Film The Hobbit

[Tom]

Maybe the eagles are just dicks.

 

[Scouse]

This kind of thing was also one of the problems with LOTR. Tolkein was great at atmosphere and world-building; logic? not so much.

He explains it in the books. The Eagles are very proud and not beasts of burden and have no real interest in the goings on of the world.

Tolkein makes it clear that the use of them was very exceptional.

 

[Job]

While in The Silmarillion the title "Lord of the Eagles" applies to Thorondor, in The Hobbit it evidently has another significance. No eagles are identified by name in this book, and titles "the Lord of the Eagles" or "the Great Eagle" distinguish their leader from others. It is stated that once he had been healed from an arrow-wound by Gandalf, and that it was in the memory of this service that his eagles helped the dwarves

 

[old.Tohtori]

Saw it, HFR3D(or whatchamacallit), bit mmersion breaking at points(i'm one of those who saw the movement as a bit sped up in places and didn't really get used to it). Interesting tech but needs a bit more work. Also some of the 3d(modelling kind, not in your face kind) was a bit meh.

In documentaries the tech would be ace.

As for the movie, s'alright. Only the new bits(locations/characters) were a real plus for me, otherwise it felt a bit deja vu'ey, partly even like the same dang story.

In a nutshell as a neutral viewer; alright, good enough, didn't really awe me, clearly needs all three movies to work.

 

[TdC]

haven't managed to go yet. we were going yesterday but my retrad mate managed to forget to get us seats. trying for sunday now...

 

[Deebs]

haven't managed to go yet. we were going yesterday but my retrad mate managed to forget to get us seats. trying for sunday now...

Just make sure Jupitus does his bit to make it memorable.

 

[Killswitch]

Went today to one of these 48fps super-3D jobbies. Main thing I noticed was the sound was VERY loud. The 48fps thing didn't really make much difference, except making long parts of the film look quite similar to a Blizzard cutscene. Overall, I enjoyed it, but I think from the amount of extra *stuff* being put in, this could have been done in two films.

 

[Scouse]

I think from the amount of extra *stuff* being put in, this could have been done in two films.

But did you enjoy the extra stuff?

Yeah - it's not "The Hobbit" - as I suspected it's "Peter Jackson's Flavour of Middle Earth" - but I still like it

 

[Killswitch]

But did you enjoy the extra stuff?

Yeah - it's not "The Hobbit" - as I suspected it's "Peter Jackson's Flavour of Middle Earth" - but I still like it

Yeah, it actually enjoyed it a lot but I found the pacing to be a little slow. This is in part because of the amount of exposition and in part because I know the story, so I was waiting for the bits I recognise, which were sometimes quite far apart. None of the stuff that was added took anything away from the story though and it followed the general arc of the book pretty well. I think we could have used a bit less hand-holding but then again this comes from a country where about 30% of a TV show is either a recap of the previous show or a look-ahead to the next one.

 

[TdC]

I has seen it.

Spoiler

well I finally got around to seeing it. this is what I wrote in response to Leggy's question of me on FB:

if you want to go and see The Hobbit, pass, if you want to go and see an uninspiring adventure film loosely based on the book and set in PJ's version of Middle Earth, then by al means feel free. Tbh 3+ hours is a long sit for this. At no point did I feel immersed or connected to any character, and a lot if not all of the action scenes were as predictable as Indiana Jones stepping on to something that rolls, slides or floats. Even the company running across the stunning landscapes to soaring orchestral pieces got really old after a while.

Tbh the two things I did like were Azog and the telling of the meta-story (eg basically explaining why this is all so important, for those who haven't read the books, can't read, or are American). I mean, imo even Gollum/Smeagol was pretty stale, although his split personality was nicely done as ever.

I did enjoy the HFR, although it made the film watching experience seem more like watching something on TV shot entirely in video than a proper 'going to the movies experience'. Despite the

doubled frame rate my computer trained eyes still saw flicker in the backgrounds but fast movement is now indeed much smoother.

as to what I call the "meta-story" eg the fact that the viewer is made aware of the over-arcing story by being privy to the council that Gandalf, Saruman, Elrond and Galadriel have...I didn't think it was that over the top behaviour on Saruman's behalf. Perhaps it's living in the NL that has lessened my sensibilities to people being dicks or hedging or whatnot. Anyway, it seems to me that Saru is just being himself. HE has a different idea. HE is the head of the white council. HE must be right. The logics point in a different direction and have been concluded by lesser beings (in Saru's mind, eg Gandalf/Radagast) so they MUST be wrong. I loved Galadriel in this scene btw: she's the only one who can really set her immediate concerns aside and really see the big picture and the forces at work. Also, what a sex vibe. I kind of feel she and Gandalf were playing "elves and wizards", albeit mentally, before he was taken up by his tasks and his concerns aged him. It just shines through what a stupendously powerful creature she is, perhaps the most powerful of the Elves still present in Middle Earth although Elrond and Cirdan are on a par or perhaps greater they don't show it as well imo.

Shortened bitchyness: too much feeble comedy relief. a GAY dwarf? the Great Goblin speaking perfectly modulated public school English? Radagast, an extremely powerful and wise Wizard who can actually fight off an uncloaked Nazgul in a 1:1 fight when taken by surprise being shown as such a shambles in other scenes. Also, the spiders? Eh? Do they retreat because Rad shows his power by saving the hedgehog? Why ffs? SPEAKING trolls...I know it's in the fucking book, but SPEAKING trolls using semi-complex tools. Too many things falling on to other things and then other things, and jumping off on things on to other things in the knick of time. That gets really old after the first 8 times, srsly. Also, why does the GG die so easilly? That's the GREAT Goblin ffs...I mean come on.

Best char: Azog. He (it?) is made of awesome.

edit: also,

Spoiler

3 hours man, and they'll still need a extended directors choice long play special ed blue ray to get all the missing shit patched in :-/

 

[Job]

You actually complained about the trolls speaking..i mean really TD..you went in to hate that film.

 

[Kryten]

The way you describe the elf and the wizard makes it sound like a film version of Ben and Hollie... (google childrens show)

 

[Tom]

Well I've just watched all three extended LOTR films in HD, and I want more. So the Hobbit can be as long as it wants to be tbh, because I'll lap it up. And I hope he does The Silmarillion too.

 

[TdC]

You actually complained about the trolls speaking..i mean really TD..you went in to hate that film.

I know....but I hate being right as well

 

[Job]

No one is EVER going to spend that much time and money to make a film only 5 percent of the audience will want to watch, maybe in twenty years time with a rendered movie backed by kickstarter perhaps.

 

[TdC]

booo captain optimistic booo

 

[Roo Stercogburn]

I know....but I hate being right as well

The trolls were ace, pretty faithful to the book, just like working class thugs/thieves. There is definately a discrepancy between trolls in The Hobbit compared to the LotR trilogy though, but that I think is mainly due The Hobbit being a bedtime story for Tolkien's kids and LotR being the full blown more adult-oriented work. There's things wrong with the film (some of what you mentioned I fully agree with) but not really with you on the trolls.

Hadn't really thought about Radaghast performing vs different enemies in wildly different ways. As far as I'm aware the Nazgul weren't fully in their power at the time of the story of the Hobbit. Sauron was not yet returned to Mordor in his tower and able to cook up trouble. I wonder though if Radaghast being a complete life-loving hippy was naturally able to better fend off undead kings with too much love for trapped bling.

 

[Aoami]

Someone clear something up for me. Is the Necromancer the Witch-King or Sauron?

 

[Tom]

Yes.

 

[Raven]

Going to see it tomorrow with a mate and his mum. All about the rock and roll me.

 

[rynnor]

Someone clear something up for me. Is the Necromancer the Witch-King or Sauron?

Necromancer = Sauron

Witch king = Chief of the Nazghul

 

[Roo Stercogburn]

Witch King of Angmar. Yes, I remember MERPS expansion

 

[Raven]

Watched it today. Usual cinema bullshit so I sat there annoyed as fuck at people rustling and coughing, all for £10.

Anyway film itself was a bit meh, felt stretched out. Excellently shot though and some of the scenery and action was great. Liked the higher FPS but thought the 3d was a bit odd at times but first class overall.

 

[opticle]

I don't understand how people find it stretched out - its just got what is in the book on screen.. I'm not sure how you could make it less stretched out without rushing scenes or cutting content as they usually do - which would piss people off.

 

[Scouse]

Yep. For me it could have been longer.

I would have loved the Dwarves to have got out all their instruments and start playing in Bilbo's house etc...

 

[Yoni]

I didn't find it long at all.... And I fall asleep in films at a moments notice ;/

I actually want to see it again

 

[Everz]

I agree, read the damn book before you watch the movie, it wasn't stretched out!

 

[Raven]

Read the book several times, thanks.

 

[Job]

Well they could have filmed it in real time and stretched it out to 3 weeks. the night scenes would have been boring though.

 

[old.Tohtori]

I agree, read the damn book before you watch the movie, it wasn't stretched out!

Shouldn't need source material to watch something and it was a bit drawn out at parts. Reading the book wouldn't change that