Lord of the Rings Trilogy: Do epics get any better ?

[Gothamsknight]

Own the LOTR trilogy on 4k, but not the Hobbit so I definitely gotta get those. Not gonna lie, I've only watched 3 the Hobbit movies twice. Meanwhile, I literally just finished another rewatch of the LOTR trilogy extended this past weekend. I swear, I choke up every time.

I do enjoy The Hobbit movies btw. They're not on the level of LOTR but I do enjoy them.

 

[Boom]

I have to isolate The Hobbit films. On their own, they're harmless fun. But as precursors to the Lord of the Rings films? I just can't do it. The version of The Hobbit that is canon with the Lord of the Rings films resides entirely in my head.

 

[Kane52630]

Yeah I'm ambivalent with the Hobbit films in context with the LOTR trilogy, but I did like the first Hobbit film more than the other two.

 

[Doctor Jones]

AUJ is the best because it actually feels like a self contained narrative with character arcs. Plus I think Jackson mostly taps into the fun of the book when they're not doing the obnoxious LOTR connections. It actually feels like an adventure at times. He at least understood that aspect. It just gets muddled by the terrible expansions.

Who knows how it would have compared to Del Toro's vision, but if Jackson just made one or two movies on his own terms, he could have done a solid job.

 

[Boom]

Bilbo felt like a footnote at times. That's one of my biggest grievances with the whole thing. When it feels like ****ing Alfrid has more screen time than Bilbo in the third film, you know you've done ****ed up.

 

[Doctor Jones]

It started in the second film. He doesn't do anything between Mirkwood and Smaug. His arc was completed in the first movie. That's why the two film structure worked; I imagine Thorin's embrace of Bilbo would have occurred after he saved them in Mirkwood with the barrels.

 

[KillerMcQueen]

AUJ is the best because it actually feels like a self contained narrative with character arcs. Plus I think Jackson mostly taps into the fun of the book when they're not doing the obnoxious LOTR connections. It actually feels like an adventure at times. He at least understood that aspect. It just gets muddled by the terrible expansions.

Who knows how it would have compared to Del Toro's vision, but if Jackson just made one or two movies on his own terms, he could have done a solid job.

I would really like to eventually get a two film cut by Jackson of how he'd originally wanted to release the films, Smaug and Five Armies really suffer from being split up so much, and it probably would've improved An Unexpected Journey's pacing.

And put this damn scene in the movie, I was weirded out enough by some of the things that were cut out of the theatrical and only in the extended editions, but this wasn't even in the extended. Some of the best character moments (particularly for Bilbo) were either left out entirely or saved for the extended editions instead of them cutting jokes or trimming action sequences instead and it's confusing why they thought it was a good idea (why in the hell was Thorin's funeral not in the theatrical cut?).


I also really love this scene that was only in the extended edition

 

[Boom]

It started in the second film. He doesn't do anything between Mirkwood and Smaug. His arc was completed in the first movie. That's why the two film structure worked; I imagine Thorin's embrace of Bilbo would have occurred after he saved them in Mirkwood with the barrels.

Exactly right.

Honestly, I just watched the Hobbit films back-to-back-to-back not too long ago, and it feels more like Thorin's trilogy when all is said and done. But then you also have a good amount of time and attention given to Gandalf. And the nightmarish Kili/Tauriel/Legolas love triangle. And the Bard Family. And ****ing Alfrid.

For someone who just wanted to watch Bilbo go off on his adventure with an overwhelming group of dwarves and an appearance by Gandalf here and there, it was all too much for me. And that's not even getting into the excessive CGI and over-the-top action sequences and goofy character designs and unpleasant digital aesthetic.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Exactly right.

Honestly, I just watched the Hobbit films back-to-back-to-back not too long ago, and it honestly feels more like Thorin's trilogy when all is said and done. But then you also have a good amount of time and attention given to Gandalf. And the nightmarish Kili/Tauriel/Legolas love triangle. And the Bard Family. And ****ing Alfrid.

For someone who just wanted to watch Bilbo go off on his adventure with an overwhelming group of dwarves and an appearance by Gandalf here and there, it was all too much for me. And that's not even getting into the excessive CGI and over-the-top action sequences and goofy character designs and unpleasant digital aesthetic.

You just summed up the gist of everything wrong with this "trilogy" in two paragraphs. If only WB knew such brevity!

 

[Bren]

I think using the word 'unnecessary' often, is a good idea for any The Hobbit' summation or review

 

[Drizzle]

Yeah I'm ambivalent with the Hobbit films in context with the LOTR trilogy, but I did like the first Hobbit film more than the other two.

AUJ is the best because it actually feels like a self contained narrative with character arcs. Plus I think Jackson mostly taps into the fun of the book when they're not doing the obnoxious LOTR connections. It actually feels like an adventure at times. He at least understood that aspect. It just gets muddled by the terrible expansions.

An Unexpected Journey is the best Hobbit film because it's the closest one to the original vision for a two-film series before WB stepped in and made it a rushed trilogy. AUJ and the first half hour or so of Desolation of Smaug was what the first film would and should have been. It's the second and third films that really start to fall apart at the seams. The only glue that really holds them together are the performances of Freeman, McKellen, Armitage (although none of the cast really did a bad job) as well as Bilbo meeting Smaug, which along with Riddles in the Dark from AUJ is one of the best moments of the trilogy.

 

[Kane52630]

 

[Gothamsknight]

Decided what the heck and am currently rewatching The Hobbit trilogy. Definitely still really enjoy Unexpected Journey, but you can tell Desolation of Smaug is where things got rushed and forced. I do enjoy The Hobbit movies for what they are, though they're not on the level of LOTR, but it's clear things were rushed and there was meddling.

 

[Frodo]

I remember seeing this teaser in theaters for the first time in 2000, and automatically being intrigued.

Little did I know, a year later, I would be hooked.

 

[Gothamsknight]

It's interesting, I actually got more into Lord of the Rings as an adult than I did as a kid when the movies were coming out. I don't know, but coming into adulthood, I found myself more and more intrigued by the movies, the characters, the setting, and the messages of it all. I didn't see them in theater, as much as it pains me to say that because I specifically remember all the hype at the time. But I remember watching them when they hit home video and of course i played all the video game tie ins. And when I became an adult is when I really looked back and went "man, those movies are damn masterpieces". Now I can't watch any of the movies without getting choked up at how beautiful they are.

I did see The Hobbit films in the theater haha.

 

[Drizzle]

Does this mean we can appreciate the Hobbit trilogy more once we're set on fire?

 

[Kane52630]

Middle-Earth 4K Ultimate Collector's Edition Is Up for Preorder - IGN

https://www.amazon.com/Middle-Ultimate-Collectors-Digital-Blu-ray/dp/B09DTYBMRW

 

[Drizzle]

My God, what a set. It's beautiful to look at but the new special features aren't enough for me to bite. I might have considered it had they included the deleted footage that didn't even make the extended cuts.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Beautiful except for The Hobbit in it.

Get that **** out of there!

 

[henzINNIT]

I've been waiting for this announcement knowing that an 'ultimate' set was coming with new extras. I was definitely hoping for more. Easy pass for me.

 

[OtherwiseKnownAs]

I do want that Collectors Set, but it seems like a lot for not even having the Appendices.

 

[Drizzle]

I do want that Collectors Set, but it seems like a lot for not even having the Appendices.

I'm pretty sure the Appendices are all there, hence all the discs.

 

[Mandon Knight]

How many 'ultimate' sets do we need. I'm done, I've both sets of extended editions with bells & whistles on, I don't need to buy it again.

 

[TheVileOne]

Bilbo felt like a footnote at times. That's one of my biggest grievances with the whole thing. When it feels like ****ing Alfrid has more screen time than Bilbo in the third film, you know you've done ****ed up.

Alfred ruined the last movie for me. Awful.

 

[Drizzle]

Twenty years ago today, a little movie was released that changed cinema forever.