Dragonlord
New Member
For any who saw The Hobbit 2 The Desolation of Smaug, who liked it and who didn't?
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The Hobbit (No Spoilers)
- Thread starter Dragonlord
- Start date
Ireth
Mythic Scribe
Caught the midnight premiere last night. There were certain things I didn't like, but they were vastly outweighed by the things I did. I'd totally rewatch it given the chance.
I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't pay to go watch it again. There was some good action and some nice scenery.
Mindfire
Istari
"No spoilers" for a movie based on a book that's been out since 1937? 
There's a dragon in it.
How does it end? Does Bilbo die? What about the Eagles? Do they kill Smaug?
Smaug roasts the eagles with his fire breath, and the resulting flesh smells so good, and there is so much to eat that Bilbo can't keep his mind on the quest for all the food. Without their burglar, the dwarves give up and go back to their other mountain.
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Dragonlord
New Member
I just meant no spoilers for parts that were added or parts that were done, but not done to the book
I think it's fair warning. Most people will have at least a vague idea about the ending, but there's a lot of cool details that may be spoiled from knowing them in advance.
Ophiucha
Dark Lord
I thought it was good, everything with Gandalf and Smaug being the best things in the film. The barrel scene was really fun, the Master of Laketown was played beautifully. But I felt this was the weakest of the five Tolkien films so far, really sort of suffered from 'middle movie' syndrome insofar as nothing concluded in this film. Everything here was a set-up for There and Back Again, whereas I felt An Unexpected Journey at least had a good character arc with Bilbo gaining his courage, the ring, and the trust and friendship of Thorin
Abbas-Al-Morim
Mystagogue
I liked it a lot but there were some things that bothered me slightly. All the action scenes in this film (and quite a few in the first installment) are parkour/acrobatic choreographs. They're wonderful to watch and some of them are epic. I particularly liked the barrel ride and the moria scene. But I kind of miss the less choreographed and more brutal melees. Legolas and Tauriel just own without breaking a sweat. It seemed a bit too overdone. The parkour scenes would pack a better punch if they were mixed with some more realistic fights like in LotR. Of course LotR featured "regular men" who were portrayed less godlike in their powers. That being said, the action scenes were still awesome. It just might have been better if...
Also, the middle movie syndrome, as Ophiucha states, did make this movie slightly less coherent. There wasn't really that much plot progression. No real "conclusion". Everything more or less stays the same.
All in all, this is still one of my favorite favorite movies ever (right up there with LotR and the first one).
Also, the middle movie syndrome, as Ophiucha states, did make this movie slightly less coherent. There wasn't really that much plot progression. No real "conclusion". Everything more or less stays the same.
All in all, this is still one of my favorite favorite movies ever (right up there with LotR and the first one).
wordwalker
Dark Lord
I'm just wondering if, considering Freeman and Cumberbatch's history together, Smaug's first words to Bilbo weren't "This is still my story, Watson!"
SeverinR
Valar Lord
So the dragon cooked up a batch of roast chicken, I mean eagles and they feasted? Then went home and went to bed.
wait, you just told me the ending...now I don't have to watch, ah man.
Glad this wasn't filmed in the states, the dragon would be in trouble with the government, eagles are protected round these parts. Wait, are dragons on the extinct list? What happens if something nearly extinct kills something on the endangered list? Are they in trouble?
I'm so confused...I guess I could work for the government...oh wait I do.
ValkyrieMist
Acolyte
I'm probably the only person on earth, but I didn't really like it. The word "travesty" pops into my mind every time I hear about it. Normally when Hollywood turns a book into a movie, they have to take stuff out, not make up stuff to add in. To me, the fact that they're making three movies about it screams "We are Hollywood and we will desecrate whatever we must in order to wring every last dime out of whatever we can." That's just me, though.
Ireth
Mythic Scribe
They didn't actually make up too much stuff, at least in the first movie -- the bits that weren't in the book were taken from the appendices of LOTR. That said, though, in the second one they rushed through or outright omitted a TON of stuff from the book that would have been awesome to see in the second movie. That's part of my disappointment with the movie (that and the stuff they totally made up), but the stuff they did right, they did awesomely.
Mindfire
Istari
What was missing?
Ireth
Mythic Scribe
Beorn, for starters. Not cut out completely, but rushed over. He was barely in there for two minutes, and they changed the way the dwarves met him, too. Also, most of the Mirkwood stuff prior to meeting Thranduil was cut and replaced with made-up stuff.
kayd_mon
Mystagogue
Ireth, I totally agree. I missed that whole Mirkwood sequence as it was in the book. The disappearing elf feasts in the book would have been eerie and cool, as well as all the other details.
Gryphos
Dark Lord
One thing you need to consider is that some things, however much they work in a book, would not translate to film. The disappearing elf feasts is one of them, mainly since it is an obvious show of magic. Throughout the films, hobbit and lotr, the magic of the elves has always been mysterious kind of magic, non obvious. To suddenly have the elves able to physically teleport themselves en masse would throw off audiences.
On a general note, it's all too easy to say "the film should follow the book exactly" but people should remember the meaning of the words 'based on'.
teacup
Dark Lord
I actually prefer the movies to the book. I think that the added/omitted parts work well. I don't think that the book, if followed exactly, would have made a very good movie. Yes, they are milking it by making 3 movies, but I think that, with the added stuff, it wouldn't have fit well into 1 film. Maybe 2 would have worked.
I wasn't too into
though.
I wasn't too into
the dwarf/elf romance