Hobbit II - The Desolation of Smaug

[wiseheart]

I've just seen the second film. I'm planning to write a longer review over at edhellondawards, so only a few impressions for now.

Spoliers behind the cut, just in case.

1. NOT ENOUGH BILBO
2. Not enough Thorin, either.
3. No character development re: individual Dwarves
4. Too many sodding Orcs - what were they doing in these films anyway?
5. Too much gratutious fighting, just for fighting's sake.
6. Too many stupid Elven stunts.
7. Too much Legolas - the film could have done without him much better. He's still the cardboard caricature he was in the LOTR trilogy.
8. BLOODY FABULOUS DRAGON! I know male CGI geeks are whining all over the internet about the dragon being not convincing enough - well, too bad for them. I loved it!
9. Brand and the stupid arrow catapult. Somebody shoot me with it, please!
10. Against my expectations, I actually liked Thranduil. His crown and his dressing grown with the floral(???) pattern (yes, I know it was meant to be a robe, but it did look like a woman's dressing gown) were stupid, but the actor did a very decent job.
11. Thranduil's caves looked idiotic.
12. The Dwarves successfully destroyed Erebor from within - I won't say anything else about the whole idiotic plot twist concerning it.
13. Gandalf in a bird cage? Since when were he and Sauron indulging in BDSM practices?
14. The tombs of the Ringwrights? WTF, the whole trick with them was the not dying part... sort of.
15. Elf/Dwarf/Elf love triangle. Bleh.
16. KICK-ASS TAURIEL, though. Loved her.
17. BEORN. Sort of liked him, too. His halls were poorly done, though.
18. Laketown. Hated it. I know it's fanfiction, but not my interpretation. I prefer my Lakemen decent, save for the Master.

All in all, I'm perhaps the only one who liked the first film better. That, at least had a fleeting likeness to the book that I've loved for the better part of my life.

Comments

[ideealisme.livejournal.com]

Although I've read parts of LOTR, the only thing that sticks about the Hobbit in my mind is "second breakfast" as my partner often teases me that it's something I enjoy!

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

You really should give it a try. The original "Hobbit" is a slender children's fairytale book, with a unique, innocent charm to it - not at all like Peter Jackson's overblown massacre-feast.

It would have made *one* wonderful film, if focused on what it's truly about.

[aviv-b.livejournal.com]

I agree with you. Maybe it was because all the reviews said the second film was better - this did not meet my expectations. I liked the first one better than you did, but this was all just fight scenes that could have been in pretty much any sci-fi movie. And while Tauriel was kick-ass, what the hell did she ever see in Legolas? She's much more alive than he'll ever be. I've always thought that Legolas was played too ethereal or maybe ephemeral - cold, not a living breathing being.

And yes about Bilbo - this is HIS story, and he seemed to be relegated off to the side so we could have the big Kili/Tauriel/Legolas love story. And yes about the dragon. He was most alive and fully developed of any character in this film.


I think the problem is the trilogy had more than enough material for 3 movies - the Hobbit would have been better off with 2. With three movies, they have to pad and they can only do so with minor characters or adding in other characters/ story lines that distract from the canon story line.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

As I said above, it would have made *one* beautiful film, if focused on what it's really about: Bilbo and his character growth.

Legolas was horrible in LOTR and is even worse in "The Hobbit". It's not entirely Orlando Bloom's fault, he could only work what he was given, and was I actually impressed with his acting in "Kingdom of Heaven". He can act if he's given a decently written character.

Unfortunately, Jackson's Elves are all bloodless, boring clones. Their appearance is ridiculous, and they've all been gelded personality-wise... if they had any to begin with.

I was also very upset to see that the different Dwarf characters we saw in the first film got all dissolved into a homogenous mass.

[rcfinch.livejournal.com]

No, you're not the only one to like the first film better. I'm in almost complete agreement with you, only I did like Thranduil's halls. And I missed the eyes in the dark and the enchanted river and the lights of the Elven feast... PJ practically slaughtered Tolkien's Mirkwood sequence, which I find hard to forgive.

BTW, best wishes for 2014, and especially less work related stress!

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Oh, but eyes in the dark and an enchanted river can't be compared with the same sequence of half-rotten, snarling Orcs running after our heroes for the umpteenth time! And Jackson's Elves would never be able to even *appear* merry, dead and bloodless clones (or shopping window puppets) as they are.

Yes, I'm very angry about the Mirkwood sequence, too. That's perhaps the creepiest part of the whole book, and it went completely under in the general doom and gloom of the whole film.

Happy 2014 to you, too! I got your card - thanks. It made me feel ashamed as I've forgotten to send you one. But I was so focused on those who actually *did* ask for one a few posts before that I forgot the rest of mankind. So sorry. Will do better next time. Give the girls my love.

[rcfinch.livejournal.com]

Never mind, next time better! Best wishes from the ladies, and give mine to your mom.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Will do! :)

[jenn-calaelen.livejournal.com]

I meant to write a post after seeing it, but never got that far, so here are some random thoughts.

The first one was much better. There were a few bits of the 2nd on I liked (Bard's daughters hiding under the table while everyone was fighting - so sensible), but mostly it was a disappointment.

The whole kill Smaug with molten gold seemed to be totally stupid, and just an excuse for more silliness. Evil Thranduil and the whole Legolas/Tauriel stuff just seemed totally off.

The whole timeline being compressed like crazy did not work for me. It makes ME feel far too small - everywhere is on top of everywhere else.

The ice on the lake was wrong and laketown seemed far too low to the water. Totally agree about disappointment at everyone there being evil/corrupt.

And mostly it felt far too long - too many repetitive action sequences, too many orcs, too many plot holes.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Tolkien based Laketown on archaeological founds - apparently, settlements built on wooden pillars in the middle of the water did exist once. And he did his research without the internet and all the resources people have today. PJ should have followed suit.

As someone said on the Axe&Bow list, the whole gold statue thing was utterly ridiculous, but gilded!Smaug looked very pretty. *g*