That's just what Jesus said, sir!
THE HOBBIT
- Thread starter checkeredhat
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People complain for the sake of complaining, especially when they cannot be bothered to try things out for themselves in a "let's see for myself" approach. Like children who won't eat steamed veggies because it's not "cool" to others. Let's be honest, it's child-like and quite frankly unbecoming to hear this type of talk. It doesn't really bother me but it does annoy me that uneducated opinions get more attention then they should.
Let us move on from that.
Favorite moment of the movie? (spoilers!)
Let us move on from that.
Favorite moment of the movie? (spoilers!)
Honestly, the first 20+ minutes blew my mind. That singing? And that theme? Frodo walks into the scene and I'm watching parts of Fellowship of the Ring? Holy shit. My wife leaned over and went, this is awesome, WTF is going on. I whispered to her. MEMENTO, BRAH
Oh and I love the expanded role of Azog in the movie. It gives the orcs more of a purpose to viciously hunt Thorin and Co. as opposed to just being a rabble like in the book. Like I said, Peter Jackson did an excellent job of mixing the lighter tone of the novel to the serious tone and grander scale of The Lord of the Rings.
I think the portrayal of Gollum best represents the overall tone of the film. It's the same Gollum from Lord of the Rings, but he has a more sinister feel to him like in the Hobbit. The way Frodo and Sam tame him him in the originals, I thought it would be hard to make Gollum a threatening creature (like he is in the book). Jackson pulled it off.[DOUBLEPOST=1355711066][/DOUBLEPOST]
I think the portrayal of Gollum best represents the overall tone of the film. It's the same Gollum from Lord of the Rings, but he has a more sinister feel to him like in the Hobbit. The way Frodo and Sam tame him him in the originals, I thought it would be hard to make Gollum a threatening creature (like he is in the book). Jackson pulled it off.[DOUBLEPOST=1355711066][/DOUBLEPOST]
The singing parts are amazing, and VERY VERY Tolkien.
http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-hobbit-an-unexpected-journey
Critics are sometimes really worthless for a good film. Just like some for a good restaurant on Yelp.[DOUBLEPOST=1355711592][/DOUBLEPOST]
Critics are sometimes really worthless for a good film. Just like some for a good restaurant on Yelp.[DOUBLEPOST=1355711592][/DOUBLEPOST]
I think because he beheaded Thror (thus starting something he wanted to finish), and because Thorin cut off his arm.
Like it, love it, meh to it, hate it, one way or another--the movie is padded. You can't honestly say it isn't after you see a scene where Frodo is getting Bilbo's mail the day before the party and says he's going off to surprise Gandalf, tying the damn Fellowship's beginning so tightly to this that they were a hair away from showing Frodo sitting outside the tree. He had the damn book in his hand.
That said, I think that was the only bad scene in the movie. The movie has a number of unnecessary scenes, but they're good scenes, and once you get past the several set-up scenes for the boss orc and the Necromancer, it flows better. At worst I'd have to say the movie is over-indulgent, but if you're on-board for getting back into Middle-Earth, you're not going to really have a problem... until the sudden ending which you can't be surprised by.
And now the long list of things I liked (SPOILERS):
So overall, could've been shorter, could've been tighter, but I didn't mind the indulgence one bit. It was fun and worth the watch. Also, saw it on a regular screen, not 3D, it's just as good the usual way.
That said, I think that was the only bad scene in the movie. The movie has a number of unnecessary scenes, but they're good scenes, and once you get past the several set-up scenes for the boss orc and the Necromancer, it flows better. At worst I'd have to say the movie is over-indulgent, but if you're on-board for getting back into Middle-Earth, you're not going to really have a problem... until the sudden ending which you can't be surprised by.
And now the long list of things I liked (SPOILERS):
- The telling of the fall of the dwarf kingdom.
- I think it's funny how people consider Smaug might have left the Lonely Mountain just because he hadn't been seen in 60 years. Thorin saw him in the hall. The gold coins were swirling in the air. Smaug was rolling in gold. Scrooge McDuck didn't take a bath in coins that lovingly. The dragon wasn't going to just leave that hoard.
- Martin Freeman = fantastic as Bilbo. As said, kind of a better protagonist than Frodo, and you can feel it as he's trying to keep his house in order.
- I actually thought the dialogue was a bit better written than in Lord of the Rings. Whereas many parts of that were waxing poetic, I appreciated that a lot of the good lines in this were about comradery, helping, and the characters' personalities. I especially liked Gandalf pointing out how Bilbo cared too much about pointless elements of his life and was oblivious to having a real experience.
- The antagonists TALK. They actually communicate and banter and bicker and show they have minds and personalities even though they're bad guys. Yeah, I know Saruman talked in the LOTR movies, but this was different. The trolls talked, the goblins--loved the Goblin King (same voice as Bruce from Finding Nemo), the orcs. It was good stuff.
- Rhadagast's rabbits. Those were cool little hoppers. I hope there's more Rhadagast in the other movies. I'm curious how they're going to pace the Necromancer stuff in the sequels.
- I was nervous about Saruman's presence because I thought there would be hints of future evil or whatever stupidity like that, but no, he was good, just felt like he had no time for anything Gandalf had to say. Didn't care for how they tried to tie Smaug as a possible weapon of future Sauron.
- At first as they were getting to the Misty Mountains and it was all snow caps, I was like "that's not right! That's just the mountain from the Fellowship!" Then it cut to the storm and the fog-filled valley and I was grinning, because that was exactly how I saw the mountains when I read the book.
- Everything in the Misty Mountains was great. The giants, Bilbo's words with Bofer, the goblin horde, the Goblin King. Everything between Bilbo and Gollum was perfect, and the narrative did not leave the scene until the riddle game was over. Also loved how they demonstrated Bilbo sparing him. And then the escape--good gods, the escape. Although I was annoyed that Gandalf was saving them for the third time, the escape was amazing. I loved seeing the dwarves use everything they could get their hands on to push forward, ladders, poles, etc. And then the collapsing areas, the swinging platforms. That was a treat. That deserved big screen viewing.
- I think it's funny how people consider Smaug might have left the Lonely Mountain just because he hadn't been seen in 60 years. Thorin saw him in the hall. The gold coins were swirling in the air. Smaug was rolling in gold. Scrooge McDuck didn't take a bath in coins that lovingly. The dragon wasn't going to just leave that hoard.
- Martin Freeman = fantastic as Bilbo. As said, kind of a better protagonist than Frodo, and you can feel it as he's trying to keep his house in order.
- I actually thought the dialogue was a bit better written than in Lord of the Rings. Whereas many parts of that were waxing poetic, I appreciated that a lot of the good lines in this were about comradery, helping, and the characters' personalities. I especially liked Gandalf pointing out how Bilbo cared too much about pointless elements of his life and was oblivious to having a real experience.
- The antagonists TALK. They actually communicate and banter and bicker and show they have minds and personalities even though they're bad guys. Yeah, I know Saruman talked in the LOTR movies, but this was different. The trolls talked, the goblins--loved the Goblin King (same voice as Bruce from Finding Nemo), the orcs. It was good stuff.
- Rhadagast's rabbits. Those were cool little hoppers. I hope there's more Rhadagast in the other movies. I'm curious how they're going to pace the Necromancer stuff in the sequels.
- I was nervous about Saruman's presence because I thought there would be hints of future evil or whatever stupidity like that, but no, he was good, just felt like he had no time for anything Gandalf had to say. Didn't care for how they tried to tie Smaug as a possible weapon of future Sauron.
- At first as they were getting to the Misty Mountains and it was all snow caps, I was like "that's not right! That's just the mountain from the Fellowship!" Then it cut to the storm and the fog-filled valley and I was grinning, because that was exactly how I saw the mountains when I read the book.
- Everything in the Misty Mountains was great. The giants, Bilbo's words with Bofer, the goblin horde, the Goblin King. Everything between Bilbo and Gollum was perfect, and the narrative did not leave the scene until the riddle game was over. Also loved how they demonstrated Bilbo sparing him. And then the escape--good gods, the escape. Although I was annoyed that Gandalf was saving them for the third time, the escape was amazing. I loved seeing the dwarves use everything they could get their hands on to push forward, ladders, poles, etc. And then the collapsing areas, the swinging platforms. That was a treat. That deserved big screen viewing.
So overall, could've been shorter, could've been tighter, but I didn't mind the indulgence one bit. It was fun and worth the watch. Also, saw it on a regular screen, not 3D, it's just as good the usual way.
Once again I boldly state, this is why concepts like Metacritic are useless as fuck. Complete bandwagon effect.
How could I forget Radagast! Perfect adaptation of how I've always thought of him! A crazy old coot!
I just got home from seeing the movie. I am pleased. I liked how different things were brought into the story, and enjoyed the overall feel of the movie. I don't mind the additions from the LOTR appendices, and feel that they are going to be important to viewers that haven't READ the book/s in the next two films.
Yes, it is possible that it could be a little tighter time-wise, but look at many of the great films of the past, lots of establishing shots and even freaking intermissions. Tolkien wrote this after LOTR was well in progress, and LOTR started as a study in language.
I willingly await the next chapter in the trilogy. I guess that I should add that I saw the 2D version, as I really don't like 3D at all.
Yes, it is possible that it could be a little tighter time-wise, but look at many of the great films of the past, lots of establishing shots and even freaking intermissions. Tolkien wrote this after LOTR was well in progress, and LOTR started as a study in language.
I willingly await the next chapter in the trilogy. I guess that I should add that I saw the 2D version, as I really don't like 3D at all.
That is the one scene that seemed entirely pointless, I agree. I have a hard time seeing how it will be relevant at any point over the course of the movies.
I did like that the additions and changes meant that even someone like me who's read the book didn't know what would happen next.
Frodo is reading of Bilbo's adventures before he left on his own adventure, ties Fellowship into the end of Hobbit. My guess is that there will be a corresponding scene at the end of the last movie. Could even have a scene that ties it all together in each of the movies. This is just guessing, I haven't read about what was going into each movie outside of the broad outline of first movie ends here, second here, third covers the rest.[DOUBLEPOST=1355713957][/DOUBLEPOST]
I think we're on the same page then. I don't expect an adaptation of a book to follow exactly, but do expect it to be closer than the piece of garbage that carried the name Eragon.
Bilbo's book was still on his desk and was much larger than the one Frodo went to read. And the timeline of Bilbo beginning the book, telling the fall of the dwarf kingdom, and then Frodo popping in made it seem like he was just starting to write it the day before his birthday.
It was a clumsy way to go in my opinion. But I'm not going to damn the whole 2 hours and 45 minutes over a 3-minute scene.
Also an option, also an option.
Thing is, while I liked the Hobbit book and the LotR movies (haven't read the LotR books yet, been meaning to), I don't feel like I'm as hardcore a fan as a lot of other people. Without as much emotional investment in the Hobbit, I feel like changes to the movie won't bother me that much. I just want to review the characters and plot and stuff so I know what's going on.
Sort of like how I liked the Jurassic Park movie even though its only connections to the book were pretty much "dinosaurs," "park," and "nature will kick your ass."
Only thing I found weird about that, was that in the book, it is Bolg, son of Azog, who tracks the Dwarves (though in the book it's not until after they reclaim the Lonely Mountain). Seemed a pointless change to make. My guess is that they're doing it this way to reveal Bolg's motivation to the audience directly, and tie it back in to the Dwarves failed attempt to retake Moria yet again, by having Thorin killed by Azog, and Azog killed by Dain, and Bolg retreating his host back to Moria.
figmentPez
Staff member
One part of the movie did seem a little pandering to me, though: the characterization of Kili the dwarf. I'm fine with the dwarves being more fleshed out than in the books, I'm even fine with some of the dwarves having minimal prosthetics and being more human standard handsome, but one of the pretty-boy dwarves is also the archer in the group? C'mon, that's just blatantly playing to the fanbase trying to create someone new for Legolas fans to swoon over.
(Only mostly kidding about this rant.
)
(Only mostly kidding about this rant.
)
Couldn't wait, saw it today. It's fantastic. I found some of the humor out of place, but all in all I loved it. I didn't want it to end, knowing there's a year before the real meat of the story (Mirkwood and beyond).
I think that Frodo has the version that Bilbo wrote for him, and Bilbo is writing the truer story in The Red Book. I'm not upset or anything, just having some fun with speculation since it's all so fresh on my mind right now.
I love how the riddle game was done on screen, and the addition of the company's pov of their race through the goblin city. That both were played out in full without swapping from one to the other. Bilbo's anguish of sparing Gollum and Gollum's despair were well done also.
Some combination of it saves having to introduce another character and leaves Thorin's revenge currently unfinished perhaps. And makes Azog a bit more a badass for surviving that.
Oh also. Goddamn Wilhem Scream. I heard it as a Goblin fell off of some scaffolding and it bugged the shit out of me for a solid minute or two. I wish people would stop using it.
I think the Wilhelm Scream is used in pretty much all of Jackson's movies. It was in all of the LotR movies, King Kong, and I'm pretty sure it was in The Frighteners. I don't know any of his other movies well enough to remember if I heard it there.
North_Ranger
Staff member
Don't make me slap you
This gave me goosebumps. I love it.
Yeah, it's one of his signatures, as is a cameo in each movie. I love the Wilhelm though, it's just so cheesy and I can't help snickering when I hear it. I guess I could see how it can get annoying for people but not for me!
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