By now, we’ve all seen the first official trailers for two of next year’s most anticipated movies, right? In one corner, you have Christopher Nolan putting the finishing touches on his interpretation of the world of Batman with The Dark Knight Rises, and in the other corner you have Peter Jackson returning to the world he knows and loves as he brings Bilbo’s journey to the silver screen with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. So, which of these two movies will be the most anticipated geek movie of 2012?
Yes, I realize I’m leaving out The Avengers here. Rest assured, I do think Joss Whedon’s movie will be absolutely amazing (he’s a genius if you didn’t know already), I just think when the dust settles on 2012, most of the geek focus will be on Batman and Bilbo Baggins. To me, that battle has already been won by the Caped Crusader. So, here are ten reasons that I’ll be hanging out in Gotham instead of the Shire in 2012.
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If the Mayans are right and the end of the world occurs on December 21st, that’ll only give The Hobbit a little over a week in wide release
The theatrical poster for “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.”
With that in mind, The Dark Knight Rises will definitely be the box office winner by default. Hell, who knows, maybe the blatant studio cash grab that is The Hobbit is the event that triggers the apocalypse.
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The Dark Knight Rises is a sequel, while The Hobbit is a prequel
Christopher Nolan has completely reinvented the Batman mythos with his trilogy. After seeing his treatment of the Dark Knight, the Joel Schumacher films have finally been reduced to nothing more than a distant (and very bad) memory. Instead of making his movies campy and too “superhero,” Nolan has treated them like a gritty crime drama. He has built characters we can care about and has focused on plot and character. He approached the series in an intelligent way, which shows in the delivery and enjoyment of the movies. The Hobbit is simply a prequel to the events in The Lord of the Rings. Sure, I’m simplifying things here, but when you boil it down to the core elements, it’s a prequel…nothing new is gained or resolved by watching The Hobbit and it won’t lead to greater enjoyment of the Lord of the Rings flicks.
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Christopher Nolan has more artistic license than Peter Jackson does
Director Christopher Nolan on the set of “The Dark Knight Rises.” Photo by Ron Phillips – © 2012 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and Legendary Pictures Funding, LLC.
Peter Jackson is already starting behind the eight ball with The Hobbit. Because he has J.R.R. Tolkien’s source material and the previous three films that he needs to deal with, Jackson will have little to no maneuverability in the movie. If you’ve read the books or have seen the movies you know exactly what to expect, which means there will be no surprises. Nolan, on the other hand, is able to take creative freedoms with the Batman universe and make it his own. If he followed a “by-the-numbers” approach with his movies, wouldn’t we have seen villains like The Penguin and The Riddler instead of ones like Bane and The Scarecrow? I honestly don’t know what to expect with this final movie, and that sense of wonderment and intrigue really tips the scales in Nolan’s favor for me.
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While Peter Jackson may be the right choice for The Hobbit, he’s also the “safe” one
Director Peter Jackson on the set of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.” © 2011 – New Line Cinema.
To be honest with you, I was more intrigued with The Hobbit when Guillermo del Toro was attached to direct. I thought he would offer a fresh, and potentially bold, treatment to the world of Middle Earth. Instead, he bailed after numerous delays and Jackson was brought on board. I get it; it makes perfect sense. He was masterful with the first three flicks. Sadly, it just feels like he’s retreading old ideas. Another Hobbit going on a quest but this time, instead of Mordor, we get to see the Hobbit head towards a dragon.
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The source material suggests The Hobbit doesn’t need to be split into two movies
One of the covers of the many editions of J.R.R. Tolkien’s single-volume novel “The Hobbit, or There and Back Again.”
I’ve read the book. I know how long it is and, with that in mind, there’s no reason it needs to be split into two movies (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in 2012 and The Hobbit: There and Back Again in 2013). Feels like a cash grab ala the recent trend in the final book to movie adaptations of certain book series.
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With previous and potential future flops (Green Lantern and Man of Steel), the fate of the DC Universe falls on the Dark Knight’s shoulders
Christian Bale in “The Dark Knight Rises.” Photo by Ron Phillips – © 2012 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and Legendary Pictures Funding, LLC.
There really isn’t much else to say here, it’s just plain facts. Because of this, expect the full DC and Warner Bros. marketing muscle to be out in full force to make sure that The Dark Knight Rises is a huge hit. This is probably something the Hobbit marketing team won’t be able to match.
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The Dark Knight Rises viral marketing and pre-release hype
Tom Hardy in “The Dark Knight Rises.” © 2011 – Warner Bros. Pictures.
One thing that made The Dark Knight so cool was the extent they used viral marketing to promote the movie, build buzz, and spread the word prior to release. I spent hours trying to figure out all the codes, riddles, fake websites, etc. attached to the movie. Because of that, I felt completely invested in the movie. The marketing folks behind the new Batman movie are doing the same thing. It makes everything a bit more exciting and heightens anticipation.
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The trailer for The Dark Knight Rises elicited more emotions than The Hobbit’s did
After watching the Batman trailer, I had two things on my mind – 1) is it July yet? and 2) when will these goose bumps go away? After The Hobbit trailer, my only reaction was “meh.” The Batman trailer really elicits a sense of dread and finality. I actually fear for Batman. With The Hobbit, I already know the story, so my only real investment is to see how close Peter Jackson gets to my imagination on the big screen. I’m ready and willing to be awed, but I have no real emotional attachment to The Hobbit movie. As a rule, book to movie adaptations are rarely better than the book (and that includes the LOTR movies). Believe it or not though, I do have a Batman complaint, if Nolan doesn’t figure out a way to make Bane more understandable, that will really kill my ability to enjoyment a large portion of the movie. It’s a risk having Bane as the main villain as it is, so Nolan has to get it right.
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In a battle between Christian Bale and Martin Freeman, Bale wins hands-down
Martin Freeman in “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.” Photo by James Fisher – © 2012 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc.
Sure, he has an unnecessarily gravelly voice when he has the Batman cowl on, but when it comes to star appeal, Bale wins handily. I love Martin Freeman and I think he’s inspired casting for Bilbo Baggins, but I have to go with the Oscar winner on this one.
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The Dark Knight Rises is the end of an era, while The Hobbit is the beginning of one
The poster for “The Dark Knight Rises.”
That fact alone has my anticipation meter off the charts for Nolan’s final Batman flick. He has completely made me a believer in his treatment of these characters that I love so dearly (trust me, when Heath Ledger was originally announced as The Joker, I was pissed – boy was I wrong about that), that I just need to see what he means by “The Legend Ends.” I may not “want” to see his answer, but damn it, I need to see it. I’ve read plenty of comics featuring Bane and I’m fully aware of the “Knightfall” story arc, so I really don’t know what to expect. This sense of unease and nervous excitement is something rarely felt in the movies these days, and I’m honestly not sure I’ll feel it again anytime soon.
Bensmitty234
As much as I’m looking forward to The Dark Knight Rises, the reasons you give here (save for the two film remark) are completely inane. There’s absolutely no reason why these films should be “competing.” They represent two completely different subgenres and come out at two different times. Both will be great.
Calum Syers
For the Bane and Gollum’s sake! Will people stop pretending that these two movies are in some sort of direct conflict, because they’re not. One’s released in December, the other in the July. One is fantasy, the other a comic book movie.
If the trailers were released just a few weeks apart no one would make inane blogs like this.
Themightynixon
What? No… and here is my reason. The only reason required.
Gandalf could own that punk Batman in a fist-fight.
ranbat
The Dark Knight Rises has two big obstacles. (1) Batman Begins, which surprised everyone by its unexpected realism. (2) The Dark Knight, which became a phenomenon because of Heath Ledger’s outstanding performance and the fact that the movie received an enormous amount of free publicity due to Ledger’s early demise. With Batman Rises, there will be no surprises, as we experienced in film 1, and no one died while filming the sequel. The third time out could be good but, I believe expectations are so high that they simply can’t be met. Bane is no Joker. He isn’t a villain whose only desire is to create anarchy, so already I get the sense Batman Rises will not contain the same pathology or psychological depth. Unless word of mouth is awful, Batman Rises should be a success by simply riding the tsunami created by films 1 and 2.
Man-bat
Bane will offer greater psychological depth than the Joker,Bane not being a one dimensional freak is actually a plus point to that.Yeah Joker was badass but he was had as much depth and character in him as wood.
Bane will take him to limits he’s never seen and he will turn the system in his favour.
C138
You’d be surprised how many people have no idea that The Dark Knight was a sequel to Batman Begins. If anything, The Dark Knight Rises will be riding its popularity off of the previous film, but not so much the first one.
Regardless, I think Bane was an interesting choice for a couple of reasons. The first reason being that no one really expected him to be in the film – most people were thinking it would be the Riddler which, in my opinion, would have been too similar to the Joker, especially in the universe that Nolan has created. The other reason that this was an interesting choice in villain is because Bane represents the ultimate physical threat for Batman. Having already faced the Joker, who was the ultimate threat to Batman’s morals and mental state, this creates an even tougher challenge for the character. I’m very intrigued as to how Nolan is going to cap this off, especially if he wants to make his Batman story definitive and not be touched. In some ways I wonder if he’ll kill off Batman, and it could be kind of fitting in a sense if you really give it thought. At the same time, however, I can’t really see it happening. It sounds a little too bleak of an ending for a film called The Dark Knight Rises after all.
Anyway, all I know is that I’m very, very curious to see what happens on July 20th. It’s easily my most anticipated film of 2012.
RickyXie
Although I somewhat agree with you, your number 1 reason is way off. It’s obviously not going to end on December 21st, and anyone that thinks so needs to stop being so gullible.
Rach
This is a stupid article. There is NO reason why you should even be attempting to pit these two films against each other. If anything you should be comparing TDKR with The Avengers since those are both summer blockbusters AND superhero films. The Hobbit is a classic fantasy prequel, TDKR is a superhero trilogy. One is a summer film, one is a Christmas (aka Oscar season) film. I love both and will be at the midnight shows for both. They are being released 6 months apart and don’t even have the slightest similarities whatsoever, why are you insinuating that they are competing with each other?!
The only reason I can think of for why you wasted your time writing this is because they both had trailers released in the same week? You might as well be comparing Prometheus with The Great Gatsby.
Hunter
It has nothing to do with what the films depict, and that’s what you’re clearly missing here.
The poster compared them because they are highly anticipated movies of 2012. That’s the only reason, and this is a valid reason to put them together.
If you can’t realize that, read the damn thing again.
Bob Mann
Why are you even comparing these two films?
Graysonblythe
I loved this Article. I get your reasoning in putting these two films together. People need to realize that this isn’t an attack on The Hobbit.
We’re talking about two films that are arguably the most anticipated of 2012, and that’s why they’re being compared.
I thoroughly enjoyed your reasoning in why you anticipate The Dark Knight Rises more, and I agree with many of them.
And to all of the flamers below me:
All of the Author’s reasons are opinions, and you don’t have to agree with them, alright?
Destruct26
I loved fellowship of the rings. I loved batman begins. I loved two towers. I loved dark knight. And I loved return of the king. Know why The Dark Knight Rises will win? Because I’m in it DAMMIT. That’s right. You heard me. I’m an extra in that movie for like 9 seconds and that’s the ONLY REASON it will stand.
Thank you for your time.
Indeed
I’m also looking forward to The Dark Knight Rises the most next year, but The Hobbit is a close second.
The Dark Knight Rises >>> The Avengers
Nolan doesn’t take his audience for idiots.
Nelson
Both films are the most im looking forward to but TDKR wins
Hippygriff
So sad you can only afford one movie a year 🙁
robert collver
yeah yeah interesting but they really shouldn’t be compared. They both will be amazing films, These films shouldn’t have to compete with each other. (hollywoods going to make bank next summer and I will be broke the hobbit and the dark knight rises are the kind of movies I will watch multiple times.
Aminshelton
These are both my most anticipated film of 2012. I’m a huge Batman and To9lkien fan, not just the comics and books, but the films as well. But if I had to chose one, it would be The Hobbit. PJ’s LOTRT was indeed Oscar worthy in every way, and from the looks of The Hobbit teaser, it seems it will truly be another Oscar worthy epic.
99minutes
Funny article. Funny.
The first reason is completely ridiculous. If the Mayans are right, who the hell will be caring about films?! May I also point out that it’s not the Mayans claiming the Apocalypse. They’re simply stating humanity will go through a spiritual change.
Ridiculous. Anyways, my vote is on TDKR.
Joe Lee
Wow, I can’t believe someone actually paid you to write this drivel?
Ertyyh
You think that as The Hobbits marketing isn’t as good at the moment as a film released 5 months before that its a flop? Have you seen the behind the scenes video? Looks like the avatar of 3D fantacy, although I admit it felt very nostalgic. But still, I expect dark knight rises to be in the same vain at its predeccessor so why not with the hobbit?
Also, The Hobbit’s trailers 3 million more views than TDKR’s I’m not so sure if it’s early marketing IS much better, although I expect it to be pushed through advertisements inception style (which was a $150 million affair I believe).
The Hobbit as 2 movies is neccessary. Not only will it bring about about a classic book that withstands the test of time, but it will expand upon the book (ie things in the realm going on at same time + adding some new things also) and bridge into the LOTR’s movies, to make it coherant as a seperate entity.
Anyway thats just a backlash to your article, I’m sure they will both be good. I don’t know why theres so much competition between the two?
Dolores Haze
Why is every potential blockbuster of 2012 in direct conflict with TDKR? I’m actually curious — are Nolan fans so terribly fragile that they have to rabidly compare every other big movie coming out in 2012 and decide in TDKR’s favor? It’s pathological!
OK, first of all, The Hobbit is going to make more money… fantasy films make more money overseas than superhero movies, which are still a distinctly American taste. I can see TDKR making $1b, but The Hobbit definitely will gross over $1b. Batman is a huge draw in the U.S., but Tolkien is beloved around the globe.
Secondly, I thought the trailer for The Hobbit was lovely, particularly the dwarves singing. It felt like a welcome back to a glorious bygone era. TDKR’s was OK, but frankly I’m not a fan of the movies, so I’m not impartial. I actually think the best trailer of all was for Prometheus (and I say this as a HUGE Whedon fan who is salivating for The Avengers).
Thirdly, the general audience is anticipating The Hobbit (and The Avengers!) more than TDKR… only the fanatic and geeked out are THAT excited for TDKR. You guys are giving geeks a bad name!
Bilbo Baggins
Looks like your article opinion isn’t too popular with the readers. Maybe you should do more research with The Hobbit movies. Coming from a trilogy that wrapped up 17 Oscars and $2.9 billion…there’s also a good chance that Peter Jackson will “rise” higher than the Dark Knight will. You can’t base your knowledge off what a trailer reveals. It’s a whole year away! Of course they’re not going to release too much yet! Come back in a year or so and then we’ll see who should get a new job…
Christopher Gass
lol @ the hobbit fanboys freaking out over this opinion piece. who cares to see the hobbit anyway? more walking for 3 hours. oh boy.
Lando Calrissian
People will dish out 15 bucks for both movies when they come out, respectively. What’s the big deal? The real battle should be Avengers vs. TDKR.
Daniel Haffner
My Rebuttal to your Reasons
Reason 1: Stupid
Reason 2: We see sequels all the time, a prequel is rarer (And more interesting).
Reason 3: You are basically right but Peter Jackson has a lot to add in in his own way.
There is a lot in the movies that are not in the book.
Reason 4: Guillermo del Toro was the reason I thought it was going to be terrible. Peter Jackson was the right choice.
Reason 5: They are basing the Hobbit films off the book and other writings/notes of Tolkien. Not just the book.
Reason 6: Agree but perhaps The Hobbit doesn’t need lots of marketing.
Reason 7: This is a reason?
Reason 8: Both trailers were good but the Dwarf’s singing was awesome. And when seeing the LOtR films you have to watch them like you have never read the books. It will not be this way with The Hobbit because the Hobbit has so much new material fans are dying to see.
Reason 9: Another Stupid one. Were you running out of ideas?
Reason 10: Agree but the reason is The Hobbit will be great is because it is the beginning of a bold new adventure in Middle Earth.
Bilbo Baggins
Don’t be baggin on the Baggins!
Eric
How can Man of Steel be a potential flop when Nolan is working on it?
Masoud
Is this a joke?
Cahirmckay
twilight FTW!
Wolverine
I’m just crying of laughter because nobody understands the master troll that wrote this. Jesus. seriously. read it full.
Robbiebassman
I don’t know why anyone would be trying to compare the two as if there is some sort of competition or something, but I will say that I think the previous Batman movie is as good as they will ever get.
david sherman
Im pedicting that the Hobbit will Bet The Titanic at the Box Offfice.Sad to see the above Commparison ,we all know that The Hobbit will be more popular.
Yeahno
Yeah? No.
Mr Hoopla
Such different movies with different objectives. I think The Dark Knight Rises will probably be better but there is nothing like going into the world of Middle Earth. It may be a better cinematic experience.
Guest09
some very bias writing there! I could say the complete opposite for every point you have made. And I must say I was really dissappointed in the Dark Knight Rises trailer, it drew no emotion from me where as the Hobbit trailer almost made me cry! And I think Warner took advantace of a very tragic incident to promote their movie last time which I do not support.