Guessing Where The First Hobbit Film Will End

When Peter Jackson announced that The Hobbit film adaptation would span not two, but three films, I wasn’t sure about the idea.  But the new trailer today for part 1, also known as The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, has erased all doubts from my mind.  How could I possibly not be excited after watching such an exciting preview?

My favorite thing about the previous trailer was the music, but this one does not feature the “Misty Mountains” song and the accompanying music is barely noticeable.  There are plenty of other things to love about this one, though!

I don’t see any moon-letters on this map, but I see empty spaces where they might show up under the right moon!

This one tells us more about the story, (which of course we already know, from the book)–an uninitiated audience could glean from this trailer that the dwarves + Bilbo are going on a long journey, to “determined to reclaim their home land,” and that Bilbo is part of their group at Gandalf’s suggestion/insistence.  We see Elrond advise Thorin that “some might not deem it wise” to go through with his plan to “enter the mountain”.  We see Bilbo and Gollum setting up the game of riddles!   We see the band of adventurers facing trolls, goblins, wolves, and stone giants!  I love it all.

I love Bilbo running down a path in the Shire with his great big hobbit feet flapping around, shouting, “I’m going on an adventure!”

Though not a line from the book, I absolutely love the inclusion of Gandalf talking about the inspiration he gets from the steadfast little hobbit.  It reminds me of a quote that is in the book The Hobbit, that demonstrates the title character’s extraordinary yet simplistic courage and strength.

“Go back?” he thought. “No good at all! Go sideways? Impossible! Go forward? Only thing to do! On we go!” So up he got, and trotted along with his little sword held in front of him and one hand feeling the wall, and his heart all of a patter and a pitter.

“Why Bilbo Baggins? Perhaps it is because I’m afraid, and he gives me courage.”

I love Bilbo’s elven-made sword, Sting, glowing blue to warn of the presence of a goblin.

I love Bilbo propositioning Gollum with “a game of riddles?”   Every time I see that part, (in the dozens of times I have watched this trailer so far today), I want to shout out “what have I got in my pocket?!”

“If Baggins loses, we eats it whole.”

But as for guessing at what point in the story the first film will conclude, I think it must not be very long after the group takes refuge in treetops to get away from the wolves.  In the book, Gandalf nearly succeeds in scaring the wolves away with fire, but then the goblins arrive seeking vengeance, (because the dwarves not only escaped from their caves but killed the goblin king), and set the trees on fire.   The heroes escape at the last second with help from the eagles.  Well, I don’t see any eagles in the trailer, but I don’t know if they would show them if they’re going to swoop in at the very end.   You’d want to keep that a surprise for anyone who hasn’t read the book, so they’re genuinely scared for the dwarves, hobbit and wizard, right?

Although I’m sure they’ll want to end on a bit of a cliffhanger, it doesn’t seem like the movie will end with the adventurers in mortal peril atop burning trees.  And, the book describes Biblo’s transit via eagle as quite dangerous and exciting itself.   I think a good ending for the first film would be for the eagles to swoop in and fly them out of there, and when they land on the eyrie for something like this exchange from the book to happen:

[Bilbo] found himself saying aloud: “Now I know what a piece of bacon feels like when it is suddenly picked out of the pan on a fork and put back on the shelf!”

“No you don’t!” he heard Dori answering, “because the bacon knows that it will get back in the pan sooner or later; and it is to be hoped we shan’t.  Also eagles aren’t forks!”

In any case, we see Thorin in a treetop, (and I like this “hero shot” much better than the one of him in the first trailer, where he’s on horseback and the sunlight is sort of anointing him), and we see Gandalf in a treetop where the tree is actually on fire.  So I *think* that image of Gandalf in the burning tree is the clip closest to the end of this movie that we see in the trailer.

“I will take each and every one of these dwarves over the mightiest army. Loyalty, honor, a willing heart–I can ask no more than that.”

This picture is the very essence of “fantasy” to me. A wizard! With a great big pointy hat, a beard, and a staff! In a tree, which is on fire, against a stormy sky!

If that is indeed where the first film ends, it means that An Unexpected Journey will cover the first six chapters of the book.  That is just about perfect, considering there are 19 chapters; each film should cover 6 chapters and one will cover 7, or else two will cover 6 and a half.  Also, towards the beginning of the next film the dwarves will have a natural opportunity to reacquaint the audience with their names, when they introduce themselves two at a time to Beorn, so that seems like another good reason for this choice for the split.

What do you think?  Is my theory about the end of part 1 right, or do you think the cut will be somewhere else?  Oh, and how great is that last voice-over line from Gandalf, “Home is now behind you, the world is ahead,”?!  Fantastic.  I’m definitely excited.  Is it December yet?!

*update* Ooh, how fun, four alternative endings to the trailer!  I think I like the first one, with the contract, best.