What I've Been Watching: The Catch-All Film Thread

I saw the The Hobbit 2, Desolation of Smaug, and I found it better than the first one. Visually and atmospherically it was amazing. It looks really beautiful. But I find there was way too much action in it, and not enough scenes which convey emotion. LOTR was filled with amazing scenes which got me chocked-up, and The hobbit seems to be turning into an fantasy action-adventure movie, with plenty of fun and amazing moments, but pretty much nothing of substance. At least nothing of substance for the heart.

Anyway, it deviated from the book quite a bit in some places, but overall I enjoyed it. Smaug was amazingly done. The Beorn scene was really rushed. And the ending was really unnecessary the way they handled it.

Anyway, 8/10 from me.
 
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Desolation of Smaug. Really good but i think the first one was better. The scenes with Smaug dragged on too much, I just don't find him very interesting i guess (at least not for that long). Also the settings were more interesting in the first movie. I just didnt find it as epic either, far too action'ey too. Bet kids love it though. Looking forward to see the extended later on, and in 3D (friend i went with can't see 3D so we saw it in 2D).
 
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It's been many years since I've read the Hobbit, but I certainly don't recall Legolas being such a major character ;P

I'm not one to bash the Jackson movies too much for their deviations as a direct interpretation of the books would put most audiences to sleep let's be honest. HOWEVER, the liberties went a little far in Hobbit 2. Much to my son's chagrin I audibly let a "BOOOO" slip out when Legolas and Tauriel saved the day in Laketown. That was ridiculous. And who needs armies when a single elf can slice through a horde of orcs like butter? Also, the whole Laketown plotline & this act about the orcs hunting Thorin across Middle Earth seems silly.

Having said that, I thought Smaug was well done and if you can watch these while keeping in mind they are not exactly like the books, they are quite enjoyable. Overall I would give Hobbit 2 a B.
 
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Much to my son's chagrin I audibly let a "BOOOO" slip out when Legolas and Tauriel saved the day in Laketown.

That's one spoiler that I'm glad I saw. Now I know that I definitely won't be wasting any money of that film.

Legolas wasn't even mentioned in The Hobbit - much less saving towns. From a business perspective, I can understand why Peter Jackson did it, but it's still a complete joke.
 
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Uhm, Legolas has no business being in anything related to the Hobbit. How the Tolkien estate permitted such a travesty is beyond me, that is just so wrong on so many levels.
 
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For me, Jackson started losing cred in TTT. It began with Elves at The Battle of Helm's Deep and Legolas surfing down those stairs on a shield.
 
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For me, Jackson started losing cred in TTT. It began with Elves at The Battle of Helm's Deep and Legolas surfing down those stairs on a shield.

I can say you would hate this movie. Legolas is like that x10 in this movie, this time he's surfing on a Orc's body (...)

Imo the worst part of the movie was Legolas and how incredible bad the orcs were (think Stormtroopers with swords ;) ). The best part is still Martin Freeman who's just excellent as Bilbo.
 
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Hobbit is just like the movie I originally expected the LotR trilogy to become, back when I first heard it was the director of Braindead who'd make it.

FotR surprised me in a very big way - and I thought it was amazing. But, somewhere along the line, Jackson must have forgotten his respect and appreciation for Tolkien and he's obviously gone back to his roots.

Which is sad, but not at all uncommon.
 
FotR surprised me in a very big way - and I thought it was amazing. But, somewhere along the line, Jackson must have forgotten his respect and appreciation for Tolkien and he's obviously gone back to his roots.

What he did was lure us Fans in with #1 and then apply the cheese, the evil bastard ;)

Staying away from Hobbit, thank you very much...
 
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Whatever he did, it must have worked - because a LOT of people seem to insist that The Hobbit is a great film :)
 
Whatever he did, it must have worked - because a LOT of people seem to insist that The Hobbit is a great film :)

I meant FOTR myself, but people say that about the Hobbit eh? (edit: They do I see. well to each his own and all that. I may even catch up on them as a set myself in some distant future through a rental or something but for now, meh )

Well there is no accounting for taste… But I am guessing a lot of it boils down to not caring about the original material and just wanting to have fun with an effects filled fantasy movie…
 
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I'm not going to watch that movie in the cinema.
The border was already crossed for me with Radagast.
Although I must admit that I don't own most of the books published by his son Chrostopher Tolkien ... There might be some bits I just don't know about.
But in those books I own from this series of books published by Christopher Tolkien, there is nothing in that like what Mr. Jackson has added.
 
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I meant FOTR myself, but people say that about the Hobbit eh? (edit: They do I see. well to each his own and all that. I may even catch up on them as a set myself in some distant future through a rental or something but for now, meh )

Well there is no accounting for taste… But I am guessing a lot of it boils down to not caring about the original material and just wanting to have fun with an effects filled fantasy movie…

I'm personally glad for the bits that are actually really great. I also try not to take movies too seriously. I can even enjoy the new Star Wars movies and Clone Wars just fine, but i know i lot of people that can't because they take it super seriously.. They need to make the movies very commercial and fun for the kids, so i can certainly see and even accept why they're sometimes just plain silly.
 
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I'm personally glad for the bits that are actually really great. I also try not to take movies too seriously. I can even enjoy the new Star Wars movies and Clone Wars just fine, but i know i lot of people that can't because they take it super seriously.. They need to make the movies very commercial and fun for the kids, so i can certainly see and even accept why they're sometimes just plain retarded.

Oh hey, fun is fun and that should just be it in the end! And its not that I haven't enjoyed my fair share of camp or that I not look the other way about stuff being flawed in one way or another if I am indeed having a good time.

It is just that some things rub me the wrong way and abusing/milking a favorite book in a too greedily moneygrabbish way is one of those. Its less about taking things too seriously either and more about a wasted opportunity of doing the original some sort of justice (instead of turning it to slapstick).

Anyways, I am not too upset or anything ;) I'll just ignore the movies until some time in the future when curiosity gets the better of me (and I can rent them for peanuts! Sorry Mr Jackson no money from me ;) )
 
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I specifically don't take the movies seriously :)

I do take Tolkien seriously, though, because I have tremendous respect for what he has achieved. So, when people piss on the material to earn a buck - I don't appreciate that.

But I most certainly don't take The Hobbit seriously - as I consider it mostly a bad joke :)
 
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