Three Squee-worthy Movie Trailers: #2 - "The Hobbit"

*gasp* Has it been already been 10 years since the first LOTR movie - "The Fellowship of the Ring" - was released??

Time seems to pass too fast sometimes!

The LOTR trilogy movies hold a special place in Red Dot Diva's heart because it was the first time, a fantasy movie actually looked like a fantasy story from the books. All thanks to Peter Jackson and his team's shared vision and the wonderful FX work by WETA.

She also made many good friends through the LOTR fandom. Some have remained loosely in touch, while others were always close by, especially during her times of need. The Fellowship of the Ring became a real fellowship of sorts in Red Dot Diva's own not-so-Middle Earth.

"THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY"

The movie adaptation for "The Hobbit" had so many stops and starts. In early 2010, Peter Jackson finally took up the role as director for "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" after Guillermo del Toro left because of production delays. Fans breathed a sigh of relief when work for the prequel began to take shape and production kicked-off in New Zealand back in March 2011. The avid LOTR fandom was all abuzz with excitement again!

"The Hobbit"'s widely-anticipated trailer was released just a few days before Christmas 2011, making it one of the best birthday presents for Red Dot Diva. Even though she had to share its debut with thousands of people all over the world.



The trailer showed an older Bilbo (Sir Ian Holm) recounting the epic adventure of his younger days to Frodo (Elijah Wood). This prelude then segued to a flashback of a much youthful Bilbo from "The Hobbit" story, played by Brit actor Martin Freeman.  

Red Dot Diva thought Martin - with his good comedic timing and adorable facial expressions - made a very watchable young Bilbo. Wonderful casting choice, indeed.

And oh... how visually and aurally exciting it was to get to know the thirteen dwarves who will lead Bilbo in his journey! Never has a bunch of hairy dwarves and dwarven biceps actually look this sexy! *g* And they even sounded good singing "Misty Mountains".

Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage)

Special mention must be given to the stern-looking dwarf leader Thorin Oakenshield. Red Dot Diva thinks he's one to watch for in the movie. And it's not just because gorgeous British actor Richard Armitage is the face behind all that dwarven make-up.

OK, she lied. That's precisely one of her main reasons. But then Richard, famous for his roles in British TV series "Robin Hood" and "Spooks", has quite a smouldering screen presence so she is certain he will make an  impact in the film as the dwarf warrior.

Besides Thorin, Red Dot Diva is very eager to see how Kili fares on screen. Kili, one of the youngest dwarves in the group, is played by the exotic-looking Aidan Turner, who is well-loved (and mourned) for his role as sultry vampire John Mitchell in the original UK version of "Being Human".

Other familiar LOTR faces came up in "The Hobbit" trailer. Gandalf the Gray (Sir Ian McKellen) was back on screen. No surprises there, as he figures prominently in the book. Red Dot Diva simply thought it was lovely to hear him speak with that mellifluous assuring voice of his. There were a few seconds of luminous Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) with Gandalf in Rivendell, and at the end of the trailer, slinky Gollum (reprised by the wonderful Andy Serkis) made a very preciousssss appearanccceesssses.

There have been gripes from some fans that "The Hobbit" trailer was too dark, because it is based on a children's book and should not look too terrifying. In addition, some fans have grumbled that the feel of the movie was too similar to the "LOTR" trilogy.

Red Dot Diva gives a small huff. Seriously, is the second point even a valid complaint?!

Her main belly-ache relating to the trailer was her curious need to see more of those goblins, wargs, giant spiders, shapeshifters from the book, and most of all -- where is Smaug the Dragon? (PS: Smaug will be brought to life on screen by Benedict Cumberbatch, the actor from BBC's latest incarnation of "Sherlock Holmes".)  But she guesses that Peter Jackson and team are evilly keeping those visual revelations as surprises, and there would definitely be more exciting teasers leading up to the movie's release.

Remember how late it was in the year when PJ decided to unveil Shelob's appearance for "Return of the King"? Hence, Red Dot Diva will be very very patient. It should be worth the wait to catch glimpses of these creatures and other interesting characters - some from the book, and some not - like the Goblin King (Barry Humphries (a.k.a. Dame Edna)), Master of Lake-town (Stephen Fry) and Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly), a beautiful female elf from Mirkwood.

"The Hobbit" movie will span over two parts and are being filmed back-to-back.

Part 1 is set for a 14 December 2012 release date! Part 2 "There and Back Again" will be released on 13 December 2013.

Let the Middle Earth countdown begin!

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Do return to the blog again for Red Dot Diva's extra-terrestrial views on the trailer for "Prometheus"!

Meanwhile, go check out the official "The Hobbit" website!

And get the behind the scenes scoop from the official blog of the movies here!