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---> OFFICIAL USER REVIEW THREAD
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Olorin2607
Lorien


Dec 9 2014, 7:07pm

Post #1 of 296 (11928 views)
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     ---> OFFICIAL USER REVIEW THREAD  

Admin note: we're going to try sticking a user review thread so everyone can see each others' reviews. If we get too many people who miss the sticky and start their own threads, we may reconsider and go back to starting new review threads as they each fall to page 2. Also, because threads with more than 300 replies can make the boards go slower, we'll lock this thread around that point, and start a new one, linking to all the old ones.

Let the reviews begin!! SmileLaugh

p.s. if you've already posted a review in another thread, feel free to repost it here!

********************
I hope no one is against me opening this thread.

As the time has almost come for everyone in Europe at least to see the movie I thought we could need this thread.
When you have seen the final Hobbit movie you can post your review here.

I will post mine as well soon.. will see it tomorrow 6:30 PM CET.

Discussion is assertively desirable.

Go ahead and enjoy! Smile

p.s.: Perhaps some mod or admin could sticky this thread??

p.p.s.: if you'd like to post critics reviews in this thread too, the more the merrier.


(This post was edited by Altaira on Dec 10 2014, 6:20pm)


Altaira
Superuser


Dec 9 2014, 7:28pm

Post #2 of 296 (5753 views)
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     We only sticky official announcments [In reply to]  

...and things like discussion sign-up threads, schedules, etc.. Once a post is stuck, it sometimes becomes 'invisible', especially to newbies, who go ahead and start new threads anyway. We've found it's better to just start new ones once the first one drops off the board.

Looking forward to everyone's reviews!! Smile


Koru: Maori symbol representing a fern frond as it opens. The koru reaches towards the light, striving for perfection, encouraging new, positive beginnings.



"Life can't be all work and no TORn" -- jflower

"I take a moment to fervently hope that the camaradarie and just plain old fun I found at TORn will never end" -- LOTR_nutcase





dubulous
Rohan

Dec 10 2014, 1:47am

Post #3 of 296 (5783 views)
Shortcut
     Well, so first thoughts [In reply to]  

I've only just gotten home so I'm not sure I'd call this a review because my thoughts aren't well enough arranged for that, but some first impressions:

- I think I liked it better than DoS on the first viewing. It had a lot of good but it probably would have been a lot better without Tauriel and Legolas, which gets me to....

- Tauriel/Kili. No. Just no. At their last scene where Tauriel is weeping over Kili's body, the girl sitting in front of me actually raised her middle finger at the screen, and I shared that sentiment. Enough said about that for now.

- I had high expectations for Dol Guldur and they were met to some extent but it felt very rushed and some of the cuts felt a bit off. I hope that means there'll be more added in the EE and it flow better. Also, I didn't like nuclear effects used on Galadriel. It was actually worse than in FotR and it took me a long time to get used to that. When she first rises up she actually reminded me of the girl from the Ring movie (it was an observation I read before seeing the movie, so I don't know if I was affected by that, but I could definitely see the resemblance). Maybe I'll grow used to that, too, over time. I loved how she called Sauron a servant of Morgoth.

- I loved the ending that turned into a beginning. And Lobelia Sackville-Baggins trying to take the spoons. It's nods like that that really make it worth the price of the movie ticket.

- The beginning and Bard vs. Smaug was great.

- Thorin's dragon-sickness was given perhaps a little too much time and attention, but overall I felt it was a good arc.

- Fili and Kili's deaths were a major wasted opportunity. They didn't even make me feel emotional, which speaks for itself. They should have died defending Thorin. I'm actually surprised PJ would miss such a golden opportunity. He has done well with emotional deaths before (see Boromir) but even Haldir's death in TTT felt more emotional than either Fili's or Kili's.

- I loved that woman of Laketown who proved herself a better female character and role model in a couple of scenes than Tauriel did with an over-inflated role in two movies.

- Some of the best scenes were between Bilbo and Thorin.

I think I'll go sleep on it all now and possibly see the movie again tomorrow. I think I ended up mentioning more things I disliked than things I liked, but I think overall it was a good movie. AUJ remains my favourite but this will probably surpass DoS in my estimation.


Arannir
Valinor


Dec 10 2014, 2:01am

Post #4 of 296 (6387 views)
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     Review: A Very Fond Farewell [In reply to]  

As almost the strongest of the three Hobbit movies, “The Battle of the Five Armies” provides the emotional and thrilling pay-off for the good, yet not totally satisfying first two instalments and leaves the Middle-earth saga as one of the greatest cinematic achievements of all time.

I always liked Jackson for thinking big with these movies, not being too afraid in the handling of his source material. Whatever sympathy I have for criticism stops when it is claimed that he just went for the “easy, modern, action crowd pleaser”-approach. Because it excludes the obvious fascination with the material he works with, the eye for detail, his inventiveness in creating and orchestrating scenes, his exceptional good hand in choosing actors to portray these iconic characters (one but not the only reason why this is so far above the SW prequels). All this (and the marvelous work of all his artistic and technical collaborators) are very present and strong in this last installment. And yes, it is a blockbuster with much more heart and soul than what we so often get these days. It is also a better movie than most of those. Though, also this Hobbit shows that the world-building-effort is stronger than the storytelling-effort in this trilogy.

The movie starts where we left off last year, which feels equally fresh and overwhelming. I warmed to the idea of not having a prologue but wouldn’t mind if the Extended Edition would re-introduce one. The magnificence and greatness of the destruction of Lake-town (the soundtrack is excellent in this scene) will only really touch you if you have already been able to immerse yourself – and you only have seconds to do so. While I thought for a long time that this scene should have been part of DoS, I totally get now why they did not do it. Having the dragon’s death in the same film as all its consequences is much more powerful and I am glad they went for the cliffhanger.

So it is good that after this scene we have time to settle down a bit as the title appears and we follow the immediate aftermath of Smaug’s demise. We basically meet all characters again and are reminded of where they are right now and how the chess game for the treasure in the mountain begins, culminating in the White Council battling the Nazgul and Sauron: a scene that will go down in the long line of epic scenes of the franchise. It is short but everything it needed to be for the theatrical cut.
In the scenes from there to the begin of the battle the movie does not miss one single beat a fan could have hoped for, playing the politics aspects of it all very nicely – the tyrant is dead and yet he was awful, he had held the place together and stabilized the North of Middle-earth. Now, everyone wants to either take his place or at least get a part of his treasure. Strong performances by Armitage, Pace and Evans make this one of the best 30 minutes in the Hobbit trilogy, with Freeman’s charismatic Bilbo shining at the right moments.

Legolas and Tauriel (the latter again being marvelously played by Evangeline Lilly) are put to very good use with their exploration of Mt. Gundabad were the main force of Sauron gathers its strength. While people will discuss Legolas’ stunts in the battle and Tauriel’s storyline with Kili until the end of days, they do not feel out of place at all for the majority of their scenes and especially Tauriel enriches Tolkien’s world.
Once the battle starts the movie just does not give you time to breath (in a good way for the most part) and some of the vistas are better than anything we have seen on film before.

Jackson’s approach to tell the story of the battle by jumping between the heroes works for the biggest part, I even liked some of the over the top stunts by Legolas. Despite losing all sense of gravity here, it somehow did not feel that out of place, though it certainly does touch the line to being tedious several times. It is not a game-breaker, though. What is annoying is that Legolas gets to do a lot in the battle that should been given to Beorn (or Dain) – and at least one very crucial deed.

More of a game-breaker (or maker) is the resolution of the battle, particularly the death of three of our heroes. The fact that Tauriel is involved in all this might put some people off to an extent that might ruin the movie for them. Personally, I somewhere on the road bought that affection between Tauriel and Kili, believing that it comes from their desire to think outside the mindsets of their races and the strict traditions and feuds that shape them. So when the inevitable end of their relationship comes, I could not help myself but being touched by this “death of innocence” – maybe one of the strongest hints at the fact that Middle-earth is looking into a very dark future at this point.

Fili's death was imho handled best with the execution... really shocking and moving. Kili was played for more emotion but will only wrk if one buys the relationship.

Still, for all the emotions present during the climax of the battle, I did miss the perfection of a “Ride of the Rohirrim” or “The End of All Things” from RotK. It sometimes just gets there, but never as brilliantly or as meaningfully.

In the end, the story returns to Tolkien, for all its embellishment, changes and additions. The last scene that Thorin and Bilbo share is a tear-jerker and everything I had hoped it to be.

As Tolkien’s book, the movie does not tell us much about the future of all the other characters, though a lot is self-explanatory – Bard is obviously the leader of the Men of Esgaroth/Dale by the end of the movie, Thranduil will obviously remain a grim Elven king but seems to leave his isolationist stand behind him (by sending his heir out into the world… telling him to befriend a certain Ranger). A theatrical cut of the story does not really need much more, even though as a fan of the franchise I do hope to get more material with the Extended Edition (rumored to be 30-40 minutes longer) for this part of the movie in particular. The theatrical version is justifiable though – it is the beginning of greater conflicts and darker days, not the time for several resolutions.

Bilbo’s return gives you almost not enough time to let go… I might have wished for a few more emotional beats in these last seconds. But the last scene does tie everything together in a very neat way. It is as much as a lead-in to FotR as it is a finale to BotFA and that may be the reason why it is hard to let the movie go once the credits starts rolling. I definitely needed “The Last Goodbye” to say my inner farewell to Middle-earth.




In the end, Jackson keeps the integrity of his two trilogies intact (unlike Gorge Lucas, despite LotR remaining on a masterpiece level that no Hobbit movie touches). BotFA is the movie that was needed to make these films work as a six movie saga that will sit on the shelves of movie fans and Tolkien fans for decades to come (and watchable in both orders), even if this last journey to Middle-earth does not completely use its emotional potential.

All six courses of the Middle-earth menu have been worth it – with LotR being haute-cuisine at its finest and TH being a delicious yet sometimes overly sugary dessert. But boy, what a dinner it was. What a journey. What a cinematic experience. There will not be anything like it. Farewell, Middle-earth.


8.5/10 (AUJ 8.5/10, DoS 8/10, AUJ EE 8.5, DoS EE 8.5/10)


PS: Dain has a lot of non-CGI moments... he is mainly CGI when he sits on his pig. He is definately not CGI in close-ups and when he meets with Thorin on the battlefield.
PPS: Thorin only mentions "home", not songs etc in his final words.

"I am afraid it is only too likely to be true what you say about the critics and the public. I am dreading the publication for it will be impossible not to mind what is said. I have exposed my heart to be shot at." J.R.R. Tolkien

We all have our hearts and minds one way or another invested in these books and movies. So we all mind and should show the necessary respect.



(This post was edited by Arannir on Dec 10 2014, 2:14am)


macfalk
Valinor


Dec 10 2014, 2:33am

Post #5 of 296 (5555 views)
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     The best surprise for me [In reply to]  

Was that the rumours of a fully CGI Dain were unfounded... unless I need to get my eyes checked. He did look CGI in some shots, but in many closeups I could swear that he was real.

The greatest adventure is what lies ahead.


Annatar598
Rohan


Dec 10 2014, 2:44am

Post #6 of 296 (5507 views)
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     Nice review! As for the girl... You have to question [In reply to]  

The overall sanity of a society when people feel the desire the wag the middle finger at an inanimate object. Especially a movie.

"[Annatar598] is an overzealous apologist [for PJ]" - Certain TORn member.

Really? Alright...

Well, proud to be one I guess.


NoelGallagher
Rohan


Dec 10 2014, 2:45am

Post #7 of 296 (5606 views)
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     First little review after just seeing it [In reply to]  

Positive:

Dol Guldur- Galadriel is damn scary and the whole scene is a visual delight,sorry :)

Martin Freeman,Richard Armitage,Luke Evans, Ian McKellen ans Lee Pace play their roles just sublime,awesome acting!!!Ken Stott and Graham McTravish too,really moving...

Character moments - beautifully captured by Peter Jackson,great directing!!!

Smaug attacking Laketown is brilliantly animated

Gundabad looks great,nice references to Angmar as well

Azog/Thorin and (surprisingly) Legolas/Bolg -fights are
are very well done. I hated the Legolas-fact at first reading but after seeing the movie i have to admit that it fits the movie. The Battle itself is fantastic,also in terms of Azogs strategy.

Same goes for the Kili/Tauriel romance,i really liked it.

And the deaths...you know,just so so sad...especially Thorins and Bilbos last conversation as well as Bilbo saying Goodbye to the dwarves and Gandalf brought me to tears...

Shores score is fantastic

ONLY NEGATIVE:

The Galadriel-Gandalf relation,did anyone else fell like their in love too?!

I couldnt get really warm with the ending,i wanted more emotional depth. Not saying crying as hell but i didnt feltmuch sadness. But that is just my impression.

OVERALL:

Great movie because Martin Freeman and Richard Armitage really shine. Especially Armitage is just perfect,Oscar worthy imho.
Both are followed straight by McKellen,Evans and Pace.
The perfect cast really makes this movie a great conclusion.

Thanks to Peter Jackson,the actors and all who have been involved bringing Middle-Earth to live!!!!


(This post was edited by Altaira on Dec 11 2014, 10:20pm)


CathrineB
Rohan


Dec 10 2014, 2:58am

Post #8 of 296 (5705 views)
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     My review! (Spoilers) [In reply to]  

I just want to point out that it's not fair on the movie for me to make a complete review now though because I HATE 3D with a passion and even more now. It really ruins the movie for me. It looks so damn terrible it's off putting. It was the same reaction I had to An Unexpected Journey (but on second viewing I loved it) and why I avoided DoS in 3D altogether.

Alright so the review. I now FULLY understand the reviews I've read saying that the movie is great, BUT there are parts in the battle that is really weird. Like... WOW. Did that just happen?!

Legolas hitching a hike with a bat wasn't too bad to me. The running up the stairs as they fell however was painful. Good lord Sly The conversation between Legolas and Thranduil at the end was cringeworthy and I hate saying that because I adore Lee Pace, but even he couldn't save that one.

The deaths. Oh you could literally feel my heartbeat when I knew it was getting close. I was freaking out because I love Fili and Kili. Oh my god Fili's death broke my heart. They really messed up Kili's death though oh that made me so sad for the wrong reasons. I don't hate the romance, but damn it's awkward and that was so slow and awkward and painful. It breaks my heart to say this because they (Fili and Kili) have been my favorite characters since I first read the book in 2002. They messed it up.

I don't think Fili's death is terrible per say because war is terrible. Not everyone does get a hero's death. It doesn't make Fili less of one. But it was a shocking death. It really got a reaction out of the crowd.

See what I'm doing? I'm getting the negative things off my chest first. Which is why I understand why fans not having seen the movie yet would start worrying. I did too.

However there was a point in the movie (pretty early in the battle) where I said to myself "Damn this movie is amazing!" and it really is, but it really has some moments that leaves you like a question mark..

Also I didn't cry. I was sure I would cry my eyes out, but I didn't. I only teared up when Bilbo talked to Thorin as he died and when Tauriel was with Kili - because that part was lovely if you ask me (up until the last two sentences by Tauriel and Thranduil. That scene would have been MUCH more emotional if they cut the lines and only showed us the emotions.)

Uh what else. Thorin is creepy as **** in this thing oh my goodness. It's brilliant really. The way he tugs at Fili to get him to throw Bilbo over the edge? The way he went on in slow mo about his gold...

Anyway I need to see the movie again in 2D so I can get that out of my mind. I did end up loving AUJ after seeing it again in 2D. The first half of the movie and large parts of the battle is bloody impressive. I quite loved it.

So my head's all over the place. I don't remember so much right now. Acting was great - the CGI was really impressive if you ask me. Azog looked amazing! DAIN was CGI, but I can understand why people can't seem to agree because it's really well done.

I agree with the above review. It lacked the emotions I really expected. Wow. You just killed off THREE characters we've come to adore of course I expected to cry my eyes out. Some more good soundtrack in those moments would have been good.

Also, R.I.P Fili, Kili, Thorin and Thrandy's elk.


(This post was edited by CathrineB on Dec 10 2014, 3:00am)


Arannir
Valinor


Dec 10 2014, 3:03am

Post #9 of 296 (5343 views)
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     And the pig... [In reply to]  

the pig dies too. ;)

And I still thought Dain was mainly not CGI

Anyway, the CGI in this movie is outstanding.

"I am afraid it is only too likely to be true what you say about the critics and the public. I am dreading the publication for it will be impossible not to mind what is said. I have exposed my heart to be shot at." J.R.R. Tolkien

We all have our hearts and minds one way or another invested in these books and movies. So we all mind and should show the necessary respect.



(This post was edited by Altaira on Dec 11 2014, 12:50am)


NoelGallagher
Rohan


Dec 10 2014, 3:06am

Post #10 of 296 (5234 views)
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     especially [In reply to]  


In Reply To
;)

And I still thought Dain was mainly not CGI

Anyway, the CGI in this movie is outstanding.


The First shot of Smaug starting to burn down Laketown,the view like a helmet camera is awesome!


(This post was edited by NoelGallagher on Dec 10 2014, 3:07am)


CathrineB
Rohan


Dec 10 2014, 3:06am

Post #11 of 296 (5218 views)
Shortcut
     Lol [In reply to]  

Yes the pig dies too and Dain goes nuts Laugh Maybe he wasn't CGI the whole time, but I didn't think he looked obviously CGI. Didn't bother me and he was more memorable than reviews made him seem.


thomasofrohan
Lorien

Dec 10 2014, 3:08am

Post #12 of 296 (5221 views)
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     How [In reply to]  

 does the elk die?


(This post was edited by Altaira on Dec 11 2014, 12:49am)


Arannir
Valinor


Dec 10 2014, 3:08am

Post #13 of 296 (5186 views)
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     Agreed. [In reply to]  

People cheered for him in my screening.

"I am afraid it is only too likely to be true what you say about the critics and the public. I am dreading the publication for it will be impossible not to mind what is said. I have exposed my heart to be shot at." J.R.R. Tolkien

We all have our hearts and minds one way or another invested in these books and movies. So we all mind and should show the necessary respect.



macfalk
Valinor


Dec 10 2014, 3:09am

Post #14 of 296 (5173 views)
Shortcut
     I'm pretty sure we can establish though that Dain wasn't CGI in 100% of the shots // [In reply to]  

 

The greatest adventure is what lies ahead.


Arannir
Valinor


Dec 10 2014, 3:09am

Post #15 of 296 (5276 views)
Shortcut
     Shot [In reply to]  

..with arrows by Orcs.. The pig dies through a spear.

"I am afraid it is only too likely to be true what you say about the critics and the public. I am dreading the publication for it will be impossible not to mind what is said. I have exposed my heart to be shot at." J.R.R. Tolkien

We all have our hearts and minds one way or another invested in these books and movies. So we all mind and should show the necessary respect.



(This post was edited by Altaira on Dec 11 2014, 12:49am)


macfalk
Valinor


Dec 10 2014, 3:10am

Post #16 of 296 (5190 views)
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     Same [In reply to]  

My audience loved Dain.

The greatest adventure is what lies ahead.


thomasofrohan
Lorien

Dec 10 2014, 3:11am

Post #17 of 296 (5270 views)
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     I imagine Thranduil doesn't respond well to that. ;) [In reply to]  

 


CathrineB
Rohan


Dec 10 2014, 3:12am

Post #18 of 296 (5213 views)
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     Well [In reply to]  

Thranduil generally seem very done with everything and everyone. He doesn't get much time to deal with the dead elk Laugh


macfalk
Valinor


Dec 10 2014, 3:16am

Post #19 of 296 (5557 views)
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     My positives and negatives [In reply to]  

Positive:

I really liked the first 1h 30 min~ or so. It is, just as we feared after Dcole's reports, at Ravenhill when the writing really goes downhill. More on that later.

- Everything inside Erebor. There were some great gems there, like Balin's scene with Bilbo, and Bilbo and Thorin's scene with the acorn. Those scenes made me quite emotional.
Also, the dragon-sickness was as someone else mentioned given a bit too much focus and it wasn't exactly subtle but it worked well nonetheless.
- Legolas and Tauriel going to Gundabad. Good decision, it kept them away from the battle for the majority of the movie
- I had read that the movie was packed with Alfrid comic relief and so it was. Actually, I rather enjoyed these moments and the audience did too for sure. As a character, beyond that, he is rather pointless and cuttable, but I enjoyed the comic relief as a breather from the intense battle scenes.
- The last 10 minutes or so. It really captures the mood right, and managed to recover from the Ravenhill mess. Loved Bilbo's last scene with the dwarves, his last scene with Gandalf (prob my favourite scene in the movie, so emotional) and the auction. The ending worked, too.
- The score
- Dain! I heard his lines were corny and he was all CGI - both, in my eyes and ears, wasn't correct. He looked CGI in a few shots but not in closeups. And his lines were pretty Damn awesome! The audience cheered when he said "you bastards!" to Thranduil's face.


Negative:
Just about everything that happened at Ravenhill apart from Thorin's last moment with Bilbo.
Some of the CGI felt very rushed and rough, but that was to be expected given what we know about these movies.
The three deaths were decent, but wasted opportunites as they could have been spectacular if PJ stuck to the book.
The Dol Guldur part dissapointed me slightly, it looked pretty cheesy with the white council fighting the nazgul. Hope it looks better in 2D.

3,8/5, solid installment. Much to enjoy indeed.

I could write a longer review if anyone's interested...but not now! It's 4.15 AM, gee, gotta go to bed.

The greatest adventure is what lies ahead.


KeenObserver
Lorien


Dec 10 2014, 3:33am

Post #20 of 296 (5224 views)
Shortcut
     Great news [In reply to]  


Quote
he (Dáin) was more memorable than reviews made him seem.

That's just something I needed to read/hear.Smile

”The thirst for adventure is the vent which Destiny offers; a war, a crusade, a gold mine, a new country, speak to the imagination and offer…” - Jose Bergamin


CathrineB
Rohan


Dec 10 2014, 3:57am

Post #21 of 296 (5180 views)
Shortcut
     Oh I have a question!!! [In reply to]  

Did you all also get a greeting from Richard Armitage before the movie? Smile


Kthevs
The Shire

Dec 10 2014, 4:20am

Post #22 of 296 (5201 views)
Shortcut
     Oh boy [In reply to]  

Anyone who gives a middle finger to the screen during that Kili/Tauriel scene is clearly too much of a Tolkien purist for his/her own good. 10 bucks says that girl is one of those people on Twitter who dedicates her entire account to hating Tauriel.


Kthevs
The Shire

Dec 10 2014, 4:22am

Post #23 of 296 (5149 views)
Shortcut
     This [In reply to]  

Beautiful review, Arannir. Nice to see reviews from people who don't want to burn down houses just because the movie changed a lot from the book.


NecromancerRising
Gondor


Dec 10 2014, 4:36am

Post #24 of 296 (5044 views)
Shortcut
     Great review Arannir. [In reply to]  

I am very happy you enjoyed and liked so much of it. I hope i ll share the same feelings as you in 8 days from now. Smile

"You cannot find peace by avoiding life"


NecromancerRising
Gondor


Dec 10 2014, 4:42am

Post #25 of 296 (5112 views)
Shortcut
     Very nice first thoughts Noel. [In reply to]  

Looking forward to your detailed review tomorrow. Thanks everyone that has contributed in this thread so far.

"You cannot find peace by avoiding life"

(This post was edited by NecromancerRising on Dec 10 2014, 4:44am)

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