Peter Jackson Explains Why "The Hobbit" Films Weren't His Best

Scene from The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Over the past 15 years, there hasn't been a series as beloved and integral to the advancement of cinema as that of director Peter Jackson's work on The Lord of the Rings. With the third film also winning Best Picture, it was a high point in entertainment and provided epic scope to the beloved J.R.R. Tolkien books. When it was announced that Jackson would return to tackle "The Hobbit," hopes were high, but the results weren't as great. In a rare move, footage has surfaced in which the director and various cast members essentially apologize for any short coming, believing that they were "winging it." If nothing else, it's a rare and noble move the likes of which aren't seen often enough, especially with the final film only being a few years old.

While I didn't cover The Hobbit trilogy in depth on The Oscar Buzz, it was out of sheer disappointment. I intended it to be like a second wave of The Lord of the Rings phenomenon. Even if the films matched the grosses, there wasn't as much of a demand for them. When I would get around to them, I found myself either underwhelmed or simply disinterested. As much as many lobbied the idea that "The Hobbit" is more of a children's story than its sequels, I still couldn't get behind the feeling that the films just weren't good. After all, Jackson was a gifted filmmaker dedicated to small details.

Here's the video explaining everything that happened:

In all honesty, the reveal isn't as shocking if you followed the pre-production. It was initially started by Guillermo del Toro, who quit after years of prep. When Jackson signed on, he had more of a rushed schedule to produce a product. As a result, he wasn't thinking as properly as he did before. In some cases, he needed extended breaks just to clear his head. All of this is explained in the above video by Jackson himself. It makes plenty of sense and his earnestness is refreshing, even if it's like admitting that you didn't give your all. Still, it's noble for a filmmaker to admit his faults than to live without acknowledgment of guilt. 

Speaking as his next film is the long anticipated (by me, anyways) sequel to The Adventures of Tintin, I am hoping that this mishap is something that he has learned from and will hopefully come out the other end with a focus and dedication. As it stands, he has been largely in production on the film in some capacity since 2011 and even contributed to the original as a producer. I do honestly like Jackson's work outside of his Tolkien run, notably King Kong, so I do imagine that he will bounce back.