Marvolo
Avenger
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2006
- Messages
- 47,795
- Reaction score
- 10,762
- Points
- 103
Frodo and Thorin are not comparable. Frodo was under the influence of an outside force. He was essential ly a crack head. Thorin is a dick in the book just because he is a dick. He has ano outside force acting on him until the Arkenstone/treasure shows up which is only for a very small part.But Thorin has not "come over to Bilbo's side." He and Bilbo still think very differently about the world. Rather, at the end of the first film he has accepted that Bilbo has something to contribute to the party, that he is actually courageous, and that he is a loyal friend. This is a big development for Thorin to be sure (and happens around that point in the book as well with the dwarves being impressed by Bilbo's escape from the Goblins) but it does not obviate the differences in how Bilbo and Thorin view the world, differences which are destined to bring them into conflict.
The film already has all this set up with the prologue speaking of gold "poisoning the mind." Thorin will fall to the same temptations that Thror did before. Its the natural current / flow of the story and I think changing it would really be a massive disruption to the narrative just to make Thorin more "likeable."
Thorin through out Part 1 continuely *****es about Bilbo and then at the end he clearly says he was wrong about Bilbo and hugs him. That is the last beat of the film. To open the next film with him once again being a dick and *****ing and moaning and continue that throughout Part 2&3 is shotty character development and makes for an unlikeable protagonist which is needed in these films. This isnt a hardboiled drama where the protagonist can be unlikeable. Its fantasy and we are supposed to root for Thorin.