Abstract
This chapter describes and interprets the main perspectives that emerged in surveys of audiences for An Unexpected Journey conducted between February and June 2013, including those of Enchanted Hobbit Fans, Bored and Disillusioned Hobbit Critics, Disappointed Tolkien Readers, Critics of Technological ‘Enhancements’ and Mildly Entertained Casual Viewers. It notes that critiques of blockbusterisation were somewhat muted at this stage, deferring to concerns about textual fidelity and distracting visual effects. The chapter also draws on longitudinal data to illustrate the transformations that occurred over time, by comparing responses expressed during the pre-viewing period with those articulated post-release. In so doing, it explores whether, and to what extent, prefigurative structures of meaning and emotion came to provide important frameworks for interpretations of the first Hobbit film.
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Michelle, C., Davis, C.H., Hardy, A.L., Hight, C. (2017). The Saga Begins: Mapping Audience Reactions to An Unexpected Journey . In: Fans, Blockbusterisation, and the Transformation of Cinematic Desire. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59616-1_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59616-1_5
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