Saw 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug'

[Feanor]

I went last night with my wife and daughter to see this flick; (we saw the standard version, not one of the 3D types) ...

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug ~ Dir., Peter Jackson; screenwriters: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, P. Jackson, Guillermo del Toro

I enjoyed it more than I expected for hard-core J.R.R. Tolkien fan. However such fans should be forewarned that the omissions and embellishments to the true Tolkien text go to new extremes in this file. I am reminded of the arrogant comment by Philippa Boyens to the effect that Tolkien wasn't a professional writer and that accordingly it was necessary for her and the screenwriters to change things so the films could be more relateable for the audiences. What a load of hubristic crap!!

The enjoyable part of this flick was the dragon, Smaug, (CGI of course, but nevertheless).

The worst part, for a real Tolkien fans at least, is the totally extraneous & fabricated quasi-romance triangle between dwarf, Kili, (who was not injured by as Mordor arrow in the book) and the female elf, (Tauriel, who doesn't exist anywhere in Tolkien), and the male elf, Legolas (who is a prime Tolkien character but who doesn't appear anywhere in The Hobbit book).

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMzU0NDY0NDEzNV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTIxNDU1MDE@._ V1_SX640_SY720_.jpg

[noddin0ff]

That's good news. Coming from you that's nearly a ringing endorsement :-)

I'm looking forward to sometime over the next weeks. I'm not nearly as steeped in the lore. For some reason the barrel escape has always been my favorite part of this segment of the book. As long as they don't blow that, I think I'll be fine.

What a perfect dragon name 'Smaug' is. Is there any precedent/background for that name? There's been so many dragons in fiction but they're always lesser dragons in my mind since they never have names as awe inspiring as Smaug.

cheers

[Hyfi]

I just finished re-reading The Hobbit for the umpteenth time last night. The book is from 1976 and deteriorates more as I read it each time.

I liked Part 1 and have watched it 10 times or so and looking forward to Part 2. They changed stuff in Part 1 that should never have been changed in my view so I am not too surprised that they are screwing with the rest...unlike LOTR which follows the books a bit closer.

What I really can't figure out is what they will put in Part 3, since not much happens after they slay the dragon.

[Feanor]

I just finished re-reading The Hobbit for the umpteenth time last night. The book is from 1976 and deteriorates more as I read it each time.

I liked Part 1 and have watched it 10 times or so and looking forward to Part 2. They changed stuff in Part 1 that should never have been changed in my view so I am not too surprised that they are screwing with the rest...unlike LOTR which follows the books a bit closer.

What I really can't figure out is what they will put in Part 3, since not much happens after they slay the dragon.
I've read the book 3-4 times at least, but saw the Unexpected Journey only once. I saw that in a 3D which gave me a headache for the first 40 minutes or so.

For noddin0ff, the barrel episode is definitely there but is modified; for one thing, the barrels are not closed by Frodo as per the book. That is, the barrels implausibly remain open, not filling with water, and with the dwarfs peering over the tops. For another thing it is accompanied with a completely inauthentic battle scene amongst elves, dwarves, and orcs. In fact the whole pursuit by the Necromancer's (Sauron's) orcs of Frodo and the dwarves from the Misty Mounts to the Lonely Mount is a Jacksonian fabrication.

There is plenty that happens after Smaug is killed by Bard, (in the book). There follows fighting between dwarves and orcs, followed in turn be various negotiating amongst the inhabitants of Laketown, dwarves, and elves followed by a final battle know as the Battle of the Five Armies.

[Hyfi]

There is plenty that happens after Smaug is killed by Bard, (in the book). There follows fighting between dwarves and orcs, followed in turn be various negotiating amongst the inhabitants of Laketown, dwarves, and elves followed by a final battle know as the Battle of the Five Armies.

In that sense yes. I was thinking chapter-wise. I guess I will have more Orc Stomping test scenes for HT demos.

[Feanor]

In that sense yes. I was thinking chapter-wise. I guess I will have more Orc Stomping test scenes for HT demos.
No doubt. Nowadays I'm finding movie fight and battle scenes too over-the-top and yet at the same time predictable and clichéd.

As for the Jackson Middle Earth flicks, the further they get from the original Tolkien, the cheesier the the plots and characters get.