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

[Tacit Ronin]

Also, see if you can figure out where the extra barrel comes from.

It's the same place that extra cop car came from in the TDK chase scene. Once in a while a tear rips through the fabric around the general movie set and corresponding props come popping out.

 

[Tony Stark]

But what you described is straight Boyens.

It may well have been, I don't have any proof one way or another. To me it sounds like what Walsh would have done, but may have been Boyens.

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

Overall, I enjoyed the movie. I loved Cumberbatch's Smaug, it was the perfect voice for the character. Luke Evans was also good as Bard the Bowman.

What is really bothering me though is that Jackson and Fran Walsh have morphed the book almost to the point of non-recognition. I was OK with the changes in AUJ, as I thought it didn't interfere with the overall fun nature of the story.

Having Kili have a love story with an elf that doesn't exist in the book and having him injured by a Morgul arrow, is just plain stupid.

By having this subplot with expanding the Necromancer story, they undermine the overall story and a fantastic villain in Smaug.

I feel this is a tale of two films. When the film is light on it's feet and acting as a child's adventure story, it soars. Whey they awkwardly try to connect it to the Rings trilogy it utterly fails. The story is about Bilbo's journey of courage, it's not about him getting tempted by the ring. They also undermine their own adaptation of the Rings trilogy as Gandalf already knows that Sauron has returned but somehow he forgets by the time TFOTR starts.

I'd love to give this film a 10/10, but the truth is, it doesn't deserve it. The best I could give it is 7.5/10, only for the performances and great effects.

There are also several unforgivable deviations from the book. When Smaug leaves Erabor to attack Lake town, Thorin and company could give a rats rear end, they are too obsessed with the plunder. The second is that Bilbo gets the Arkenstone and hides it from Thorin. Maybe this will be explored in the third, but they seem to totally bypass it. They also took out what could have been a funny lighthearted moment in how Gandalf introduces Thorin and company to Beorn.

But what's wrong with Bilbo being tempted by the ring? Doesn't that make sense?

 

[Persona]

That was the only part of the scene I did not like. Has no place in the Hobbit, especially considering this is all just going to be delayed for decades anyways. The scene with Gandalf got it across in a better, not so obvious way. But of course they couldn't stop there.

And the Sauron/Gandalf away bits while not super long, come at the worst times imo. Slicing into the finale and the start. The early scenes with Azog reminded me of the Frodo opening from the first film. Makes others bits of the film feel longer because we are delayed from getting to them. The movie literally pauses multiply times to set up a plot thread for the third film that has no significance to the main plot.

i guess it helps that i really dug the Gandalf/Sauron stuff. it was simple and elemental for me in a really cool way.

and while it may not be significant to the main plot of The Hobbit other than showing instead of telling why Gandalf was detained from rejoining the party, it very much is significant to the larger over-arching plot connected to LotR. which, i get, some people think has no place being in these movies, i just personally disagree with that point.

could it have been cut different and more effectively at the end? i guess, yeah. but i like setting up that narrative thread as part of the cliffhanger experience and also there was SO much Smaug at the end, and big chunks of him, too, i didn't necessarily mind it being broken up a little. but maybe there should have been a bit less Smaug and then also a bit less breaking up of his scenes.

 

[DorneyDave]

I just got back from a showing of this. I liked it a ton more than the first one. The story felt much more put together and focused, and the editing was much better in my opinion.

Smaug was quite excellent and I loved the

Spoiler

Sauron/Necromancer sub plot. The only negative of that is that it almost makes these films feel so unimportant in the long run. We know where the story is going. I left the theater wanting to watch my LOTR blurays more than the Hobbit part 3

However, still a very enjoyable film. 8/10

 

[Tony Stark]

But what's wrong with Bilbo being tempted by the ring? Doesn't that make sense?

The story of the Hobbit is not about the temptation of Bilbo, the story of the hobbit is the greed of the dwarves, and the obsessing of the Arkenstone. Again I get what they're doing they're trying to have this big connected story to the Rings trilogy and in doing so they're undermining the story of the Hobbit.

 

[Quasimod0]

They hardly focus on bilbo being tempted at all. So it isn't a problem. It's not like it's taking screen time away from any other elements

 

[Infinity9999x]

They hardly focus on bilbo being tempted at all. So it isn't a problem. It's not like it's taking screen time away from any other elements

Yep. And they shouldn't focus too much on it. Bilbo had the ring for 60 years before he started to show some serious attachment issues.

 

[regwec]

The Ring's powers are all over the place in the LOTR movies, too. In FOTR, putting it on made the burning eye of Sauron jump right up your arse. Why would you be tempted for even a moment?

 

[Tacit Ronin]

Peter was sort of backed into a corner by doing The Hobbit after LOTR. Were he to do it before, he could've made it so there was no effect to putting the ring on other than invisibility. But now he risks cries of inconsistency if he does not show the same effect of putting the Ring on as in LOTR. I still think he could've been faithful to the book in that regard because as said it takes many decades for Bilbo to grow suspiciously attached to the Ring. But I understand his dilemma.

 

[SonOfMim]

They also undermine their own adaptation of the Rings trilogy as Gandalf already knows that Sauron has returned but somehow he forgets by the time TFOTR starts.

I see where you're coming from, but I don't think Gandalf was surprised at Sauron's return in FOTR. He was more surprised that the Ring Bilbo found was the One Ring. By this time, in the books, Gandalf did know Sauron had returned. He discovered this by going to Dol Guldur. Perhaps they'll cover this more in the 3rd film... maybe when Sauron is forced from Dol Guldur by the White Council, Saruman might say something like... "He cannot take shape again without the Ring, and there lies our hope, that it should remain hidden."

 

[SonOfMim]

The Ring's powers are all over the place in the LOTR movies, too. In FOTR, putting it on made the burning eye of Sauron jump right up your arse. Why would you be tempted for even a moment?

I think this can be explained simply by Sauron's power growing as the story progresses...?

(And as the Ring gets closer to him)

 

[giveyourself12%]

Peter was sort of backed into a corner by doing The Hobbit after LOTR. Were he to do it before, he could've made it so there was no effect to putting the ring on other than invisibility. But now he risks cries of inconsistency if he does not show the same effect of putting the Ring on as in LOTR. I still think he could've been faithful to the book in that regard because as said it takes many decades for Bilbo to grow suspiciously attached to the Ring. But I understand his dilemma.

Perhaps he hadn't put it on in decades and he only starts becoming suspiciously attached to it after having physical contact with it again.

"I'll just use it at the party to make my grand exit and then I'll leave it with Frodo...er...maybe I'll keep it...after all...it is mine...it's...my....preeciouussss."

 

[regwec]

I think this can be explained simply by Sauron's power growing as the story progresses...?

FOTR is the first film in the LOTR trilogy.

 

[SonOfMim]

^Exactly... which would explain why the "burning Eye of Sauron" would have jumped up someone's arse in FOTR. If Sauron's power is growing as the story progresses, you could see how the Eye wouldn't reveal itself, as Sauron is outside of Mordor (in the Hobbit films) for example.

 

[regwec]

^Exactly... which would explain why the "burning Eye of Sauron" would have jumped up someone's arse in FOTR. If Sauron's power is growing as the story progresses, you could see how the Eye wouldn't reveal itself, as Sauron is outside of Mordor (in the Hobbit films) for example.

Here:

The Ring's powers are all over the place in the LOTR movies, too. In FOTR, putting it on made the burning eye of Sauron jump right up your arse. Why would you be tempted for even a moment?

Just to avoid appearing snarky; the point is that the effect of the Ring varies throughout LOTR.

 

[SonOfMim]

Just to avoid appearing snarky; the point is that the effect of the Ring varies throughout LOTR.

Fair enough, though I'm not even sure what you mean. Seems to me the "Eye" was always there in the film, aside from Bilbo putting it on in the Shire and Frodo first putting it on in Bree.

 

[Dugath]

All I can say is I enjoyed this a lot more than the first one.
When I pop the first one into my Blu Ray player I have to skip over a lot of things.
(though the extended version did make it a bit more enjoyable).

Perhaps it helps I have not read the Hobbit in 20+ years, so I do not care if things are different. It was an enjoyable movie.

 

[Vartha]

All I can say is I enjoyed this a lot more than the first one.
When I pop the first one into my Blu Ray player I have to skip over a lot of things.
(though the extended version did make it a bit more enjoyable).

Perhaps it helps I have not read the Hobbit in 20+ years, so I do not care if things are different. It was an enjoyable movie.

I can't wait for the Extended cut
EDIT: and no I haven't bought it yet because I might be getting it for X-Mas

 

[ares834]

(though the extended version did make it a bit more enjoyable).

Really? I'm surprised, the original film seemed like an extended cut. I can't imagine it have any more footage.

Edit: Ah, just learned that one of the scenes involves Saruman commenting on the One Ring being washed into the sea by Anduin and the fate of the Seven. That should definitely have been in the theatrical cut.

 

[craigdbfan]

Got out of my showing a few hours ago and I absolutely loved it. Found the much disputed love story to be cute and endaring and Smaug is easily the highlight of the film.

Aside from a few editing issues I have with this which I'll go into detail later, I found this to be an incredibly gripping and emotional movie.

10/10

 

[Ajendo]

Got out of my showing a few hours ago and I absolutely loved it. Found the much disputed love story to be cute and endaring and Smaug is easily the highlight of the film.

Aside from a few editing issues I have with this which I'll go into detail later, I found this to be an incredibly gripping and emotional movie.

10/10

Glad you enjoyed it. It's a great, fun film.

 

[Vartha]

Got out of my showing a few hours ago and I absolutely loved it. Found the much disputed love story to be cute and endaring and Smaug is easily the highlight of the film.

Aside from a few editing issues I have with this which I'll go into detail later, I found this to be an incredibly gripping and emotional movie.

10/10

Glad you liked it lol

 

[craigdbfan]

Glad you enjoyed it. It's a great, fun film.

Glad you liked it lol

Thanks guys.

It really was a great experience and I'll be seeing it again on Friday. Everyone was laughing when [blackout]Legolas was asking Gimli's dad about the pictures in his locket. Found that absolutely hilarious.[/blackout]

 

[Vartha]

Thanks guys.

It really was a great experience and I'll be seeing it again on Friday. Everyone was laughing when [blackout]Legolas was asking Gimli's dad about the pictures in his locket. Found that absolutely hilarious.[/blackout]

lol yeah there were a couple scenes like that our audience laughed at like that.
one guy even said at the end, "THAT was WAY cooler than the Animated movie" and everyone laughed