The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Review Thread (Spoilers)

[Grand Bob]

Originally Posted by Dead By Shaun

[Show spoiler]Well, here is one thought. Fast-forward to the third film. As we know, Thorin ultimately dies of his wounds sustained during the Battle of Five Armies. Rather than it being a random act of violence that mortally wounds Thorin on the battlefield, we'll have a name and face to attach to it - Bolg. If my hunch is correct, and Thorin dispatches Azog in the next film, Bolg will have a clearly defined motive to single out Thorin on a battlefield populated by thousands and attempt to dispatch him in order to avenge the death of his father (Azog). Had the film followed the story of Azog as it's laid out in the appendices, Dain would have slain Azog instead during the Battle of Azanulbizar, thus removing any element of personalizing Thorin's death on the battlefield and leaving it to just random happenstance; and Dain would of course be the more likely target of Bolg's vengeance, rather than Thorin. This just gives the actions behind Azog's and Bolg's motivations in this film more weight and meaning than they would have had otherwise, while simultaneously ratcheting up the dramatic impact of Thorin's death. Of course this is all just speculation on my part. I also suspect that we'll get a big hero moment during this scene when Bolg strikes Thorin down involving Beorn, who in bear form, will come swiftly to Thorin's aid and kill Bolg. Hmm...I guess that falls into the category of cheap thrills again, but it would still be pretty cool to see

That all sounds reasonable, and we can probably correctly guess that in addtion to being dramatic as you state, whatever happens will be draaaaaaawn out (slo-mo?; substitute

[Show spoiler] Thorin's for Boromir's death ala Fellowship?). I wonder if Jackson has in mind some kind of reconciliation between Thorin and Thranduil at the end? Despite the absurdity of the appearance of the elves in the prologue, I have to admit the guy who plays Thranduil is the most "elvish" looking character I've ever seen. In fact, I'm not convinced that he isn't an Elf.

[Bruisermoore]

I (35 yrs old) saw this last Saturday night along with my Wife (27), Daughter (11), Father-in-law (51), Mother-in-law (50), and Sister-in-law (16), and we ALL loved it! We are, of course, all Tolkien fans and LOTR trilogy fans but I still think it speaks volumes as to how entertaining the film is when it's able to delight such a wide range of ages.

I'm going to see it with a friend tonight, but in 3D this time!

[Grand Bob]

Originally Posted by joliefan

I hope when the EE of the hobbit come out we might get a better understanding of the films . It will also bridge it with The Lord of the rings films making it into a 6 part story.

My hope is that you are correct. However, if history is any indicator, we are more likely to get scenes like: Eowyn making soup, Faramir's men getting some additional punching practice with Gollum, Sam not being able to get to sleep, and an avalanche of skulls.

[chaingunsofdoom]

Saw this on Saturday in IMAX 3D HFR. Easy 5/5 for me. Sure the beginning was a bit slow, but then everything just meshes. Fastest ~3 hour movie this year.

As for the HFR, the detail was amazing and the 3D was great. I did not see any online complaints I had read like bad makeup, horrible CGI, etc.

My only issue was sometimes things looked like they were in fast-motion: like when the group is running, it looked unnaturally fast for some reason. Other than that, I would highly recommend seeing it in HFR if possible.

[beadelf]

Originally Posted by Grand Bob

That all sounds reasonable, and we can probably correctly guess that in addtion to being dramatic as you state, whatever happens will be draaaaaaawn out (slo-mo?; substitute

[Show spoiler] Thorin's for Boromir's death ala Fellowship?). I wonder if Jackson has in mind some kind of reconciliation between Thorin and Thranduil at the end? Despite the absurdity of the appearance of the elves in the prologue, I have to admit the guy who plays Thranduil is the most "elvish" looking character I've ever seen. In fact, I'm not convinced that he isn't an Elf.

the absurdity of elves in the first place

[Mahatma]

Originally Posted by Duffy12

WARNING! ***STORY SPOILERS*** FROM THE NEXT MOVIE!

[Show spoiler]The problem that I have with that is that it will diminish the emotional ending after the Battle of Five Armies. Isn't that where Thorin is supposed to really spill his guts to Bilbo right before he...well...you know?

.

WARNING! ***STORY SPOILERS*** FROM THE NEXT MOVIE![/B]

[Show spoiler]Still time to turn back...

[Show spoiler]No,that was because he called him a traitor and cast him out from the company when he took the arkenstone at the end before the battle of five armies.The one I am talking about is because Thorin was doubting Bilbo from the start until Bilbo stood up for him at the scenes of the wolves at the end.Strange that a fellow dwarf didn't,but that is another question...

[beadelf]

Originally Posted by Duffy12

WARNING! ***STORY SPOILERS*** FROM THE NEXT MOVIE!

[Show spoiler]The problem that I have with that is that it will diminish the emotional ending after the Battle of Five Armies. Isn't that where Thorin is supposed to really spill his guts to Bilbo right before he...well...you know?

.

or maybe you could just wait till you have seen all 3! just a suggestion

[Mahatma]

[quote=Mel823;6888557]

Originally Posted by dag

I must say I found The Hobbit to be an interminable experience. This is a textbook example where more is less. But despite being nearly three hours in length, with at least 50 minutes deserving of being left on the editing floor, there is virtually no characterisation, unless you include ridiculously hirsute dwarfs. The film really only picked up when Ian McKellen, Hugo Weaving, Christopher Lee, and Cate Blanchett appeared together on screen.

I also must say that 48FPS really was a mixed bag. Definitely, it is a very clear (moving) image. But it also made everything look very cheap. I am not sold on this presentation, but then, I don't like 3D.

Also, I'm, not impressed with Jackson's directorial style. Far too many quick cuts that served no purpose in story-telling, and despite the far too frequent swopping camera across the CGI-generated action, this never felt like a true epic.

Really, someone at Warner Brothers should have had a sit-down with Peter Jackson and worked to reduce this to, at most, a two-film presentation. But to think that this is a planned trilogy - my obvious question is, why?[/QUOTE]

It was a two-film presentation. Most likely someone at WB sat down with PJ and said make it three.

I mucked something up with the quotes.

Was thinking in similar lines,but decided to view it as pure entertainment,and as a fan of the book.Sure,PJ took liberties,but in my opinion it didn't rub me the wrong way as much as those he took with LotR,which story has a much broader scope.

Was the Hobbit art?No!But it did deliver on pure entertainment.I even liked the rascally chief goblin

Ofcourse,this is IMO


Edit:Why is the poll closed?

[Grand Bob]

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

Someone who knows better tell me...were Orcs always able to romp it up in daylight? Or did it just weaken them? The Battle of Five Armies doesn't take place at night, for instance...

Still, I thought it was odd that Kratos - err - Azog was able to dash about whenever he pleased, when in LOTR, only the Uruk-Hai were supposed to have that power. That's why Sauron covers the Pelennor Fields in darkness with smoke from Mount Doom, no? As cover for his Orcs?

IMO you are correct, and the orc/light background, and like most things in Middle-earth is somewhat complicated. Light is symbolic, and from my understanding, one might say that light (and the pursuit of "pure" light) is the driving element of this entire saga. In particular, the light of the Two Trees of Valinor was the only light that was untainted by evil before "The Fall of Arda" (the entire story is about this event, as J.R.R.T. says), and therefore became the greatest commodity after The Fall. Of course, the Silmarils contained this light, as did the phial that Galadriel gave Frodo (derived from "Earendil's Star" - a Simaril); it was probably the most important "good" thing in Middle-earth (as the Ring was the most important evil thing), a point that I feel was not emphasized in the movies. Tolkien wrote:

"The Light of Valinor (derived from light before any fall) is the light of art undivorced from reason, that sees things both scientifically (or philosophically) and imaginatively (or subcreatively) and says that they are good."

And:

"the lights of the Trees was holy and of great power, so that, if aught was good or lovely or of worth, in that light its loveliness and its worth were fully revealed...”

Therefore, the light of the Trees was sacred. The light of the Sun and Moon, in turn, are "second best", having been created after The Fall and tainted by evil, and therefore do not have the equivalent effect - but still being light, have some element of "sacredness". That is why the Elves who lived in the light of the Trees, such as Galadriel and Glorfindel (not Elrond) are more powerful than the Elves that remained in Middle-earth and never went to Valinor.

The orcs (and wargs, spiders, and other creatures of "darkness") consequently had a limited toleration of sunlight, and thus in The Hobbit book and LotR waited until evening or used the cover of clouds, etc. for their pursuits and battles, until the "Dark Powers" bred the Uruk-hai. In this case, since it may be presumed Azog is not an Uruk-hai, his (and his minions') toleration also would have been limited.

[Mahatma]

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

Someone who knows better tell me...were Orcs always able to romp it up in daylight? Or did it just weaken them? The Battle of Five Armies doesn't take place at night, for instance...

Still, I thought it was odd that Kratos - err - Azog was able to dash about whenever he pleased, when in LOTR, only the Uruk-Hai were supposed to have that power. That's why Sauron covers the Pelennor Fields in darkness with smoke from Mount Doom, no? As cover for his Orcs?

Not sure (should be...) but didn't a darkness descend on the valley just before the battle of five armies,or were that just metaphorical darkness?

[Grand Bob]

Originally Posted by Mahatma

Not sure (should be...) but didn't a darkness descend on the valley just before the battle of five armies,or were that just metaphorical darkness?

Yes

[Show spoiler] in the form of a storm.

[drichter33]

Originally Posted by Dead By Shaun

[Show spoiler]Well, here is one thought. Fast-forward to the third film. As we know, Thorin ultimately dies of his wounds sustained during the Battle of Five Armies. Rather than it being a random act of violence that mortally wounds Thorin on the battlefield, we'll have a name and face to attach to it - Bolg. If my hunch is correct, and Thorin dispatches Azog in the next film, Bolg will have a clearly defined motive to single out Thorin on a battlefield populated by thousands and attempt to dispatch him in order to avenge the death of his father (Azog). Had the film followed the story of Azog as it's laid out in the appendices, Dain would have slain Azog instead during the Battle of Azanulbizar, thus removing any element of personalizing Thorin's death on the battlefield and leaving it to just random happenstance; and Dain would of course be the more likely target of Bolg's vengeance, rather than Thorin. This just gives the actions behind Azog's and Bolg's motivations in this film more weight and meaning than they would have had otherwise, while simultaneously ratcheting up the dramatic impact of Thorin's death. Of course this is all just speculation on my part. I also suspect that we'll get a big hero moment during this scene when Bolg strikes Thorin down involving Beorn, who in bear form, will come swiftly to Thorin's aid and kill Bolg. Hmm...I guess that falls into the category of cheap thrills again, but it would still be pretty cool to see

Very well put. I hope so. I was trying to fit the piece of Azog and his one on one tracking of thorin into context cause initially I felt the same way- is this just made up added stuff or did it historically fit in via a parallel timeline in the appendices etc.

Trying to also understand the developing story with the necromancer stuff and if they will, via some flashback that i could do without, get into ungoliant and the spawning that is now filling mirkwood

[Duffy12]

Originally Posted by beadelf

or maybe you could just wait till you have seen all 3! just a suggestion

Thanks.

But Mahatma explained it much better to me as I vaguely know how the story ends because I have read the book.

.

[drichter33]

Like this little read too. Makes me see the bigger picture and understand what could be coming in future films so that the events in HAUJ werent random, misplaced, or made up.

http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Dol_Guldur

[Duffy12]

Originally Posted by Mahatma

Was thinking in similar lines,but decided to view it as pure entertainment,and as a fan of the book.Sure,PJ took liberties,but in my opinion it didn't rub me the wrong way as much as those he took with LotR,which story has a much broader scope.

Was the Hobbit art?No!But it did deliver on pure entertainment.I even liked the rascally chief goblin

Ofcourse,this is IMO


Edit:Why is the poll closed?

Mahatma:

That is pretty much EXACTLY how I viewed it too.

Sure Jackson made some dubious alterations.

But...the horse has pretty much left the barn regarding his Middle-earth mutilations. So I was just able to sit back and enjoy myself for almost 3 hours with a big grin on my face because it is fantastically intertaining regardless...most likely do to the lighthearted feel of this children's story.

It's really his interpretation of the more serious LotR that really grinds my grears.

.

[JamesKurtovich]

I focused more on the positives. I also kept in mind how easy it is to make a horrible flop as opposed to a worthy follow-up. I believe he succeeded in creating something that can go into our collections seamlessly.

I personally felt that Middle-Earth itself was done better this time around, mostly in the scenes with Radagast. It felt more "magical" to me. I'm really looking forward to Mirkwood, as I feel that Middle-Earth's forests is where most of its life is. We see so much of its mountains and plains.

Duffy, Baker is my favorite Doctor! And I loved watching Sylvester McCoy as Radagast. Brilliant casting.

[blakeyamc]

So, I have seen this twice now, both in 2D (will see HFR 3D, later this week) and I really enjoyed it. Similar issues I had with some of the LOTR movies.
A solid 7.5/10.

Good
Martin Freeman - fantastic as Bilbo. The perfect stuffy Englishman, with a Took side waiting to be released.
Gandalf - no issues here.
Prologue - I loved it. Except, for one nitpick concerning the elves.
Bag End/Hobbiton scenes - Loved it. Perfect beginning. No bloat
Riddles in the Dark - great performances and great scene. (I do wish it was a little darker).
Bilbo's Speech - Loved this moment.
Rivendell CGI - Wow!
The sense of whimsy and fun was great and really kept with the feeling of the book.

Average
Dwarves - Most of the Dwarves were pretty much there. No more, no less. (just like the book)
Thorin - Excellent performance by Armitage, but the character will need some fleshing out.
Balin - really liked him.
Trollshaw - Not bad, but different from the book and I am not sure it's any better or worse, just different. (

[Show spoiler]Except for the sneeze, not good)

Battle of Azanulbizar -

[Show spoiler]Very cool to see, but, something was strange. Can't put my finger on what it is. They win the battle, and then... nothing.

Rivendell Moon Runes - Nice.
Dol Guldur - Quick scene, but I liked the look of it.
Goblin Town - Cool looking. Goblin King was huge and appropriately hideous.

Not so good
Prologue Elves -

[Show spoiler]Were they just out for a stroll, the same day Smaug attacked? I don't get it... The hatred between Elves and Dwarves is far more complex, than that.

CGI Fighting - Not enough weight to some of the fight scenes. The dwarves seem superhuman, while knocking 100's of goblins around. But yet, run away from 5 orcs on wargs. I know this is a small nitpick, in the big scheme of things, but, I wish the fight scenes just had some weight.
The White Council - Loved the beginning of it, began to wonder what these people were thinking halfway thru. Seemed silly at the end, when should've been powerful.
Goblin King death -

[Show spoiler]Modern death scene dialogue. No like.

Goblin child? messenger - What the?

The UGHH!

[Show spoiler]Ragast the Brown vs Azog race - wtf! I have no idea what to say. Just a complete mis hit.
Azog side story - If they would've just introduced Azog at the Battle of Azanulbizar and then had him show up at the end, that would've been fine. But, all the stuff in between was not needed.
Weed from the south farthing - Hmmm..

Overall, it was great to be back in middle earth and I will end up watching it tons of times, despite the things that bug me and will end up as a fantastic adventure trilogy and a great companion piece to the LOTR trilogy.

[SirMontyPython]

Originally Posted by blakeyamc

So, I have seen this twice now, both in 2D (will see HFR 3D, later this week) and I really enjoyed it. Similar issues I had with some of the LOTR movies.
A solid 7.5/10.

Good
Martin Freeman - fantastic as Bilbo. The perfect stuffy Englishman, with a Took side waiting to be released.
Gandalf - no issues here.
Prologue - I loved it. Except, for one nitpick concerning the elves.
Bag End/Hobbiton scenes - Loved it. Perfect beginning. No bloat
Riddles in the Dark - great performances and great scene. (I do wish it was a little darker).
Bilbo's Speech - Loved this moment.
Rivendell CGI - Wow!
The sense of whimsy and fun was great and really kept with the feeling of the book.

Average
Dwarves - Most of the Dwarves were pretty much there. No more, no less. (just like the book)
Thorin - Excellent performance by Armitage, but the character will need some fleshing out.
Balin - really liked him.
Trollshaw - Not bad, but different from the book and I am not sure it's any better or worse, just different. (

[Show spoiler]Except for the sneeze, not good)

Battle of Azanulbizar -

[Show spoiler]Very cool to see, but, something was strange. Can't put my finger on what it is. They win the battle, and then... nothing.

Rivendell Moon Runes - Nice.
Dol Guldur - Quick scene, but I liked the look of it.
Goblin Town - Cool looking. Goblin King was huge and appropriately hideous.

Not so good
Prologue Elves -

[Show spoiler]Were they just out for a stroll, the same day Smaug attacked? I don't get it... The hatred between Elves and Dwarves is far more complex, than that.

CGI Fighting - Not enough weight to some of the fight scenes. The dwarves seem superhuman, while knocking 100's of goblins around. But yet, run away from 5 orcs on wargs. I know this is a small nitpick, in the big scheme of things, but, I wish the fight scenes just had some weight.
The White Council - Loved the beginning of it, began to wonder what these people were thinking halfway thru. Seemed silly at the end, when should've been powerful.
Goblin King death -

[Show spoiler]Modern death scene dialogue. No like.

Goblin child? messenger - What the?

The UGHH!

[Show spoiler]Ragast the Brown vs Azog race - wtf! I have no idea what to say. Just a complete mis hit.
Azog side story - If they would've just introduced Azog at the Battle of Azanulbizar and then had him show up at the end, that would've been fine. But, all the stuff in between was not needed.
Weed from the south farthing - Hmmm..

Overall, it was great to be back in middle earth and I will end up watching it tons of times, despite the things that bug me and will end up as a fantastic adventure trilogy and a great companion piece to the LOTR trilogy.

I have this amazing spoiler, so beware!!

[Show spoiler]Frodo keeps the ring at the end!

[Arvin Clone]

I seen it Yesterday and absolutely loved it! My second favorite movie of 2012! It started out a bit slow, but picked up the pace and never let up. Radagast was my favorite character. I'll definitely see it again!

[JamesKurtovich]

Originally Posted by Arvin Clone

I seen it Yesterday and absolutely loved it! My second favorite movie of 2012! It started out a bit slow, but picked up the pace and never let up. Radagast was my favorite character. I'll definitely see it again!

#1 for me. I've always loved Radagast so I was happy to see his character explored here.