not only inevitable but desirable…”. So indeed were my sentiments about Peter Jackson’s stripping back of (and in many places adding to) The Lord of the Rings books to create his masterful trilogy concluded some eleven years back. The abandonment of plot-irrelevant or dramatically redundant scenes (novel fans will understand this to mean most notably Tom Bombadil or the Scouring of the Shire) and the embellishment of the novel’s only lightly-treated romantic plotlines served to create a film that was tauter and more emotionally engaging. Suffice it to say, I believe straying from the source material isn’t always heretical butchery; often its just good, audience-minded discretion.

Edgar Wright’s latest film The World’s End draws to a close a trilogy of some of the most entertaining, genre-hopping and innovative films that have graced cinemas in the past few years. Known as the ‘Cornetto’ trilogy, the films Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and now The World’s End have set the benchmark for British comedy films. Each has had a distinct genre, although there are common thematic threads woven throughout each instalment. The World’s End is not only a hilariously witty science fiction tale but also a prime example of Edgar Wright’s accomplishment as both a storyteller and a director. 

Not much can be said to justify just how much of a spin the internet was in when the official trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug dropped however, that excitement seemed to drop a level when due to the lack of Benedict Cumberbatch. The second in a trilogy of films adapting the enduring popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug continues the adventures of the title character Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) as he journeys with the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and thirteen dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) on an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug opens in Australian cinemas on 26th December 2013.