Re: The Desolation of Smaug pre-release thread [3] [SPOILERS]

[Bluebottle]

He did have a beguiling quality in the books though. People calling him Smaug the magnificent and Gandalf making a point of mentioning his intelligence.

I agree with Halfwise that it would be a problem if that quality was lost for "movie making reasons."

[Bluebottle]

Actually, the thing that came to mind first for me was Aragorn's story about Luthien in Fellowship of the Ring.  I don't have my books in front of me though so I can't check how much information about Luthien was given in the books compared to what was stated in the movies.  I'm pretty sure there was a comment in the EE documentaries about how they read The Silmarillion and/or other posthumous Tolkien works while writing the films, but I could be misremembering as its been quite some time since I've seen those.

I think Aragorn tells the Hobbit at least part of the story of Tinuviel at Weathertop, though there is obviously a lot more in the Silmarillion and elsewhere. Don't really remembered how much was shown in the movie, so there might be parts they had to take from elsewhere.

But I think it's quite obvious that some influence from the Silmarillion and other works will have crept through in places.

[Mrs Figg]

I really hope they show Smaugs character and dont turn him into some generic baddie, I imagine Smaug like a mixture of Alan Rickman's Sheriff of Notingham and Hannibal Lector. Fascinating, vain but totally bonkers Flying Frying killer.,

[David H]

I imagine Smaug like a mixture of Alan Rickman's Sheriff of Notingham and Hannibal Lector. Fascinating, vain but totally bonkers Flying Frying killer.,

If they can pull that off (and I think BC is an actor who could do it) I could forgive them a lot of other stupidity.

[Sinister71]

I know the voice for Smaug is gonna be incredible. Now what he actually says and looks like are the points that the character could fail. Or could be simply amazing. I just don't have that kind of faith in Peter Jackson to get everything right. He always seems to go one step too far in his interpretation for my tastes. So far I see more from DOS than I did from AUJ that looks good. The best parts of AUJ were the parts that stuck to the book which probably will be the same in DOS. Time will tell and we are less than a month away

[halfwise]

From what I've heard of Smaug, as I said above I think he's too sinister. No charm at all. Tolkien described him as having a rather overwhelming personality, not knee shaking terrifying with every word.

[Tinuviel]

Yeah, I feel like Smaug will make or break this movie. It can be salvaged if Smaug is great, but if he sucks, then it's going to be very dismal.

[halfwise]

I don't think he'll suck so much as be wrong.

[Bluebottle]

Hasn't Jackson already got the pronounciation of his name wrong? Certainly doesn't bode well.

I think it's a real shame they couldn't get Freeman and Cumberbatch in one place so they could really have a go at playing off each other. With the budget these films are made with that is pretty astounding.

[halfwise]

I think it's a real shame they couldn't get Freeman and Cumberbatch in one place so they could really have a go at playing off each other. With the budget these films are made with that is pretty astounding.

They should have just done dialogue during lunch while Sherlock was filming.

[Mrs Figg]

I would love to be a fly on the wall in Martin Freemans house the day after the Hobbit film comes out. I bet he either just goes to the pub like nothing happened, or as he sits watching the telly he occasionally shudders to himself as he remembers the cringe making schmoozing he had to do at the request of the suits.

[Tinuviel]

Hasn't Jackson already got the pronounciation of his name wrong? Certainly doesn't bode well.

I think it's a real shame they couldn't get Freeman and Cumberbatch in one place so they could really have a go at playing off each other. With the budget these films are made with that is pretty astounding.

A lot of things are pretty astounding compared to the budget they have. It's noticeably larger than LOTR, but where is all the money going? Not to prosthetics or miniatures or sets.

Another thing I've been wondering is if the difference in the production team has affected the film at all. I've been watching the LOTR appendices and I keep thinking that if the same people who worked on LOTR stayed for the Hobbit, would it be such a Hollywood style film. Viggo says something really important (it was some eerily accurate foreshadowing) about how big budget films can make you forget about what your really trying to do and how you can get caught up in the hype of it all and completely forget the source material and the values that you set out with. The director of District 9 said the same thing when talked to about making Elysium. He didn't want to at first because the more money he borrowed, the more his hands were tied by the production companies. I wonder if PJ is the puppet and Sauron is elsewhere  

[halfwise]

• Things going "boom!" - check.
• Old characters replaced by young hunks - check.
• Sequel tie-in - check.
• Jiggle vision - semi check.

You may be on to something, Tin.

[Bluebottle]

Figg; Well, he's only an incidentary character in this movie after all. He's not a lead like Thorin, Bard or Gandalf.  

My guess is he's probably thinking that after this he won't have to work again unless he wants to and if they'll ask him to do something he's not that interested in they'll probably pay him a shedload to do it.

Tin; I'm not really sure.

Some of the changes they have made to the story like the need to invent a bad guy for the first movie, in Azog, the introduction of a female character in the next one and the turning of all the central characters into heroes seem straight out of a "Hollywood movie production" text book.

But a lot of the things that doesn't really work with the movie is stuff Peter Jackson is championing, like the hfr and overuse of green screen.

So it's hard to say really, probably a bit of both.

[RA]

But a lot of the things that doesn't really work with the movie is stuff Peter Jackson is championing, like the hfr and overuse of green screen.

It's is a shame because some of these things Jackson's been using the Hobbit as vehicle to promote may have been great in a different genre or setting. Middle Earth wasn't the place to do it though.
And yeah, Jackson and co write very hamfistedly in my opinion. The only reason Azog is there is because basic movie making logic says each film must have an antagonist. The protagonist has to be handsome and relate-able hence Thorin "not Aragorn". Every character has to have an arc hence Faramir; it's only a shame he forgot about the most important character in the book: The Hobbit himself!

[bungobaggins]

I just re-watched one of the TV spots for AUJ. I remember being so excited.

 

One year later.

 

[Forest Shepherd]

I just re-watched one of the TV spots for AUJ. I remember being so excited.

 

One year later.

 

I had nerdgasms for every new Developer Diary. I had a heck of a time trying to find other people who were as interested in talking about them as I was.

I remember I was talking to a friend over lunch (I was helping him and his dad with orchard work (being paid that is)) and we had been sitting there for a while. I went ahead and blurted out what was in my head, something about how Gollum could have bitten off Frodo's finger if he only had nine teeth and wondering which ones they were. Anyway, his estimation of my geeky-ness went up a good amount after that.
Le sigh. I had to explain the importance of such things to him after that.  

[bungobaggins]

Me too. I didn't even know a hobbit movie was being made until the first trailer was released in December 2011 (I was totally out of the loop). I didn't have anything to do the day the trailer was released. So I waited around...ALL day. The trailer was released at 9pm CST, if I remember correctly. There was so much promise and hope.  

[RA]

There was so much promise and hope.  

And then you saw the movie.

[bungobaggins]

There was so much promise and hope.  

And then you saw the movie.

RA, that just made my night.  

I'd love to see a Plinkett review of The Hobbit movies.

[Tinuviel]

There's a new TV spot with some Smaug Bilbo dialogue

[bungobaggins]

omg, the top youtube comment.

Some explanations why Legolas is int he movie:The Hobbit movie is not based on The Hobbit book,it is based on The Hobbit book + scripts at the end of Lotr book what have some things what were happening at the time at The Hobbit book,but these things are not in The Hobbit book.Tolkien wnted to re-write The Hobbit after Lotr,to fit it in nicely,but he died.Legolas lives at the time of The Hobbit book,cause he is Thranduil's son,and elves can't die by natural death.So, how would You explain if Legolas is not in the movie? Where is he then?

Tolkien wnted to re-write The Hobbit after Lotr,to fit it in nicely,but he died.

but he died.

my sides

[Forest Shepherd]

This reminds me of Wisey Banks (sp?) and his channeling, or whatever that was called. Good thing Peter Jackson (and Co.) are around to finish Tolkien's work for him!

[Ringdrotten]

Why on earth do they feel the need to include lines like "The Darkness is coming" and "bla bla doomed bla bla prophecy-like bull****" everywhere?

[Forest Shepherd]

Why on earth do they feel the need to include lines like "The Darkness is coming" and "bla bla doomed bla bla prophecy-like bull****" everywhere?

Because it's dramatic, donchya know?