Finally Watched HOBBIT II: DESOLATION OF SMAUG

[geneweigel]

I got conned into watching the sequel on cable because "Daddy's a grouch".

Whoah, that raised a lot of weird. A purported run-of-the-mill elf using kingsfoil? Smaug calling Oakenshield by the name Oakenshield? Smaug being a dilly dallier? The black arrow being a siege weapon? Beorn is "last of his kind" (what about beornings?)? Again lesser dwarves and superior elves?

The positives? Lots of "orc" orcs. Dragon looked good. Spiders cool.

[Scott]

I liked it better than the first part. The Dol Guldur stuff wasn't bad. Smaug started out cool, but it dragged out too long and got wonky.

[GT]

I've accepted the concept that this is as close as it gets (i.e. -- bringing in sales at the box office vs. being "spot on"; so I'm good with it... ^__^

[geneweigel]

I don't feel any of it translates to the table. That Beorn being a cartoon from a crappy post-mod fantasy was so far off the mark they might as well have gave Bilbo a mohawk and a nosering! Speaking of Bilbo were any of you getting a Hobbit-vibe off this actor? I love the actor (SHERLOCK, FARGO) but I think that I know Bilbo Baggins more than any other character in creation and I'm not feeling it. At this point, I'm saying Tom Cruise can finish off this trilogy as Bilbo... LIKE A BOSS!!!

[Falconer]

I’m cautiously encouraged by the new Star Wars crew building physical sets and aliens. I hope that sets a new trend for genre movies.

[geneweigel]

The fact that me and my friend Tim were asked at the same time, by a an old Star Trek fan who didn't see it yet, what STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (2013) was about and we both couldn't recall the synopsis says a lot about Abrams.

[GRWelsh]

I just saw the extended edition of DESOLATION OF SMAUG. As my nephew would say: "I can't like it." But I don't feel like complaining right now, so I will focus on the positives: I really liked the art direction and the sets. I appreciate all of the artistic people who put in so much work on this film to make it look good. When I start to watch some of the "making of" extras, it makes me want to like the film, just for all of the behind the scenes work that went into it. The appearance of Beorn's House and Lake-Town were highlights for me: nice attention to detail.

Cameos by Alan Lee and Stephen Colbert in Lake-town!

[Scott]

As I said up-thread, I liked Smaug, but not as much as Peter Jackson did. I think they dragged the encounter with the dragon out way too long, but I liked his look; I liked the character.
Jackson rarely gets it just right. Things are usually either overdone, or underdone. Rivendell was a flash. Lake-town dragged on and on.
I liked most of the sets, but the hoard was over the top.
I am looking forward to Five Armies.

[geneweigel]

For me it all goes back to DEAD ALIVE (1992) (pre-kids!!! More D&D games! ) when my wife was so excited about that movie because of its over the top gore. She made everyone who passed through our door who was age appropriate (neither too young or too old) watch it. When I found out it was him doing LORD OF THE RINGS it just shocked the crap out of me. All the things I dislike about that Tolkien movies are reflections of DEAD ALIVE. From the gastronomical weirdness to the kinetic violence. That said if Guillermo Del Toro did THE HOBBIT it would be cheese references to political weirdness and more current sci-fi/fantasy genre goofiness.

I actually have a rising regard for Bakshi and Rankin/Bass because of Jackson because its all not as good as the books so see the movie and have some popcorn.

[GRWelsh]

I like the 1977 animated Rankin Bass version much better than the Jackson version. It is a better adaptation.

I could never get into the Bakshi version, for some reason. Maybe I felt like rotoscoping was "cheating" in animation...

[geneweigel]

I saw a link yesterday and it had a poster of an armored troll here is where I saw it third one down:

cine3.com/2014/11/05/hobbit-battle-five-armies-poster-23/

What is that? A giant troll?