Thoughts on The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

[Garenex]

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (DoS) has now been out for a few days and I imagine most people who were even a little excited have now been to it at least once. I have viewed it twice now, both times in normal 24 fps, 2d (I probably won't get to it in 48 fps, 3d this year). Anyway, I shall here post my review and would enjoy reading other people's thoughts as well.


Initially, I have to say I highly enjoyed it, much more than the first time I viewed the The Unexpected Journey (TUJ). I believe this was primarily due to my expectations being different, as I knew what to expect. I knew it wasn't going to be LOTR level serious, and that it was going to be much more colorful/fairly taleish, thus, when the overall absurdness of the physics of the Barrels Out of Bond scene came on, I was not completely taken aback.

Movie Pacing

Spoiler Alert!

I was surprised at just how quick this movie moved, especially when compared to the first 45 minutes of the TUJ. They were hardly in Beorn's house for a few minutes when they were off to Mirkwood, then Spider's, Thranduil's Hall, Lake Town and then Smaug was before me before I knew it. I personally really appreciated how slow the beginning of TUJ was, but I understand the necessity of the speed at which DoS, due to some of the lash back they got about the slowness of the TUJ and just how much they needed to fit into this movie. I would have a little more slowness in the Barrels Out of Bond scene in order to allow some breathing room. I felt like it was non-stop action the entire film

Beorn

Spoiler Alert!

Beorn was very different than I imagined him, both in bear form and in humanoid form. I had always thought of him as a brown bear, but now that I think about it, I don't believe it specifies anywhere in writing what color he is. In man form, he was much smaller a person than I would have expected. I was looking for more of a barrel chested, bowling balls in the arms, type of figure. I don't feel I was necessarily disappointed in his character, he was just much different. I also appreciated the backstory they gave him, so we could be more emotionally invested in him. I am very excited to see his character again in the next film.

Mirkwood

Spoiler Alert!

Mirkwood I did not enjoy as much. I didn't like the seemingly drug like stupor/confusion they were in, and I was surprised we did not get more allusions to the book, such as a hart, or a stream or anything. I'm hoping for a something related to Bombur falling in the stream in the extended edition, as I remember seeing a picture of them all carrying him on a stretcher and I was surprised when that was not included. I did enjoy the spiders and liked that Bilbo could understand them when he had the ring on.

Tauriel

Spoiler Alert!

The Infamous Tauriel did not bug me all that much. I found her unnecessary but I also understand why she was included, thus I possess a very lackadaisical attitude towards her. I can not say though, that I particularly enjoyed the healing scene between Tauriel and Kili. The light coming up behind her was just seemed too cheesy for me and I remember feeling like that moment went on forever.

Smaug

Spoiler Alert!

Now for Smaug. I was impressed. How he looked, how he sounded, I enjoyed all of it. I do wish we hadn't gotten so many revealing details about him beforehand, but in the end, I don't think it would have made too much difference in my level of enjoyment. I did think the dwarves plan to kill Smaug was pretty extended and could have been cut down on, but I won't complain about that too much. I would have appreciated more focus on Bilbo stealing the cup (I know they showed him holding it in his hand for a few seconds, but I have like more prominence on it).

Well that's the conclusion to my initial thoughts. There is much more I could say, but much of that is nit-picky things I won't go into, at least not yet. Overall, I found it a very enjoyable movie, and while there was much I would have done differently, there was much I am pleased with as well.

[Ninja Status]

Can you put this in spoilers for those who haven't seen it yet? When I clicked on this thread I thought they were your thoughts before you saw the movie. I just don't want it to be ruined for people who haven't seen it .
-NS, probably seeing it soon

[Arch-vile]

I saw it today, and was very disappointed. I'll start off with some history. I love all 3 LotR movies, and have seen them each a bunch of times. I saw An Unexpected Journey and was disappointed, but upon re-viewing I appreciated it for what it was. I went into the Desolation of Smaug expecting more campy humor, and I found it, in some scenes (the barrel rider scene was perfect).

But the movie drug on, and on, and on, and on, and on ... I don't need to see every place the Dwarves visit. They finally get to Erebor and meet Smaug, which was excellent. I especially liked the visual effect of Smaug's belly lighting up red before he breathed fire. However, what the heck was with the ending?! In the book:

Spoiler Alert!

Bard kills Smaug with a single arrow right as Smaug flies over Laketown. Hobbit #3 is going to have a very disappointing start if the first scene is Bard shooting down Smaug, ending that threat. Smaug should have died at the end of this movie.

Overall, nothing happened in this movie. We meet Bard & Smaug, and get some more Legolas fight scenes, but that's really it. I'll watch the third one, but I've given up hope that it will be one of my favorites.

[IshMEL]

I was kind of disappointed.

Spoiler Alert!

It's not that I mind that it's not-the-same-as-the-book. At this point, it's "Peter Jackson's Hobbit" and we're just going to have to live with that. It's that the changes don't really add much. I feel that (in Hobbit 2 even more than Hobbit 1), Jackson can't help himself but add "action" to every scene. Going to Beorn's house contains one of the best comic bits in the book. Now, it's When Bears Attack. The escape in the barrels involves trickery (and comedy), now it's an action sequence. Dwarves in Laketown? Let's add an orc attack! Bilbo goes to talk to Smaug -- giant action sequence! Etc. etc.

The thing is, you don't need to have action to have adventure. There's no tension in the Thorin vs. Smaug sequence, because you know that it's not going to work, because the plot doesn't go that way. Barrels Out Of Bond is an opportunity for Bilbo to show the value of brains over brawn; instead we have Bombur The Spinning Barrel Barbarian!

One of the reasons I think the movie felt so rushed was that nothing took any time. It seemed like they spent one day in Mirkwood rather than the days (weeks?) of hopeless misery that causes them to stray off the path. It seemed like they escaped the Wood Elves the same day they got in. Instead of waiting for "Durin's Day," unsure as to when it is, they show up at the very! last! moment! Not that I would really want to watch the Dwarves camping On The Doorstep for a week, but still.

I didn't mind Tauriel either, and can see the role that they're having her play in the development of Legolas' character. I didn't even mind the Legolas-Tauriel-Kili love triangle.

If anything, these movies are starting to (depressingly) remind me of Star Wars episodes 1-3, where Lucas just relied on "this is stuff that foreshadows those other movies I made that you loved" rather than tell its own story. Similarly, Jackson is more interested in showing us The Coming of Sauron than the Story of Bilbo.

Now I just want to go watch the Rankin Bass movie again.

[Garenex]

Originally Posted by Arch-vile

Overall, nothing happened in this movie.

I agree, but this is honestly what I was expecting, with it being the middle movie. Basically this set up everything that's going to happen in the third movie.

Originally Posted by IshMEL

It's not that I mind that it's not-the-same-as-the-book. At this point, it's "Peter Jackson's Hobbit" and we're just going to have to live with that.

I have also developed that mindset, where I know that the books are Tolkien's Middle Earth and the movies are Peter Jackson's Middle and that they are essentially separate entities.

Originally Posted by IshMEL

It's that the changes don't really add much. I feel that (in Hobbit 2 even more than Hobbit 1), Jackson can't help himself but add "action" to every scene. Going to Beorn's house contains one of the best comic bits in the book. Now, it's When Bears Attack. The escape in the barrels involves trickery (and comedy), now it's an action sequence. Dwarves in Laketown? Let's add an orc attack! Bilbo goes to talk to Smaug -- giant action sequence! Etc. etc.

I agree with a lot of your sentiments here as well, that many of the changes did not add a lot, especially actioning up every single scene and not giving any breathing room.

Black Arrows

Spoiler Alert!

I think the Black Arrows were one of my least favorite changes. I really enjoyed it in the book that it was essentially a normal arrow that had been passed down in Bard's family, instead of the giant, dragon killing missiles that Jackson turned them into.

[Crixus33]

Did anyone else notice the unusual amount of decapitation in the film? I think the ratio of deaths was something like 30% death by decapitation 60% death by arrow and 10% death by other (stabbed, crushed, drowned, etc.)

[orgsbane]

I enjoyed it. I was disappointed with the first one, but not anymore. I was expecting Lord if the Rings, when in reality, The Hobbit was a very different style of book. It was humorous, it was unreal, and it had a much lighter tone to it than The Lord of the Rings. With that in mind, I really enjoyed the The Desolation of Smaug. The one part of the movie I really, really, really disliked, was when the Orc got catapulted up to Legolas, who the beheaded him. I'm all for action, and even a little cliche. But that was just straight up cheesy.

[nyys]

I've very much enjoyed both movies. I went in without any expectations, only to get lost in the 'the world of Tolkein' and that's exactly what I got. I wouldn't have been dissappointed if the run time were another hour.

Spoiler Alert!

But what the hell was with ending on a cliffhanger? Of course we know what happens, but argh! Now we have to wait another year.

Smaug is going to die early in the the 3rd movie, I think that much is obvious, then the rest is going to be about the Battle of Five Armies. Which I think could be great if they do it 'right.'

[Tornado]

Originally Posted by IshMEL

Now I just want to go watch the Rankin Bass movie again.

Could not agree more. I just kept thinking, the animated version is better.

[nyys]

I think the animated version captures the 'dark and forboding' feeling much better than 'live action' ever could be expected too.

[ZBeeblebrox]

Originally Posted by nyys

I've very much enjoyed both movies. I went in without any expectations, only to get lost in the 'the world of Tolkein' and that's exactly what I got. I wouldn't have been dissappointed if the run time were another hour.

Spoiler Alert!

But what the hell was with ending on a cliffhanger? Of course we know what happens, but argh! Now we have to wait another year.

Smaug is going to die early in the the 3rd movie, I think that much is obvious, then the rest is going to be about the Battle of Five Armies. Which I think could be great if they do it 'right.'

I liked it too. went in with less expectations than Movie 1 and found that i quite enjoyed this one more...because of the surprises. I like the stretching of the story to link the two trilogies more...in my opinion it makes the Hobbit seem more epic than the book.

[Tornado]

A few questions about differences between the new version and the animated version. Perhaps someone who knows the Book well enough could clear some things up for me.

Spoiler Alert!

Before entering Mirkwood, in the animated version, Gandalf gives Bilbo pen and parchment and asks him to record the events so he can review them later and inform him of his missteps(I love when Gandalf is a jerk). This journal is the beginning of Bilbo's memoirs and becomes There and Back again. Is this part in the book and if so how could they skip it, in the current version?

When in Mirkwood Bilbo climbs a tree to see better. In the animated version he says something like, There are moments in life that change a person for all time. I wondered if I would ever see my little Hobbit home again. I wondered if I even cared. Is this in the book? It is my favorite part of the animated version and it gives me chills just thinking about it.

In the current version when fighting the spiders they proclaim "It Stings". In the animated Bilbo names it himself, which is more accurate. Also when wearing the ring and drawing Sting, in the animated version Bilbo is invisible but Sting is not, making Sting seem almost alive(it also reminds of an episode of Buck Rogers). In the current version Sting is also invisible, which is right?

When encountering Smaug, he compares his armor to shields, teeth to swords, talons to spears, ect. However in the animated version, there are two additional comparisons, his tail, a thunderbolt, and his breath, Death. Were these in the book?

It seems all of my favorite parts of the animated version were somehow different in the current and I am curious as to what the book was like in comparison. Thank you.