Hobbit movie blah blah

[aussiepeach]

Finally saw the Desolation of Smaug on DVD! Hmm, what a curate’s egg of a movie. Parts were excellent, the other parts were… a lot of faffing about.

Comments

[mechtild]

Good day, Peachy! I also found the Desolation of Smaug hit and miss, but more hits than misses than in the first film. Having said that, though, things I liked best in the first film I like better than the things I like best in the second film. Loved the Dwarves in Bag End scenes in the first film and disagreed they went on too long. I thought they captured the charm of the book well, both the humour and the more serious parts (loved it when they sang the Misty Mountain song). I was sorry the film couldn't keep up the level after that. I bought the EE of it months ago but still haven't watched it. I plan to fastforward through the trolls and orcs, whether Azog's or the Bruegel-esque crowd under the mountain

[aussiepeach]

Hee, let it all out Mech!

Agree on many points. I don't object to Tauriel as a character - but that she was in there at all. For the sake of having a female kickass character who was not in the book, and the whole Kili thing. I read on IMDB that their scenes were added to 'beef up' the film. That says it all!

Leggie, well, yes. His blue contacts were distracting! :D

Design team et al are superb, no question. And the prolonged chase, yes, it was too long and not needed. I get why the Dwarves became involved, otherwise they never get to face down their foe. But it went on and on and on! The more PJ tries to thrill, the more bored I get. Mind you, Gilded Smaug looked very cool.

Re PJ, yes again. He seems to have that awful tendency to replace storytelling (and great mythical storytelling at that) with bombast and too many special effects. At least we got the magicry that was LOTR!

[mechtild]

At least we got the magicry that was LOTR!

Ah, yes, we did. *sigh sigh sigh*

[ghyste]

It helps that I was never emotionally attached to The Hobbit in the way I was to LoTR and the works set in the First Age, but to my mind the Hobbit trilogy of films has moved so far from the original works that I’m able to watch it as an original creation rather than an adaptation.

On the plus side it stops my brain from going “but, but, but…” all the way through but on the minus side I am painfully aware of the slightness of the story that has been stretched to make 3 films and in both of the parts that have been so far released I have found myself looking at my watch after the first hour and desperately hoping that it’ll all end soon. Swings and roundabouts, I guess.

For the record, in Desolation I found Tauriel one of the better realised characters.

[aussiepeach]

I love the book, but PJ should have kept the films as two IMHO. Too much padding and self-indulgence. It really doesn't feel like LOTR did.

Tauriel was well realised, I agree, but as I said to Mech, I just didn't want her there so much. When she showed up at Laketown I just thought, oh please, can't we get back to Bilbo? I kept expecting her to be tragically killed so Legolas could feel bad. Wonder if she'll survive part 3?

[ghyste]

My guess about Tauriel in the next film is that Kili will die while he's defending her rather than while he and Fili are defending Thorin.

[aussiepeach]

Quite possibly. Ugh. Tolkien would have a snit fit!

[shirebound]

Martin Freeman is perfection as Bilbo.

I agree wholeheartedly about PJ and his carrot! What a jarring scene.

[aussiepeach]

He is, and I wish he was given more screen time. It's his story, after all!

I didn't really like the Bree scene full stop, it felt like rehashing for the sake of it, and PJ could easily have made a cameo in Laketown instead.

[gilli_ann]

Interesting, Peachy! I thought the film was more miss than hit, unfortunately.

I was sorely disappointed by Smaug's scenes. The longer they lasted the more he became an ineffectual Wiley Coyote to Bilbo and the Dwarves' road runners.

I liked Tauriel. Hadn't expected that but I really did.

All in all the highlights for me were the scenes in mirkwood. The elven realm, the spiders, and first and foremost Thranduil. Such a cool and fascinatig character. I could have watched MUCH.more Thranduil.

Generally the visuals were great, but the constant nonrealistic physics-free goings-on reduced large parts of the film to a computer game for me.

[aussiepeach]

Oh dear, Smaug as Wiley Coyote! It was all dragged out too long, dammit. I guess PJ thought he'd better milk the dragon so to speak, before he got killed. *sigh*

I never minded the idea of Tauriel when everyone was freaking out about her, and I think Lilly did a good job, but the romance aspect was cringeworthy. Bad PJ. No carrot!

Mirkwood, yes, that was good. Creepy. Bilbo getting wrapped up a la Frodo. I do wish they hadn't done that scar thing with Thranduil though. I'm glad that idea never got into LOTR.

Computer game - yes, that's what so bloody annoying about all the 'pump up the excitement' stuff. I had so much more joy watching Sherlock! Action-packed too, but it never felt like 'let's keep the teenaged boys happy'.

[aussiepeach]

Hi Poil! Yes, tedious Laketown faff. The Master was well done, yay Stephen Fry!

Tauriel has some fans! That's nice. But I do feel like she was PJ's replacement for Xenarwen. I wonder what will happen to her?

Sauron was pretty cool. Poor Gandalf copped it.

Yes, I've never liked the Azog/Bolg stuff. Amen to your Professor comment! Smaug is the baddie. The orcs will have their day at the final battle.

Thorin and Balin are lovely. Bard I liked too.

The chase with Smaug made the falling skulls in ROTK's EE look restrained! But yes, there were some 'oooh' stills.

Thranduil's realm was lovely. And edgy Elves!

I did think PJ would learn to reign himself in after King Kong. Alas, not!