The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Heroditas

FunLover18 wrote: »

It might have been mentioned but there's an image online of the Bolg they were going to use (a man in a costume) before they decided to cg him out.

I never knew that. After googling the picture, he looks a lot better than the CGI mess.

TrueIt

Worth a watch

david75

Haha

sticker

Watched this last night and was REALLY disappointed with it.

I'm a massive LOTR fan (books and films) and was seriously bowled over with Jackson’s treatment of the original trilogy, but this playstation game of poxy CGI work, green screen claptrap and Disney fun-ride scenes left me ice cold. I felt it hadn't a grain of the spine tingle treatment of LOTR.

I did think Freeman nailed it and Bard was treated well, but all others I had zero empathy with. It honestly had a George Lucas stink off it -

even with the horrid cameo of PJ 6 seconds in - God that was clumsy.

The funny thing is I watched these lengthy production diaries of these HUGE outdoor NZ shoots - bouncing equipment to these jaw dropping locations, but as far as I could see the whole thing was shot indoors with green screen. I can't think of a single non-CG worked scene that felt elemental.

The score was barely noticeable too -

As I said above, I'm a definite PJ fan and his LOTR work will get multiple viewings from me into the future, but I won't be going back to these. What a missed opportunity and a blatant bloated revenue generator.

david75

Just got this. Now for three hours of outrage and shouting at the tv

Mickeroo

Maybe you should be directing the outrage at the mirror for paying money to watch a film you clearly don't like for, what, the third time? :pac:

Zubeneschamali

david75 wrote: »

Just got this. Now for three hours of outrage and shouting at the tv

I'm waiting for the special edition, so I can throw Pringles at the TV for an extra hour.

david75

See I want to like it. I want to love it. We've all invested so much faith in these people as filmmakers and they've done great for the most part. This is a huge failure.

I'll watch it again in a few hours.

Soft Falling Rain

Only watched it on Monday and really enjoyed it, big step up on the first. I really have to commend Cumberbatch on his voice work for Smaug, that final line of "I am fire, I am......death" was absolutely chilling.

david75

All it really needed to do, was make Smaug amazing and they did that in spades. I can forgive the whole for that.

Just wondering though. He's probably gonna die in the first ten minutes of the last one. Then it'll be an hour or even two of exposition about the different factions all getting their knickers in a twist and coming to erebor to lay siege(the purpose of which I've actually forgotten)
We'll see I guess

david75

I want to build a small hobbit hole at the end of my garden. And despite there being a million website out there about people making their own, there are none to be found telling you how to do it. Frustrating.

WolfForager

EDIT: NVM, completely misunderstood.

Mickeroo

I think it was a missed opportunity not having

Smaug's death

happen in this. Would have made for a more complete film and still left plenty stuff to pad out the final part.

david75

I'd agree. I'd say they're going for a big climactic finish but I don't see how they can drag out smaugs story. Battle of the five armies happens because he's been dealt with.

Sad Professor

It’s a repeat of what happened with Shelob in The Two Towers. One of Jackson’s main arguments for moving the Shelob sequence into ROTK was that the Battle of Helms Deep would cancel it out. He then proceeded to intercut it with the Battle of Pelennor Fields. Despite his concern that he didn’t have enough material for ROTK, the film ended up overstuffed with a third of it left on the cutting room floor.

Mickeroo

Sad Professor wrote: »

It’s a repeat of what happened with Shelob in The Two Towers. One of Jackson’s main arguments for moving the Shelob sequence into ROTK was that the Battle of Helms Deep would cancel it out. He then proceeded to intercut it with the Battle of Pelennor Fields. Despite his concern that he didn’t have enough material for ROTK, the film ended up overstuffed with a third of it left on the cutting room floor.

I thought that actually worked though, helms deep gave TTT a decent impetus and allows it to work as a stand alone film in many ways where as this felt like it was building up to something and stopped dead before it happened.

Of course, this could just be because I know whats coming. Maybe it worked fine for those who didn't read the book.

Zubeneschamali

Mickeroo wrote: »

I thought that actually worked though, helms deep gave TTT a decent impetus and allows it to work as a stand alone film in many ways

Moving Shelob into the third movie made a mess of Frodo's story in TTT, and Jackson had to add a stupid "climax" with Faramir and a winged Nazgul in Osgiliath.

Using Shelob and the book's cliff-hanger would have been far more effective than making Faramir into a pretend bad guy for half an hour.

xtal191

Is there really this many differences in the blu ray?

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid935471787001?bckey=AQ~~%2CAAAACMzGMJk~%2CRYQzCEk5IfKnEyfo5dmHK5cF207hcFae&bctid=3441476329001

Mickeroo

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

Moving Shelob into the third movie made a mess of Frodo's story in TTT, and Jackson had to add a stupid "climax" with Faramir and a winged Nazgul in Osgiliath.

Using Shelob and the book's cliff-hanger would have been far more effective than making Faramir into a pretend bad guy for half an hour.

I agree entirely, it was something that annoyed me to no end the first time I saw it in the cinema. I just felt that Helm's Deep managed to distract from that a bit whereas in this the focus was entirely on Smaug so it felt somewhat unfinished to me.

Antar Bolaeisk

xtal191 wrote: »

Is there really this many differences in the blu ray?

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid935471787001?bckey=AQ~~%2CAAAACMzGMJk~%2CRYQzCEk5IfKnEyfo5dmHK5cF207hcFae&bctid=3441476329001

Just looks like the trailer was using unfinished VFX which isn't all that uncommon. Can't recall what those scenes looked like on the theatrical release though.

CobraClan

I only got to see The Desolation of Smaug last night, hate sitting in cinemas so I wanted to wait for it to come out on DVD so I could enjoy it in the comfort of my own home!

After the first 5 seconds of the movies opening scene, my worst fears were confirmed when Peter Jackson walk onto the screen and takes a big bite of carrot, it looked stupid and totally out of place, I almost felt he was mocking the film from the start which turned out to be one big mockery!

There is nothing perilous about the peril in this movie, sometimes I wonder why the Dwarves are running away at all!

The scene with Beorn, which is supposed to be one of the highlights of the movie is so short if you blinked you would miss it. And then it has Beorn going into how much he hates Dwarves but he hates Orcs more, what do you need! He gives them horses next thing you know there at Mirkwood, no peril at all, totally pointless scene!

Mirkwood was a big disappoint, they only entered the forest and two minutes later their lost, then the fight with spiders then captured by elves, all in the space of 10 minutes!

Is it just me or is it that all the important scenes are to short and all the pointless ones are to long?

At time I thought I was watching a John Woo move, way too much fighting scenes, way too many Orcs way too much CGI.

Whats up with Legolas, seems a bit to moody and is it just me but he looks a bit CGI looking?

And the love story between Tauriel and Kili is so ridiculous and lame I cant believe someone thought it was a good idea to put in a movie, like come on, I've read the Hobbit about 10 times over the years and there's no love story in it at all, it doesn't need a love story so why put a stupid pointless one in between a Dwarve and a she elf.

I found the movie had so many scenes in it that it just didn't add anything whatsoever to the story, if anything he took out some very good plots from book and replaced them with pointless action!

I am glad I decided to wait for this movie to come out on DVD, I didn't miss much by waiting and if the The Hobbit, There and Back Again is anything like this one, then I won't be missing much then.

Very disappointing Mr jackson!

david75

I'd agree with all of that. It's bloated with jacksons impotent fabrications and integral scenes from the actual story are cut to almost nothing.
They made this into a Hollywood action movie and they didn't need to. It makes his King Kong look good and that says a lot.

I just reread the final chapters of the book this morning, trying to figure out what The filmmakers are going to do.
It'd be really hard to screw up the last one.
Though how Gandalf is going to be rescued is my biggest concern.
I think the white council expels the necromancer from dul guldur.
So presumabley Galadriel, elrond and saruman come to his aid.
Better see some kick ass elven magic. Can't figure out how else they'll do it.

SmokeyEyes

Shadowfax died today (real name Blanco)

Loved this scene, proved to me how good Peter could be with something very simple and real that could be conveyed with that hint of magic, makes me want to watch LOTR all over again!

CobraClan

david75 wrote: »

I'd agree with all of that. It's bloated with jacksons impotent fabrications and integral scenes from the actual story are cut to almost nothing.
They made this into a Hollywood action movie and they didn't need to. It makes his King Kong look good and that says a lot.

I just reread the final chapters of the book this morning, trying to figure out what The filmmakers are going to do.
It'd be really hard to screw up the last one.
Though how Gandalf is going to be rescued is my biggest concern.
I think the white council expels the necromancer from dul guldur.
So presumabley Galadriel, elrond and saruman come to his aid.
Better see some kick ass elven magic. Can't figure out how else they'll do it.

It will have to be totally amazing film if its going to make up for the last two, at this point I think it would have to be as good as the LOTR and I seriously doubt that will happen. Its painful to watch such a beautiful story get cut up into a terrible awful mess!

Irish94

I have read the book, but please use spoilers, it is unfair on the people who haven't read it.

dreamers75

It really shouldnt be 3 movies, i stand over the other 3 as exceptional standouts to books into good movies. But the hobbit is nothing on them.

Antar Bolaeisk

david75 wrote: »

Better see some kick ass elven magic. Can't figure out how else they'll do it.

Eagles obviously

Un Croissant

Antar Bolaeisk wrote: »

Eagles obviously

Rabbits.

norrie rugger

Irish94 wrote: »

I have read the book, but please use spoilers, it is unfair on the people who haven't read it.

Wait wait, people come into a film thread and expect the book differences and similarities not to be discussed??

FunLover18

norrie rugger wrote: »

Wait wait, people come into a film thread and expect the book differences and similarities not to be discussed??

I think it's fair to assume they may not expect the book events from the next film to be discussed. I think spoiler tags for the

The battle of five armies and Bilbo's dealings with the Arkan stone

are fair enough