Re: In theatres: 'Desolation of Smaug' | SPOILERS

by Sinister71 Sat Dec 14, 2013 1:16 am

halfwise wrote:I was on the verge of asking if those people who absolutely loved LotR had it ruined by seeing the same hand at work in the Hobbit. Guess that answers it.

I don't think it will ruin it Halfy but it definitely wont be watching it from the Beginning of the Hobbit until the end of ROTK I can say that. Personally I couldn't care less about watching the prequel trilogy before watching LOTR. They don't even have the same look or feel like they would flow together. But I'll continue to watch LOTR because they are good timeless films

The Hobbit are pretty much disposable. Twisted Evil

by Sinister71 Sat Dec 14, 2013 1:23 am

I think one major place Jackson went wrong was trying to connect the ring from LOTR to the trinket Bilbo carries. Making them the same powerful thing instead of letting it grow just like it did in the book.

Making this trilogy as much about Sauron's rise as LOTR was.There are several scenes where emphasis is put unnecessarily on the ring. This is one major point I think Jackson failed in doing successfully. There should have been some subtlety and quiet moments that show the nature of the ring without always having to flaunt it in your face, forcing the viewer to look at something that they do not need to notice until later on in the next trilogy.

by Tinuviel Sat Dec 14, 2013 1:34 am

I agree with just about everything Eldo said! PJ is a one trick pony when it comes to Middle Earth. Here are some lines that are word-for-word from the trilogy

"Dwarf Blood" says an orc after licking his fingers. (copying gimli's "Orc Blood" from TT)
"Man flesh!" says another (both of these instances are after the dwarves climb out of the barrels)
"What say you?" says Thorin. Aragorn much?
"Aethalas? That's a Weed!" says Bard
The ring pulse.
And there are more that I can't think of off the top of my head, but yeah. It got really old really fast.

Best (and by best I mean worst) line of the movie.
Balin: Sure! They'll be done in a jiffy!
Dwalin: We don't have a jiffy...

:facepalm:

by Tinuviel Sat Dec 14, 2013 1:41 am

Another thing that bugged me was how much Smaug knew about current events, particularly Sauron. How did he know Bilbo was wearing the Ring? And how did he get him to take it off? It's something you're just supposed to accept, but it makes absolutely no sense to me.

by wisdom4madness Sat Dec 14, 2013 1:55 am

I just realized that Radaghast is the 7th Doctor Who. How crazy is that?!

Just saw Desolation in High frame rate. I am unsure what I feel about it. It was very different experience. Not a bad experience, but just different. I have never seen a high frame rate film before. I think the dragon looked amazing. i saw in 3d which I hate. totally not worth 3d.

Also just wanted to share the replica ring I found with all the movies. 1 ring

by Sinister71 Sat Dec 14, 2013 2:01 am

Tinuviel wrote:Another thing that bugged me was how much Smaug knew about current events, particularly Sauron. How did he know Bilbo was wearing the Ring? And how did he get him to take it off? It's something you're just supposed to accept, but it makes absolutely no sense to me.

Yeah interesting since Smaug hadn't been seen since destroying Erebor and Dale all those years ago. Another downfall IMO to Jackson shortening the years between Smaug taking the mountain and the dwarfs quest. I thought Smaug himself was well executed but I didn't get why they felt the need to have Bilbo put on the ring only to take it off and talk directly to Smaug. I prefer Tolkien's version where Bilbo stays hidden from the dragon. And the whole dwarfs fighting back stuff was crap.

by halfwise Sat Dec 14, 2013 2:25 am

wisdom4madness wrote:
Also just wanted to share the replica ring I found with all the movies. 1 ring

Do you actually have that ring? Or are you trying to get us to enter the give-away? Suspect

by Eldorion Sat Dec 14, 2013 3:35 am

Thanks to everyone who said kind things about my review! Very Happy

It was a lot of fun to write. I honestly didn't hate the film. I think it was more enjoyable than AUJ, though that might have just been the novelty factor. I'll probably see it a second time in theatres at some point, but I don't expect I'll rewatch it a ton after that (aside from right before TABA comes out). But this is fairly decisive proof that AUJ was not an anomaly (nor was King Kong, though that has more defenders), and that PJ is not going to be getting back to LOTR levels anytime soon.

by Eldorion Sat Dec 14, 2013 3:36 am

Tinuviel wrote:Another thing that bugged me was how much Smaug knew about current events, particularly Sauron. How did he know Bilbo was wearing the Ring? And how did he get him to take it off? It's something you're just supposed to accept, but it makes absolutely no sense to me.

Yeah, I think I forgot to put that in my review, but that bugged me. Maybe they'll reveal in TABA that Smaug hadn't actually been asleep for the past 60 years, he was just being lazy in the Mountain, and Sauron sent messengers to talk to him. Or something. Shrugging

Sinister71 wrote:Yeah interesting since Smaug hadn't been seen since destroying Erebor and Dale all those years ago. Another downfall IMO to Jackson shortening the years between Smaug taking the mountain and the dwarfs quest.

Not trying to be dense, though I am very tired, but where was it stated/implied that the timeline was abbreviated? scratch

by Eldorion Sat Dec 14, 2013 3:39 am

halfwise wrote:I was on the verge of asking if those people who absolutely loved LotR had it ruined by seeing the same hand at work in the Hobbit. Guess that answers it.

Not at all. It's just disappointing to see PJ retreading such similar ground in such an inferior manner. Sort of like the Star Wars prequels, except not nearly as bad.

Tinuviel wrote:I agree with just about everything Eldo said! PJ is a one trick pony when it comes to Middle Earth. Here are some lines that are word-for-word from the trilogy

One of the first ones that I noticed was "It's not natural! None of it!" Said by Sam in TTT referring to the Emyn Muil and the Dead Marshes, and said by ... one of the Dwarves (I honestly don't remember his name) about Beorn in DOS.

by Eldorion Sat Dec 14, 2013 3:43 am

Norc wrote:well, for fuck sakes, he's a grown man, he can fucking choose his jobs himself.

Of course he can, but he's not choosing to appear in very good movies lately. To be far, I haven't seen 12 Years a Slave but I've heard it's excellent. But other than that, most of his movies recently have a ton of reviews that say "it's not very good but Cumberbatch is by far the best thing about it". Wink

Norc wrote:also. i think the realisation of what he has done to get his ring back is rather good. it shows that bilbo still has the bilboish side.

His Bilboish side apparently has a really short memory though, since there are no emotional consequences or aftereffects beyond him briefly looking appalled.

Norc wrote:

Truth hurts. Very Happy

by Eldorion Sat Dec 14, 2013 3:44 am

Pettytyrant101 wrote:Well I've read it Eldo and the film sounds bloody awful and I'm far more crabbit and crticial than you of Pj so I dont forsee me being moved to a change of heart when I see it.

I'm actually really curious to know what you'd think of The Hobbit movies if they were exactly the same but didn't have PJ's name attached to them. Razz

Of course, I'm looking forward to your review nonetheless. Nod

by bungobaggins Sat Dec 14, 2013 6:08 am

Eldorion wrote:Also, Bilbo brutally murders a (baby?) spider for daring to touch the Ring in a scene that I'm pretty sure was stolen from Breaking Bad.

Those bastards! Mad

~~Gustavo Fring~~ Bilbo Baggins: I will kill your infant ~~daughter~~ spider!

Eldorion wrote:This is not at all Star Wars prequel level storytelling.

Are you sure? A Stalinist dictatorship town swarming with guards and spies is suddenly deserted for the sake of an action scene? To think having the guards there would have made the action scene bigger? Isn't that what Jackson wants?

The dwarves giving up when they're at the secret door? All the dumb-Gandalf stuff? It all sounds pretty Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones to me.

Eldorion wrote:If you're the sort of person who liked Star Trek Into Darkness, you will probably enjoy DOS.

I'm going to hate this movie, aren't I.

I enjoyed your review Eldo, and at this point I'm pretty much spoiled for the entire movie, so I'll know what's going to happen. I have no expectations for this movie. Actually I think I have negative expectations for this movie.

by bungobaggins Sat Dec 14, 2013 6:13 am

Tinuviel wrote:"Dwarf Blood" says an orc after licking his fingers. (copying gimli's "Orc Blood" from TT)
"Man flesh!" says another (both of these instances are after the dwarves climb out of the barrels)
"What say you?" says Thorin. Aragorn much?
"Aethalas? That's a Weed!" says Bard
The ring pulse.
And there are more that I can't think of off the top of my head, but yeah. It got really old really fast.

I hate this type of fan-service. But you know all the fan-boys and girls in the audience are thinking: "OOOOOOHHHHH!MYG GOOOODDDDD!!!!!!! THATS A LINESZ FROM DA UDDER MOvEISSSSS!!!!!!!!!""""" affraid

by RA Sat Dec 14, 2013 6:37 am

bungobaggins wrote:~~Gustavo Fring~~ Bilbo Baggins: I will kill your infant ~~daughter~~ spider!

by bungobaggins Sat Dec 14, 2013 6:39 am

Seeing Walter White in the same video as Bilbo Baggins is quite the surreal experience. Laughing

by Radaghast Sat Dec 14, 2013 6:55 am

Eldorion wrote:Thanks to everyone who said kind things about my review! :DIt was a lot of fun to write. I honestly didn't hate the film. I think it was more enjoyable than AUJ, though that might have just been the novelty factor. I'll probably see it a second time in theatres at some point, but I don't expect I'll rewatch it a ton after that (aside from right before TABA comes out). But this is fairly decisive proof that AUJ was not an anomaly (nor was King Kong, though that has more defenders), and that PJ is not going to be getting back to LOTR levels anytime soon.

Thanks for that review/description. Really kills any curiosity I might have had. I also think a small part of me might have died after reading it, which is not a reflection on your writing but on ~~PoS~~ DoS.

Anyway, I know all I need to about this movie. Thanks to all who've posted reviews.

by bungobaggins Sat Dec 14, 2013 7:55 am

Maybe I can exchange my ticket tomorrow and see Frozen or Catching Fire instead of DOS. Shrugging

by Mrs Figg Sat Dec 14, 2013 8:02 am

well its not all bad, there are one or two nice scenes, and the landscapes are beautiful, as are the colours. I enjoyed looking at the trees, and there is one great view from atop a mountain bathed in a Golden rosy glow, Bilbo with the butterflies also very nice.
The first part of the film is watchable, until we get to Laketown.

by Norc Sat Dec 14, 2013 2:25 pm

Eldorion wrote:
Norc wrote:well, for fuck sakes, he's a grown man, he can fucking choose his jobs himself.

Of course he can, but he's not choosing to appear in very good movies lately. To be far, I haven't seen 12 Years a Slave but I've heard it's excellent. But other than that, most of his movies recently have a ton of reviews that say "it's not very good but Cumberbatch is by far the best thing about it".

Norc wrote:also. i think the realisation of what he has done to get his ring back is rather good. it shows that bilbo still has the bilboish side.

His Bilboish side apparently has a really short memory though, since there are no emotional consequences or aftereffects beyond him briefly looking appalled.

Norc wrote:

Truth hurts.

Love hurts. No but srsly, cumverbatxh has ALOT of good movies too, and more coming up. E.g that alan turing movie.

by azriel Sat Dec 14, 2013 2:37 pm

Ooh, they doing one about the Enigma code ?

by Ringdrotten Sat Dec 14, 2013 2:52 pm

halfwise wrote:I was on the verge of asking if those people who absolutely loved LotR had it ruined by seeing the same hand at work in the Hobbit. Guess that answers it.

It has the potential to do it, because it reuses so much from the first trilogy that you may find it hard to watch those parts of it without thinking of AUJ and DoS. I still hold to what I said about not watching the third film. I won't see anything from the book there, and it might ruin LotR for me with all its copying.

On Star Wars prequel trilogy vs TH trilogy - the SW prequel trilogy kicks TH so hard in the ass, and the SW prequels had Jar Jar Binks.

by halfwise Sat Dec 14, 2013 3:08 pm

Your can't be saying that the Tauriel/Kili love scenes are more painful to watch than the Hayden Christiansen/Natalie Portman love scenes?! Shocked

by Ringdrotten Sat Dec 14, 2013 3:10 pm

Nothing has ever felt more out of place than the love scenes with Tauriel and Kili.

by bungobaggins Sat Dec 14, 2013 3:21 pm