Official 'The Hobbit' Thread - - - - Part 13

[Victarion]

Wouldn't

Spoiler

molten gold, flowing down his nostrils, kill him? I mean, it's going down into his lungs and all. If Smaug torched Laketown to turn it's citizens against the dwarves and sow discord, that'd be great.

.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

I assume they ended it nonsensically and abruptly for the jolting effect of a cliffhanger ending and the latter part of that scene will be embellished or perhaps even slightly altered to be less confusing at the beginning of There and Back Again. Giving logical credibility to Smaug's reason for bolting for Laketown.




Or not.

 

[Liam_H]

IIRC Smaug [BLACKOUT]goes to Laketown because he believes the people there helped the dwarves and he wants to punish them. Also cause Bilbo showed concerned for them which spurns Smaug on even more.[/BLACKOUT]

 

[Tacit Ronin]

Wouldn't

Spoiler

molten gold, flowing down his nostrils, kill him? I mean, it's going down into his lungs and all. If Smaug torched Laketown to turn it's citizens against the dwarves and sow discord, that'd be great.

.

Mah, it was just extra calories for him.

Which uncovers the secret of Smaug's visit to Laketown. [BLACKOUT]He wants to "burn" some of it away. [/BLACKOUT]

 

[Victarion]

IIRC Smaug [BLACKOUT]goes to Laketown because he believes the people there helped the dwarves and he wants to punish them. Also cause Bilbo showed concerned for them which spurns Smaug on even more.[/BLACKOUT]

That makes sense.

 

[The Lizard]

IIRC Smaug [BLACKOUT]goes to Laketown because he believes the people there helped the dwarves and he wants to punish them. Also cause Bilbo showed concerned for them which spurns Smaug on even more.[/BLACKOUT]

This is true, and this is the reason in the book, but in the movie it just seems bizarre for Smaug to turn away from such a grevious insult by the dwarves who are right in front of him to go attack Laketown. Remember in the book that Smaug never saw any of the dwarves firsthand after Bilbo escaped and Smaug left the mountain.

 

[Liam_H]

Can't comment on the book since I've never read it. I guess you could say his decision feeds into his arrogance or idiocy thinking he can come back to finish the job later. He also might enjoy[BLACKOUT] destroying the town knowing Bilbo/dwarves are looking on.[/BLACKOUT]

 

[matrix_ghost]

Anyone know if Stephen Colbert is going to do another Hobbit week segment like he did last year.

Edit : Also for those who have seen the movie
Did anyone see Stephen Colbert ?

 

[vinsanity]

Anyone know if Stephen Colbert is going to do another Hobbit week segment like he did last year.

Edit : Also for those who have seen the movie
Did anyone see Stephen Colbert ?

Spoiler

I saw him, he is one guy with a fake eye-patch who is a spy of Master of Laketown

 

[TheVileOne]

Spoiler

The invented climax with the Dwarves fighting Smaug makes no sense. That is the flaw of this middle chapter. So after all that, all the Dwarves go to confront Smaug. Smaug is never enraged by Bilbo stealing the cup or the Arkenstone. So he instead ignores the dwarves and goes straight to Lake-town instead.

But that's the problem. Because they decided they needed a middle chapter they had to invent a big climax with the dwarves and Smaug fighting for really no reason.

 

[Marvolo]

Spoiler

The invented climax with the Dwarves fighting Smaug makes no sense. That is the flaw of this middle chapter. So after all that, all the Dwarves go to confront Smaug. Smaug is never enraged by Bilbo stealing the cup or the Arkenstone. So he instead ignores the dwarves and goes straight to Lake-town instead.

But that's the problem. Because they decided they needed a middle chapter they had to invent a big climax with the dwarves and Smaug fighting for really no reason.

Spoiler

So does the Arkenstone not play a significant role in the film?

 

[matrix_ghost]

Spoiler

I saw him, he is one guy with a fake eye-patch who is a spy of Master of Laketown

Thanks

t:

 

[Drz]

Yeah the ending for Desolation of Smaug is disappointing, because it doesn't have a conclusion of it's own.

40-60 minutes of "there and back again" have to be spent on concluding the plot points of the 2nd movie.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

This makes me appreciate The Two Towers more. A middle chapter with a great self contained narrative that is set up and concluded, and yet things that are introduced at the beginning of Fellowship still looms for the follow up.

 

[ThePhantasm]

Why wouldn't they just kill Smaug in this movie? Makes no sense. It would be the perfect climax to the second film.

The imbalance of how this story is being told boggles my mind.

 

[ThePhantasm]

Can't comment on the book since I've never read it. I guess you could say his decision feeds into his arrogance or idiocy thinking he can come back to finish the job later. He also might enjoy[BLACKOUT] destroying the town knowing Bilbo/dwarves are looking on.[/BLACKOUT]

See, in the books he wasn't idiotic. That's the point. He was cunning, albeit arrogant and susceptible to flattery.

 

[Persona]

i had always thought Smaug dying at the end of film two would have been a natural, satisfying end point. it is a bit weird to me that they went a different direction with it, that one seems pretty obvious.

that said, maybe TABA will work better somehow as a result. seems unlikely but anything's possible.

 

[Drz]

Why wouldn't they just kill Smaug in this movie? Makes no sense. It would be the perfect climax to the second film.

The imbalance of how this story is being told boggles my mind.

I would have removed all the Don Goldur plot elements to the 3rd movie and made Smaug the sole antagonist of this movie, but i understand they wanted to show Azog and Sauron in this film, because those are the antagonists of this trilogy.

Still yeah, Smaug is definitely one of the biggest disappointments from this trilogy, which is a bloody shame.

 

[Persona]

See, in the books he wasn't idiotic. That's the point. He was cunning, albeit arrogant and susceptible to flattery.

the book does make a point of vainglorious Smaug acting more foolish than he otherwise would once he is frustrated or enraged, basically giving into his animalistic side.

having not seen the movie, i can't say whether that detail has been extrapolated in a way that feels completely out of character or not.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

Smaug is definitely one of the biggest disappointments from this trilogy

.....damn.

 

[ares834]

Still yeah, Smaug is definitely one of the biggest disappointments from this trilogy, which is a bloody shame.

...

All they had to do was get Smaug right and I would have been happy...

 

[Tacit Ronin]

I am crying.












Not really. But I am crushed.

 

[Persona]

.....damn.

again, just for the fact that there are a ton of critics and Tolkien fans alike that think Smaug works like gangbusters in this movie, at least give the dragon the chance of your own opinion.

i have seen a handful of other reactions and reviews that echo Drz's comments, so it seems there will be some people that feel that way about it, but you may be one of those that feels completely the opposite or maybe has some problems but likes Smaug overall.

for instance, on CHUD there's a poster who's seen the movie and is a big fan of Tolkien and he sounded like he couldn't have been happier with Smaug, if perhaps agreeing that some stuff could have been cut out of that part of the movie.

 

[ThePhantasm]

Just an aside... anyone who thinks I'm a nitpicky fanboy complaining about insignificant things should keep in mind I gave the last Hobbit movie an 8 / 10. My review is in my sig, and after I see DOS that review shall join it.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

What a plug.