Official 'The Hobbit' Thread - Part 15

[Marvolo]

Couple of blu-ray.com poster's thoughts about the DOS EE which is now legally available to purchase digitally.

All I'll say is that this MIGHT be my 2nd favorite Middle Earth Saga film behind THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING EE. The additions, which come mostly early on with Beorn, the Prlogue, and Mirkwood greatly helps the pace in the first 3rd of the film.

Lake town has some slight extended bits (one particular character moment for Bilbo) that's okay.

But the crown jewel of this EE is Dol Goldur. This new version of Dol Goldur, which you do get to meet Thorin's father, is glorious. Just sad that this didn't the theatrical edition.

What this EE does is really put into context the greater politics of the quest of Erebor from the enemy's side and why Gandalf is responsible.

Not gonna lie, I find these two Hobbit films in their EE form more enjoyable than the whole of the RINGS trilogy, even while acknowledging that THE FELLOWSHIP EE is still the crown jewel of the Saga.

It comes back to Martin Freeman and McKellan's Gandalf the Grey. Their journey, their story with Thorin's I find more interesting than Frodo's and Aragorn's.

This post gives a quick rundown of the new material. Spoiler tagged for thos who wish to be surprised.

Extended edition does improve over the theatrical release. Like "An Unexpected Journey," "Desolation" follows suit by stacking the majority of its new content in the first 90 minutes.

Spoiler

Prancing Pony:
Turns into a flashback within a flashback with more info on Thrain at the Battle of Azanulbizar. Also sets up Thrain's appearance and importance during Dol Guldur.

Beorn:
More fleshed out in the EE. The EE hammers home he doesn't like dwarves before he says it when they have their meal. Still want to know where the Beorn being tortured in Dol Guldur flashback comes into play, because there was a LEGO about it.

Mirkwood:
Not rushed like the theatical cut. Enchanted River and White Stag are highlights here.

Laketown:
A few minor additions here. More sneaking around to get to Bard's house. The Master and Alfrid turn away a sick Kili before they go seek Bard for help. Makes more sense now that "no one will help them."

Dol Guldur:
Addition of Thrain to Dol Guldur is what everyone's been saying, the highlight of the EE. Brings the new content full circle.

 

[ThePhantasm]

I want to say something positive about this mess, so...

The costumes are, on the whole, excellent.

Martin Freeman is perfect.

Actually, that last one makes it all the sadder.

I know.

Martin Freeman is perfect as Bilbo.

 

[Marvolo]

So according to those who have now seen the EE the great Dol Guldor scene has one awful moment. Jackson decided to

Spoiler

add a wilhelm scream over Thrain's death scene and you can still hear the actor's actual acream under the wilhelm. The viewers said it damn near ruins the emotion and seriousness of the scene.

Sometimes I think Jackson is trolling us or that some of these decisions are being made without his oversight.

Ill wait to see it myself before fully damning it, but the wilhelm always pulls me out of a film so for it to be used in such a serious moment when the actor's actual scream is present just baffles.

It makes me wonder if Jackson would put a wilhelm scream over Gandalfs fall in Moria if he was making FOTR today.

 

[ThePhantasm]

Jackson with his wilhelm scream, and Lucas with his dubbed in "NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"s.

I honestly do not understand why these directors do this crap.

 

[Marvolo]

Coming in 2018

LOTR: The Deluxe Special Extended Wilhelm Edition

Yall know its coming.

 

[Donut]

I am tired of hearing that scream

 

[ThePhantasm]

Peter Jackson: "We always planned to add a new dwarf named "Wilhelm" from the very beginning. The EE allows us to CGI him in, finally bringing our original artistic vision to life. Wilhelm also allows us to up the film's belch count by another 20%, adding necessary humor to some dark sequences. His tendency to fall repeatedly off of objects is a hilarious running gag. There's also a new layer of tragedy added, as Wilhelm volunteers to be shot out of Dale's arrow-turret into Smaug's weak spot, self-sacrificially dying to kill the dragon, and yelling out one last iconic scream."

 

[titansupes]

^ That's terrifying in how accurate it sounds.

 

[sueb1863]

The bummer for me is that PJ had all these great personalities mapped out for the dwarves but none of it was used in the movies. I think a better scriptwriter could have fleshed them out with just a line or two here and there.

And no, it doesn't say anywhere in AUJ that Kili and Fili are Thorin's nephews. Which really surprised me, because I thought that was sort of important.

 

[Marvolo]

The bummer for me is that PJ had all these great personalities mapped out for the dwarves but none of it was used in the movies. I think a better scriptwriter could have fleshed them out with just a line or two here and there.

And no, it doesn't say anywhere in AUJ that Kili and Fili are Thorin's nephews. Which really surprised me, because I thought that was sort of important.

Its important especially

Spoiler

considering the outcome of the Battle, and the fact that they and Thorin are the last heirs of Thror. The audience needs to know why its important that they survive the Battle.

 

[Vartha]

Maybe. I havent heard anything about what follows the battle. Im very in the dark about this final film.

Hmmm I hate gettin' old, lol I can't remember how the books have it.

 

[Vartha]

Jackson with his wilhelm scream, and Lucas with his dubbed in "NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"s.

I honestly do not understand why these directors do this crap.

I am tired of hearing that scream

heh, that Lego LotR game samples the lotr films and I just got it and yeah, I'm getting tired of Gimli crying. lol

 

[Spider-Who?]

The scream is literally EVERYWHERE. Jackson and Lucas are/were hardly the only ones to do it. It's been an industry tradition for decades.

But yeah, I'm tired of it, too.

 

[ThePhantasm]

[YT]YZf0Q-v3u-k[/YT]

 

[Marvolo]

The One Ring.net has posted their full detailed breakdown of the new scenes in the DOS Extended Edition.

http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2014/10/21/93175-the-hobbit-the-desolation-of-smaug-extended-edition-scene-guide/

There is a very short scene of the men of the North burying the Witchking!

 

[regwec]

Damn. I do quite want to see that. It'll end up on Youtube, right?

 

[Marvolo]

Damn. I do quite want to see that. It'll end up on Youtube, right?

Eventually for sure. In the meantime:

Spoiler

Beorn and Gandalf are discussing the tombs

Beorn: There is more. Not long past word had spread that the dead had been seen walking near the high fells of Rhudaur.

Gandalf: The dead?

Beorn: Is it true? Are there tombs in those mountains?

Voiceover from Galadriel, as we watch a group of men carrying what appears to be a body wrapped in linens and chains: When Angmar fell, the men of the north took his body and all that he possessed, and sealed it in the high fells of Rhudaur. Deep within the rock, they buried him in a tomb so dark, it would never come to light.

Gandalf: Yes, there are tombs there.

 

[regwec]

Thanks for that.

 

[sueb1863]

Its important especially

Spoiler

considering the outcome of the Battle, and the fact that they and Thorin are the last heirs of Thror. The audience needs to know why its important that they survive the Battle.

Very true, but sadly it doesn't look like that's ever going to come up.

Spoiler

I think Kili's death will only be used for some cheap sentiment about him and Tauriel having a doomed love, or at least his doomed love for her, and that'll be it. Nothing about being heirs to Thorin or Thror. I'm not sure they're even going to bother killing off Fili, but if they do it won't be seen as significant because he didn't get a doomed love story. He got kind of ignored in the narrrative.

 

[ThePhantasm]

Sigh... the whole point of the ring wraiths is that they never die. They didn't die and then become wraiths, they were corrupted by their rings and they faded. That's why the One Ring is so dangerous to Frodo... if it corrupts him, it will turn him into a wraith too.

 

[regwec]

A presumed the Witch King was buried alive, so to speak.

Edit: I don't know why I seemed to say that in a Texan accent.

 

[Supernova]

Speaking as someone who never read the hobbit I am enjoying these films a lot so far. Watching DOS last night on HBO I felt though that smaug should have died in this movie and his battle with the hobbits cut down by 10 minutes. The whole showing him flying towards lake town and cutting to black was a cop out of sorts. Reminded me of the last harry potter film part1 with it ending with voldemort getting the wand.

 

[Venomfan]

And no, it doesn't say anywhere in AUJ that Kili and Fili are Thorin's nephews. Which really surprised me, because I thought that was sort of important.

Very true, but sadly it doesn't look like that's ever going to come up.

It does in DOS though. When Kili stays behind in Lake town they call each other uncle and nephew and Thorin says to Fili that one day he will be king

 

[Drizzle]

The One Ring.net has posted their full detailed breakdown of the new scenes in the DOS Extended Edition.

http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2014/10/21/93175-the-hobbit-the-desolation-of-smaug-extended-edition-scene-guide/

There is a very short scene of the men of the North burying the Witchking!

So no new elf footage, or did they just leave that out? I'm not sure if the scenes listed add up to 25 minutes.

 

[Man in the Suit]

I'm really looking forward to the DOS EE.

Del Toro left because there was no reliable time table. Del Toro would have basically had to sit around wondering if the films were gonna get made. He instead went out and took over Pacific Rim. Which did not flop, and is a far better film then any Peter has made since Two Towers imo.

I like Pac Rim, but there's no way its better. Acting and writing alone puts it below PJ's.