In theatres: 'Desolation of Smaug' | SPOILERS

azriel wrote:Am I to take it that only Rad & I have not yet seen this abomination that is DoS ? I feel Ive had all I need from the amazing reviews Ive read here ! Let us be honest, there is enough sites floating about on the internet so you dont have to go to the cinema. We have the technology & the tools to "see" films without leaving your front door. I only have to go to "Poundland" to buy dvd-r's. Not honest or legal I know but, as a policeman once told me, "if its for HOME USE only.....& NOT to be sold on or marketed...." If nothing else, the disc will make an adequate bird scarer to hang off my apple tree, or, I might just view & delete !   

Exactly! We've had detailed, point-by-point descriptions of the movie. We've been spared the trouble

And why give the butcher any more money?

What rating would you give the movie, Forest?

the overall impression I got was that a few of PJs more deluded fans over in that other site had clubbed together to make a fan tribute to The Best Of Peter Jacksons LOTR, untrained amateur know it alls with millions of dollars worth of kit to play with, and one of the PJ fans pipes up and says 'wow the book is boring, lets sex it up?'' and the others go ''oooh yeah Bilbo sucked anyway lets make it kewl''. So they run amock, chopping and changing barging through the story like Luddites on heat, no inkling, no heart, no soul, just desperately frenetic, trite, cheapened, meaningless, morally bankrupt, pale imitation, charmless Blockbuster crap with all the magic sucked out and filled with Happy Meals.
end result DOS as we see it now. Thats how it felt.

((do I sound bitter? well yep I am bitter, and thoroughly pissed off, how fucking very DARE they   ))))

  
Nice post Mrs. Figg. "Luddites on heat" has to be one of the most unexpected insults I've yet seen on this site.

And Radaghast, I would give The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug a wavering 4/10, primarily for technical ability and the inclusion of Lee Pace.

thanks Forest I liked your point about the Laketowners being all sarcastic over Bards ancestor Girion. They should have been applauding Girions bravery in the face of certain Death, he seemed to be the only one taking action, It made the Laketowners look like ungrateful immature brats and idiots as well. mind boggling.

Forest Shepherd wrote: And Radaghast, I would give The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug a wavering 4/10, primarily for technical ability and the inclusion of Lee Pace.

Thanks. Any thoughts on his concealable facial deformity?

Incidentally, I found the Beorn sequence in the book to be the most amusing of the book's lighthearted moments. To read about the character's treatment (not to mention the awful design) in the movie just feels like a kick in the gut.

I have a question.
laketown is shown as a dirty sesspit full of fascist toe rags like the Master and snivelling wormtongues, not to mention irritating goggling extras.
Question, will we give a flying monkeys nutbag that Smaug is flying down to cleanse them all, or will we say good riddance to a pile of rotting fishy sarcastic losers?
The only reason Bard has kids is so we go 'ooh no dont kill them all you naughtySmaugyyou'. But I for one will be cheering him on. Go gettem Smaug.

I say: Go, Smaug, go!

Any thoughts on his concealable facial deformity?

I wonder if it has to do with Lee Pace's Fisher King interpretation... ah, stuff? When Thranduil is 'healed' so too Mirkwood... and his face also? I dunno really.

More 'lore' that someone TORNICALLY tried to connect to Tolkien's Thranduil, incidentally.

Great review, Forest! I especially agree with this part:

Forest Shepherd wrote:5. Smaug's treasure-hoard was stupidly ridiculous....

This is like saying that life is precious while at the same time holding an earth copy-machine in your hand that could spawn an infinite number of identical human-populated planets.

I noted in my review that Smaug's horde appears to contain more gold than exists in our entire world. It's looks nice for the reveal shots, but it doesn't work as part of an internally consistent or "real" world such as Tolkien's.

Mrs Figg wrote:I have a question.
laketown is shown as a dirty sesspit full of fascist toe rags like the Master and snivelling wormtongues, not to mention irritating goggling extras.
Question, will we give a flying monkeys nutbag that Smaug is flying down to cleanse them all, or will we say good riddance to a pile of rotting fishy sarcastic losers?
The only reason Bard has kids is so we go 'ooh no dont kill them all you naughtySmaugyyou'. But I for one will be cheering him on. Go gettem Smaug.

That's an interesting point. I suspect you might be on to something. Lake-town was certainly the most fleshed-out setting in DOS, but I wish they had explored it a bit more since they decided to turn it into a micro-Stalinist dictatorship. Like, who is the Master and how did he come to power? Is he playing off of people's fears of Smaug? I get that he's a background character, but since he's become an antagonist for Smaug it would be interesting to know. In the book he was a fairly straightforward greedy politician but there was nothing to imply he didn't win election legitimately; in fact his rhetorical skills would suggest otherwise.

Elthir wrote:More 'lore' that someone TORNICALLY tried to connect to Tolkien's Thranduil, incidentally.

I'm liking your new adverb there, Elthir.

One of the things that bothered me about the Master was that he didn't seem old enough. They picked their leader from the elders, and his hair wasn't even a hint of grey

Is Laketown starting to sound like Soddam to anyone else?

Also, the point in the book where Radagast is actually mentioned (which is in Beorn's house when Gandalf is introducing himself) is conveniently LEFT OUT!!! He says that Beorn might know his cousin Radagast who lives in Mirkwood.

Tinuviel wrote:Is Laketown starting to sound like Soddam to anyone else?

yep, and it seems counter-productive to make Laketown and everyone in it look unpleasant, arent we supposed to be rooting for them? We know its going to be destroyed, there should be pathos, we should care, and yet I dont think we will.

wheres Lance?

The Master of Laketown always came across to me as Tolkiens dig at politicians. He does do a some things motivated by greed that could be considered evil, but I never felt Tolkien meant him to come across as a dictatorish like figure. That takes his character to a a completely different level of being sinister.

So another change from the book, I guess.   

Mrs Figg wrote:wheres Lance?

His profile says he was online yesterday, but his last post was five days ago.

http://www.hobbitmovieforum.com/t840p150-tales-of-home-2#116834

Eldorion wrote:

Mrs Figg wrote:wheres Lance?

His profile says he was online yesterday, but his last post was five days ago.

http://www.hobbitmovieforum.com/t840p150-tales-of-home-2#116834

I thought he was joking    he must really hate Barrowman. Come back Lance you wally,  I promise not to mention Torchwood ever again.   

I hope he was joking but is just busy with holiday stuff or work.

Mrs Figg wrote:I have a question.
laketown is shown as a dirty sesspit full of fascist toe rags like the Master and snivelling wormtongues, not to mention irritating goggling extras.
Question, will we give a flying monkeys nutbag that Smaug is flying down to cleanse them all, or will we say good riddance to a pile of rotting fishy sarcastic losers?
The only reason Bard has kids is so we go 'ooh no dont kill them all you naughtySmaugyyou'. But I for one will be cheering him on. Go gettem Smaug.

You want him to get indigestion?

Elthir wrote:

Any thoughts on his concealable facial deformity?

I wonder if it has to do with Lee Pace's Fisher King interpretation... ah, stuff? When Thranduil is 'healed' so too Mirkwood... and his face also? I dunno really.

More 'lore' that someone TORNICALLY tried to connect to Tolkien's Thranduil, incidentally.

Bunch of dweebs   

Yes ! get indigestion ! with so much burping & farting maybe Smaug will burn the whole fooking studio's down & no more will be heard of Peter jerkoff Jackson !