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1415dr
The Shire
Dec 16 2013, 1:23pm
Post #1 of 8
(4114 views)
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Pessimist pleasantly surprised (Spoilers)
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I went into the theater Saturday expecting the worst. I read too many spoiler reviews and I thought I had the whole movie planned out in my head… it didn’t look good. But my experience was much better than I imagined it would be. Most of the reviewer complaints were exaggerated beyond belief. Maybe it helped that I saw it in 24fps, 2D. Anyway, here is a quick review of the major scenes that I was expecting to be awful but turned out great (plus a few nitpicks that nobody else seems to have mentioned on here yet).
Beorn:
I was very skeptical of his appearance. I was having childhood flashbacks to the 80’s Beauty and the Beast TV show, but Beorn was really amazing. The actor sold the role for me. He had a steely-eyed seriousness that made the whole thing work. My only nitpick was the chain on his wrist. How the heck could a giant bear’s arm fit in that chain?
Mirkwood:
Absolutely better than I imagined. I wish it had lasted 10 minutes longer. The only nitpick was the spider “talking” after Bilbo took off the ring, and the naming of Sting being so casual. There was significant foreshadowing of this in AUJ, I expected it to be something special. Really, this scene would be much better if AUJ hadn’t already shown us the spiders and hadn’t forced Bilbo to kill a Warg and an Orc already. This was supposed to be his first heroic action, but you can’t blame DOS for those mistakes (blame the trilogy as a whole).
Elves:
The acting and dialogue was much better than the trailers presented it. I thought for sure this would be an elf-focused movie with cheesy one liners. It ended up being a good introduction to the Wood Elves and how they differ from Elrond and Galadriel. I have some nitpicks but they’re not worth mentioning.
Barrels:
In the trailer you can see a barrel flying through the air and I really expected this would be over-the-top nonsense. It was over-the-top, but I have to admit that it was really fun, and it served the story! That’s a rare combination for most of PJ’s movies. Some of the choreography was a little too convenient, but it wasn’t too bad. Strangely enough, the longer this scene continued the better it got. Bombur’s barrel scene went on, and on, and on, but I was laughing uncontrollably the whole time (personal note: I haven’t laughed in a movie theater for 20 years). The good parts far outweigh the flaws. The only possible nitpick is why Thorin would bother saving Legolas by throwing away his only weapon, but you can reconcile it pretty easily.
Laketown:
The transition from summery-autumn to icy-winter was jarring, but the town was perfect. I think they conveyed the character of the town and its people very well, considering how little time there was. Bard was great. Great acting, great dialogue. We need far more of this town in the EE.
Necromancer:
I was really worried by this subplot. I’ve been resenting the whole setup since AUJ. But DOS made it interesting. I didn’t notice the “fake CGI Gandalf” or choppy editing that other reviewers had me looking for. Gandalf v Azok was pretty cool. The only nitpick is how long it takes Gandalf to admit the obvious to himself. How much evidence do you need before you put it together? Let’s see if this pays off in the TaBA.
Entering the mountain:
Loved it, except for the part where Bilbo’s “keen eyes” see a 600ft tall giant dwarf carved in the mountain. Seriously, nobody else could see that? I loved Thorin’s disappointment when the door wouldn’t open. It seemed very real as he tries to explain to the others that he read the map correctly. Balin wins the Middle-Earth Oscar for his scenes. Crying on entering the door/ defending Bilbo against Thorin. It was great. My minor nitpicks aren’t worth mentioning.
Smaug:
I have been extremely worried about Smaug since they announced they were making the Hobbit movies. Years of anxiety were building up for this reveal. The voice, the setting, the tone was perfect. The CGI was amazing, mostly on the face and tail. I loved how his eyes shifted in tone if he was being sarcastic or aggressive. They did an amazing job.
I am one of the anti-wyvern people who have been plaguing the forums for 3 months. I have to admit that I still think walking on his wings was a big mistake. He moves like the white dragon in Harry Potter 7. He is jittery and seems less mobile. I’m sure he’ll look fine flying over Laketown, but in Erebor he would have looked much better with 4 legs. Part of this is because his wing-arms are too long and his back legs are too short. Imagine if he had stomped into the Hall of the Kings on four legs with his head held high instead of winding his way on his wing-tips. It seems more noble for some reason. It’s senseless to keep the argument up now. My fellow 6-limbers and I lost the fight. And I guess I’ll get used to it eventually. Everything else was a triumph, so it seems petty to complain about this now. It doesn’t take away from the character at all like I expected it too. It’s just aesthetics.
Climax:
My biggest complaint about the movie is how PJ handled the editing in the final 20 minutes. I was won over by all of the subplots, but once Smaug was on screen I didn’t care about them anymore. Why did they feel the need to cut back to Laketown every 3 minutes? I wanted to see Smaug. I was drumming my fingers on my knee waiting for Tauriel and Legolas’ scenes to hurry up. That’s not a good frame of mind to be in for the climax. I think that’s why people complain about the ending so much. I was already bearing a grudge against those distractions as soon as they started. It also made it harder to “get back into” the Smaug scenes.
I think it would have been much better if those were resolved before Bilbo ever walked into Smaug’s lair. Then the pressure would build through the whole conversation, chase scenes, and golden statue. As a climax, the statue would be much less goofy and over-the-top because it would be seen as a payoff to 15 minutes of tension instead of a useless gimmick. It’s just my opinion.
In general, most new movies make this editing mistake. Look at some classic movies with exciting climaxes. They keep the camera on the action, and only cut away to people who are reacting to the action. Never cut away to another plot 20 miles away. It sucks the energy out of the scene when it needs it the most.
Overall I am a repentant pessimist. I thought it was going to be a disaster bordering on heresy. That’s what most reviewers led me to believe, but I ended up really liking it. The climax was disappointing, but it could have been much worse.
Any other worrywarts out there who wish they’d been more open minded?
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architecthis
Lorien
Dec 16 2013, 1:38pm
Post #2 of 8
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I pretty much feel exactly the same
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The only difference is that I was more discouraged by AUJ than the reviews for DOS. But I certainly have changed my mind and my attitude toward the next film is completely different than it has been for DOS.
In complete agreement on your assessment of the ending - no cutting to Laketown and maybe even cutting out the statue completely would have served the film better but it's a minor gripe for me.
Overall I was extremely impressed and I cannot wait to buy the extended version on blue ray.
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Cave Troll
Rivendell
Dec 16 2013, 2:03pm
Post #3 of 8
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A lot of things I was fearing the most actually played out alright - Beorn looked fine on screen and the dreaded dwarf-elf romance was surprisingly effective (Kili really annoyed me in AUJ but he was transformed here).
I still think the whole necromancer subplot is proving hugely disappointing but hey...
And I agree - they got carried away with the climax (the whole golden statue thing was just silly and, as you say, the cuts back to Legolas and his pointless CGI adventures in Laketown detracted from the main action in Smaug's lair).
Had they decided on a slightly more straightforward, sensible conclusion, it'd really be quite a good film imo.
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nhui06
Rivendell
Dec 16 2013, 2:50pm
Post #4 of 8
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Mirkwood: Never noticed the spiders talking after the Ring was off - will need to rewatch. I did not mind that Bilbo had his heroic moment in AUJ (it was needed to close off the first film). IMO, Bilbo's battle with the orc in AUJ was more of a 'spur the moment' kind of thing, where he just rushed over to help. This Spider sequence was Bilbo being more in control and calculated. It does show how Bilbo is becoming more courageous, so it still works in my mind.
Barrel Scene: Interesting observation about Thorin - I guess he respected the fact that while he hates Elves, he still respects them for saving his Dwarves against the Orcs - battling the common enemy.
Dol Guldur: Yeah I didn't really notice the choppy edits with Gandalf either. It was pretty well done IMO. Only thing I was confused about was why Gandalf sent Radghast away and made him promise not to follow? I am sure Radgasht could hold his own (he did battle the Witch King already).
Climax: I think I need to rewatch the movie again, but the whole Smaug vs Dwarves thing did not seem like it was put together very well. That said, I could not think of another way for the Dwarves to battle Smaug (without them taking advantage of what they had in Erebor). The Molten Gold looked really weird, but I guess if you Google Molten Gold, that IS apparently what molten gold looks like (does not look like 'lava' as some would expect).
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ManOfWesternesse
Registered User
Dec 16 2013, 3:31pm
Post #5 of 8
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Have to say I was captivated by the whole film. I was maybe a bit perplexed by Thranduil - my reading of his character wouldn't have had him so introverted or so self(elf)-centred as portrayed, but I'm happy enough to see how that plays out. (I do wonder how you reconcile that with the King who will later send Legolas to Rivendell to see how the world fares and allow him to take part in teh quest of the Ring).
Overall though - very happy with it.
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The Red Avenger
Rivendell
Dec 16 2013, 3:32pm
Post #6 of 8
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...well done for actually seeing the movie and letting us all know how and why you enjoyed it, more than you thought you had every right to expect.
This is my problem with people who lambast something before they've seen it. Being a pessimist is fine, so is being an optimist but being one or the other and then expecting everybody to share your view without actually seeing the finished film first has always seemed to me to be narcissistic. There is only one person who matters here and it's you. Only you can decide if you like something or not. Not everybody will like it, some will have mixed views, some will really like it, that's normal but to foist their opinion without seeing something first is less about you and more about me, me, me.
It's reviews like this that gives me great hope. I had problems with AUJ, I liked it, I didn't love it. Last week I watched the extended cut and it fixes a lot of problems I had, mainly the flow of the film and I do love that version. I am looking forward to DOS (seeing it tomorrow, hopefully) but I do have that slight nagging that AUJ left me with. However I have not seen it and until I do I will not comment specifically on it in positive or negative tones.
Again, very pleased you were happy with what you saw and that it changed your pessimistic outlook.
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arithmancer
Grey Havens
Dec 16 2013, 3:33pm
Post #7 of 8
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I though Gandalf was making sure that the White Council would be apprised of Sauron's return. Just in case, for whatever reason,  , Gandalf was not able to report back on what he found in DG.
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happydood
The Shire
Dec 16 2013, 4:52pm
Post #8 of 8
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I'm betting that Thranduil's transition... (SPOILER????)
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into someone who sends Legolas to The Council Of Elrond will be a direct result of dealing with Bilbo. Not that they're being particularly careful to be faithful to the book, but isn't he there when Bilbo brings the Arkenstone to barter with? I'm guessing the Alliance with Bard and Bilbo's actions will make him see the light of interacting with the outside world. I don't think that scene of closing his borders in DOS was there on accident. PJ clearly likes to play up the drama of these kinds of things- See: Bard getting thrown in a cell when the dragon is on the way....
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