Desolation of Smaug

[BloodOmen]

Fap fap fap fap

 

[Scouse]

Nice, but is anyone but me getting a bit sick of made-up roles for women just so they can wang a bit of oestrogen in there?

And someone wang this in the original Hobbit thread

 

[Embattle]

Yeah though I did it some where

 

[Lamp]

Well, in the original Hobbit, Galadriel used Bilbo as a sex-toy, but it was later taken out.
The publishers considered Galadriel irrelevant to the storyline.

 

[CorNokZ]

The first one was shit, so don't think I'll bother with the second one. At least not in the theatre. I'd rather spend my money on something that is worth it

 

[Turamber]

I wouldn't say it was shit, but it did show that three epic films should not be produced from a children's book. Trailer looks good, and any reason to lust after Evangeline Lily is good in my book.

 

[Deebs]

Just got in from seeing this in 3D, oh my, the 3D was actually pretty good but the film was just incredible. Seriously pissed off now I have to wait another year for the final instalment. If you liked LOTR and the first Hobbit you must go see this.

* Some of the CGI in places was a bit dodgy but not so bad.

 

[ileks]

Smaug was brilliant! I was gutted when it ended all of a sudden, was expecting a bit more. That might have been because time absolutely flew by watching it though

 

[Billargh]

Hope it wasn't as painfully boring as the first.

 

[Moriath]

not watching any of these till all three are out .. so i can see the whole lot in one go ... hated the way it was a year between parts for lotr .. everyone would have paid to see all three its just company book balancing that makes them put it a year distant

 

[fettoken]

IMO, i wish they'd expand on the whole necromancer sub plot. Also, Sauron CGI could have been done a lot better.

 

[TdC]

IMO, i wish they'd expand on the whole necromancer sub plot.

heh super evil. he gets explained a bit in Sillmarillion but I foreget if he actually is Sauron in another form or not.

 

[Aoami]

heh super evil. he gets explained a bit in Sillmarillion but I foreget if he actually is Sauron in another form or not.

Generally accepted to be Sauron but personally I think it's the Witch King

 

[Urgat]

The necromancer IS Sauron.

Saw it on opening night. Loved it.

Smaug was brilliant. Worth it for his visualisation alone. Casting cumberbatch was genius. Dat voice!

 

[chipper]

off to see this today in glorious imax HFR! cant wait!

 

[Overdriven]

Watched yesterday eve, certainly enjoyed it. Couple of scenes I wish they'd have shortened though.

However..

Spoiler

1: Killing Smaug in the next film is either going to be really anti-climactic, or there's going to be a hell of an interesting war scene with Orcs and Smaug fighting each other.

2: I lol'd when I saw Legolas, looking older than he did in the original LOTR films. WTB better makeup people.

 

[throdgrain]

I saw it yesterday, was enjoyable, lots of stuff added and changed from the book though. I mean, I haven't read it in many many years, but I'm pretty sure Mirkwood was meant to be pitch black!

 

[fettoken]

Elf king was a complete cunt. Enjoyable character!

 

[Roo Stercogburn]

Saw this on opening night. Pasted from what I wrote elsewhere:

The 3 hours went in really quick. At the end we were like "What, its over already?"
Spiders: very well done indeed. Nailed the feel of the book.
Smaug really is magnificent. BEST. MOVIE. DRAGON. EVER. Bar none. Seriously, he's wonderful. They make good use of the 3D when he turns towards the camera. I really did feel like the firebreathing fucker was looking at me. I cannot think of a single dragon in any film from any decade that even comes close to this incarnation of Tolkien's famous dragon.
Bombur fighting. AWESOME.
Lee Pace as Thranduil was great. I was worried we were getting a big gay elf like Celeborn but didn't need to worry.
Bard is more fleshed out than in the book and this particular addition I really did approve of since it directly helps this story, rather than being background archive material for the Lord of the Rings.
There is a BIG deviation from the book in this film. Lots of sidestory stuff. Frankly its not necessary but hey, there's lots of action and it goes really fast.
I was *gutted* at one deviation from the book. All I'll say is its the way in which the dwarves are introduced to Beorn. The book has great storytelling. This has action instead.
Although most of the FX are good, there's some seriously dodgy FX towards the end. You'll know what I mean when you see 'em.
The music is a bit naff. Nothing outstanding on first listen that isn't a rehash of other LotR/Hobbit stuff. Must try harder.
Thoroughly enjoyed this. The first film had lots of details for Tolkien fans but as a film was sluggish and bloated. This one though was proper epic. Two thumbs way way up.

 

[Job]

CGI a bit naff near the end?
Holy fuck it went all Doctor Who and the molten gold was straight out of a 3D demo from 2001.
Well they did only have a year to sort it out.
Got me a bit worried for part 3..seems somebodys losing the drive to finish it off perfectly, Stephen fry smashed through my belief suspension and I had to try hard to get it back.
Oh and they should have given Legolas a face lift.
Apart from that fucking brilliant.

 

[Everz]

Hated the first. Loved the second. Unreal.

 

[Chilly]

yeah the liquid gold was a bit...meh. Seen procedural liquids in games look better.

 

[Scouse]

The necromancer IS Sauron

Never decided for sure in any of the books IIRC. Tolkein left it hanging.


Anyway. Been to see it. Just got back from HFR IMAX 3Dz0r... Aaaaaaand...


Meh.

I want to like it a lot. Really really I do. But it's meh. There are some bits that are great, some stuff that's fantastic, but I came out with an overwhelming feeling of meh.


Edit:

I was *gutted* at one deviation from the book. All I'll say is its the way in which the dwarves are introduced to Beorn. The book has great storytelling. This has action instead.

Yep. Actually got my back up from the get-go with that.

For the amount of money spent on that film I should be coming out quivering with excitement. But I didn't.

 

[Chilly]

'Padded out' is what my housemate and I decided to describe this as. Some great scenes, great dialogue and superb sfx (mostly) but let down by over an hour of dross that could so easily be cut.

 

[Scouse]

'Padded out' is what my housemate and I decided to describe this as. Some great scenes, great dialogue and superb sfx (mostly) but let down by over an hour of dross that could so easily be cut.

Wish he'd just filmed The Hobbit and left it at that.

Tolkein is a *much* better storyteller than Jackson.

 

[Job]

I'm expecting a five hour per film extended version, with all the CGI fixed in 4K.
In fact I demand it.

 

[Chilly]

It'd be so *dull* !

 

[Billargh]

Couldn't pay me to watch that.

 

[Chilly]

Couldn't pay me to watch that.

£1000? Your loss, sunshine!

 

[Billargh]

£1000? Your loss, sunshine!

If you're offering