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Old 01-13-2014, 04:41 PM   #21
Alec
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Gandalf

I Don't Know If I want to see it now without the Attercop and Other parts not being good.
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Old 01-13-2014, 07:04 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Valandil View Post
After two and a half weeks, I finally saw it yesterday.
Visuals were great - and it is great to see the story done in a movie at all.
And I saw it on Saturday, and basically liked it, in spite of some objections.

Quote:
I think they HAD to alter backstory elements that are not in The Hobbit or LOTR, or they'd get into trouble with Tolkien Estates. They only have movie rights on those two. With that in mind, I'm surprised they showed a meeting of Gandalf and Thorin at Bree at all... though the substance of their meeting was different from that in UT.
The meeting of Gandalf and Thorin is recorded in the Appendices as well, in a shorter and slightly different version. There are elements in the movie that weren't in either version, though - but I think there might be details that couldn't be used because they were only in UT.
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Old 01-14-2014, 05:53 AM   #23
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This is turning into a reunion thread.

I gave it a B+. Like afro-elf and BoP, I enjoyed this the most out of all of the franchise films.

Partly to do with the setting. I took my sons and we sat on leather sofas in the front row, drank beer and hooted with laughter all the way through. This is what going to the pictures is supposed to be like. Or it was for us anyway. Not sure about the people behind us.

There is a lot to nitpick about, especially goblins in Laketown wtf, Tauriel gtf, etc. But I actually thought Beorn was well done and in the end, I'm not bothered about changes as long as it is a good film. It was all done with an aplomb that was missing from the four previous films.
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Old 01-14-2014, 02:48 PM   #24
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Is it good enough to see????
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Old 01-17-2014, 08:54 AM   #25
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Originally Posted by Butterbeer View Post
First things first: I think I should win an Oscar just for my totally impromptu genuine suprise at just being logged in... I literally physically body-moved with suprise at remembering my log in on first try!

Bring on the dare-devil motorcycle-pyramid emoticon Badger Team...

At this point I should likely point out that this very afternoon, as is, I decided life is too short not to take some time out to frequent an Inn, a merry old Inn... and to sit beside the fire...

So, im currently wrestling with a rather more Canny, Cunning and cruel Monster than Smaug: yes im typing on my phone....

Therefore I beg you all in advance: laugh only at the genuinely bad spelling: the rest will be me losing a "game of patience" with the phone. .. and already I am weary!

I suspect ill edit this later hopefully.... but for now ill post this and go for a smoke and pint
And continue shortly
Hmm- forgotten the spoiler Tag..
Anyway i guess "Shortly" is a relative concept! I gave up trying to write on the phone, it was taking way too much concentration.
As it is, i'll likely have to come back and edit / add to this this post later..

Overall, i tend to agree with Insiduous Rex and BoP... (hello to both btw! ) and really quite enjoyed it. I'm pretty sure i didn't ever really comment on the LOTR movies,
and i wasnt overally impressed with the First Hobbit film- though i saw it a second time on Christmas eve last year with family and warmed to a little more on second viewing (partly of course as you already know all the parts that are going to raise your Bushy Gandalfian eyebrows, and are forewarned so to speak).

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Lotesse: I walked out in the middle of the Smaug scene. And i almost NEVER walk out of movies. The whole thing just pissed me off. I liked Stephen Fry, though. But i'd really like to punch Peter Jackson square in the nose for this.
Hi Lotsy! Long time- Hope life is good!
I quite liked some elements of Smaug, and certainly didnt walk out as i was enjoying the movie : but i must admit my attention started to waver at some of the Smaug scenes and i wasnt keen, as others have said, at how Smaug was portrayed (Props to Benedict for the voice however!)

Visually i thought he looked Good, as i think Val said (*wave*) and the Voice acting was great, but as ever it was the scenes themselves and how they were used/ misused i wasn't so keen on.

Now, I don't mind some silliness, but some of it just was well.. silly and veered from the Book for absolutely no good reason i could see. Clearly this happens and indeed has happened a lot- as i am sure has been mentioned numerous times on any discussions of the Various PJ Movies... and to be fair sometimes its done with a valid or at least half-valid screenplay excuse and/or motive, and sometimes well- but let's face it- the majority of the time its just not needed, and often detrimental.

Bottom line for me is this: if the actual Book story / scene is better than the tinkered-with Film scene: then its a pointless change.

IR:
Quote:
The Beorn scene was fairly useless and I get the feeling Jackson just added that in there in a way to placate the Tolkien purists since he didn’t have Bombadil in the Lord of the Rings. Don’t bother. Hes a great character not a prop. But I suppose its better then suddenly making him some major player in the second movie showing up in places he never should have just because he’s a cool bear person an they can CGI the crap out of him and make him into a kind of Wolverine character.
I suspect he added it as he literally needed to: firstly for not having a plot hole sudden jolt or Eddie the eagle Continuity jump straight from the Carrock to the forest plot wise, but also as no doubt Beorn will feature in a 125 minute HFR CGI Honey or glory Bear-tastic orc-Gobling Fight Fest in the last film...

As to Beorn himself he was quite Good-ish in the little we saw of him- but man oh man... what a complete cop-out from PJ..the Introduction of the dwarves et al to Beorn's ark two by two is a great scene- much missed...

Odd too- a great chance to get to know the dwarves better, add a little humour, some great 3D cgi of his flowers, Horses, lambs etc and bees (ok some good 3D bees for like 2 seconds were there...)

But also it'd be a valid excuse to do a cut-back scene of the Beorning Ancestors being hunted out of the Mountains by Orcs...

I somewhat thought (niavely obviously) that the justification or concept (bar, obviously profits) of stretching the film, verily thinner than Gollum's Soul..
into three long parts, was to be able to flesh out the world and use references and histories in the book as new scenes in further detail...

this would at least have some validity and interest...
TBH i was kind of hoping there'd be a decent Goblin / dwarven war scene in some detail...

If ever there was a chance to do it (and a justification for a trilogy, bar money) then here was an opportunity!

well, im out of time- so will carry on ..er "shortly"...

Gaffer:
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This is turning into a reunion thread


Hello all!

Best, BB

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Old 01-17-2014, 03:21 PM   #26
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This movie was more interesting than the first one and better overall. But it was nowhere near the quality of the Lord of the Rings movies, and they were still trying too hard to capture an epic tone when The Hobbit should be much more lighthearted. I wish Guillermo Del Toro had stuck around as director. Like many of you, I thought the love triangle was silly. There was no need to trot out Sauron and I agree that his appearance was underwhelming.
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Old 01-17-2014, 03:33 PM   #27
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I think I will see it. I'll miss Attacop and other parts though. Just still wondering if its worth it.
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Old 01-21-2014, 10:25 PM   #28
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It really is an eye-opener to read of people saying they liked this one the best of all of Jackson's films. To me, it was the absolute worst. I never want to see it again! I can forgive a lot but deciding that 30 extra minutes of useless kung fu fighting crap necessitated cutting the two coolest scenes in the book (when Gandalf tricks Beorn into slowing accepting the full company as guests and how Bilbo actually outwitted the spiders in Mirkwood), I'm sorry, that I can't easily forgive.
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Old 01-21-2014, 10:35 PM   #29
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Nazgul

Well this review makes me not want to see the movie.
Two of my favorite parts are missing!!!
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Old 01-22-2014, 08:51 AM   #30
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Maybe it's just that my expectations were lower, or maybe PJ is actually getting a bit better at doing these.

Re: Smaug, I felt they showed a bit too much of him. However, you just know how these editorial meetings go. You need to "deliver" something in the climax for the multiplex cattle.

I always expected them to struggle with the Beorn introduction. They did better than I expected there tbh.
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Old 01-26-2014, 04:54 PM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon S. View Post
It really is an eye-opener to read of people saying they liked this one the best of all of Jackson's films. To me, it was the absolute worst. I never want to see it again! I can forgive a lot but deciding that 30 extra minutes of useless kung fu fighting crap necessitated cutting the two coolest scenes in the book (when Gandalf tricks Beorn into slowing accepting the full company as guests and how Bilbo actually outwitted the spiders in Mirkwood), I'm sorry, that I can't easily forgive.

Whilst i agree the Beorn scene is a massive loss (though not sure i'd say "tricked" Beorn, as such, but i get your point) and clearly the Spiders scene is remiss also...

I tend to agree with The Gaffer... perhaps expectations were lower, and if you go in with low expectations and with a clear idea of the style from the first one and just enjoy going to the cinema... leave disbelief firmly in the Foyer, substitute the Book's best scenes for a very Large dose of extra sugary popcorn...
then it can be - and was - (mainly) an enjoyable romp.

Absolutely Tons wrong with it- and i do agree with your comments Jon- but, yeah, i enjoyed it -

My main beef was Bilbo.

Not having a go at Martin, i thought it inspired casting at the time, and he would be an excellent Bilbo... but my beef is more that the Film(s) are very little about Bilbo, he seems increasingly an afterthought, a side-order of lettuce at an epicurean feast, a mere-add on, almost an after-thought that they couldn't quite write out, rather than this being (essentially) ...

Bilbo's story.

Quo Vadis Bilbo in the third film?

A couple of shots of him raising his eyebrows and looking quizzical... shouting "The eagles are coming!"...
and a death scene with Thorin..
before popping back again to pay off the bailiffs?


Ho Hum
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Old 01-27-2014, 06:37 PM   #32
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Good shout re: Bilbo. That was a major disappointment for me from Part 1. I thought he got a bit more to do this time. But yeah, Freeman has not been used to his potential.
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Old 02-15-2014, 06:49 PM   #33
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Wow, quite a few of the old guard in this thread...

Well I liked the LOTR films. They missed a lot of the subtler points of the books, but that's films for you. And they featured the most stirring cinematic cavalry charge of all time (at Pelennor Fields. NOT the ridiculous one down an impossible slope at Helm's Deep).

The Hobbit films are ok, but nothing better. They're stretching three long films out of one modestly-sized book, and it shows. Back stories that aren't needed and new characters that don't add much. But the absolute nadir was having a sleigh pulled by rabbits in the first Hobbit film. At least that didn't re-appear, thank goodness
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Old 09-02-2014, 04:45 AM   #34
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The extended DoS should be out on 4 November.

I quite liked the films, although it did of course bug me somewhat that things were changed so much. But I can enjoy them well enough.
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Old 02-12-2016, 10:49 AM   #35
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Smaug was really well made. Everything else is just... average? I can't get over the fact, this is the same guy who directed LOTR trilogy. O.o
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Old 07-07-2016, 09:40 PM   #36
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2016 JUL 07 Review Hobbit: DOS

I saw the film (Extended version) yesterday:

Over all I liked the film. (8.0 of 10).
It was decent with usual PJ shortcommings. It was a bit long. Will need to see theatrical release to see if the shorter running time improves the film experience. I did not care much for Dol Guldur or the northern tombs.

Positives:
  • Costumes
  • Scenery
  • Music
  • Flashback to Prancing Pony was interesting
  • I liked the portrayal of Bard
  • Nice twist on last light on Durin's day.
  • Smaug well drawn, but not as cunning as I expected.
  • The scale/size of the dwarf realm is impressive
  • White council was good, but nothing too special.


Negatives:
  • Fighting style is too unrealistic for my taste. Similar to watching Kung Fu, MMA, Karate combined.
  • Barrel riding from elves to laketown. I prefer as written/portrayed in the book. I did think burying the dwarfs with fish was funny, although they probably had an aroma for some time.
  • Do not care for repeats of things done in LOTR films.
  • Did not care for the love triangle with Kili, Tauriel, & Legolas
  • The trail through Mirkwood appears to be one of the more convoluted trails through a forest. While I was not expecting a yellow brick road, I was expecting a straighter path.
  • Kind of pointless trying to breakdown secret entrance. I would think the dwarfs would know better.
  • for a dragon as cunning as Smaug, he seemed to be easily manipulated by the dwarfs
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Old 09-08-2020, 02:40 PM   #37
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They have a pretty good article about Smaug in the Hobbit movie right there.
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Old 09-09-2020, 05:02 AM   #38
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Welcome Manuel.

That's your website, isn't it? (You're allowed to say so, you know. ) Looks nice.

It's a pity you didn't include all sources. I'd love to know where you got the link between Smaug and Trâgu. I don't recall it from elsewhere right now.
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