The Hobbit

[adamkungl]

I enjoyed it but the first Hobbit was much better.

Reasons have been talked about by others and most of them are spot on. The main problem I had also was that the first one was mostly the audience following Bilbo and experiencing his character growth. Just like following Frodo in FOTR which is why I preferred that one to any other LOTR movies.

It keeps the story engaging, flowing and easy to follow. In DoS they make the same mistake as Two Towers and throw in too many characters, too many sub plots and chop and change between them all. You aren't really following Bilbo any more and it no longer feels like *his* movie.

It was entertaining but its definitely a step down.

Wut.

Two Towers was by far the best LOTR movie.

I loved Desolation, it was a massive improvement on the first part. The elaboration on the novel's plot didn't feel like pointless fan service this time round, due in no small part to the complete absence of f**king Frodo and Galadriel.

The pacing was much better, it never felt like it was dragging, there was always something awesome happening, the fight scenes were brilliantly choreographed, and Benedict Cumberbatch's Smaug was f**king boss.

 

[Springs]

Wut.

Two Towers was by far the best LOTR movie.

I loved Desolation, it was a massive improvement on the first part. The elaboration on the novel's plot didn't feel like pointless fan service this time round, due in no small part to the complete absence of f**king Frodo and Galadriel.

The pacing was much better, it never felt like it was dragging, there was always something awesome happening, the fight scenes were brilliantly choreographed, and Benedict Cumberbatch's Smaug was f**king boss.

Considering there was a lot more of Legolas than there was Frodo in the first one and he had the most ludicrous fight scenes (there's really no point having armies when Legolas can just defeat them all without trying) some parts absolutely felt like fanservice.
And any parts with Tauriel were more pointless than anything in the first movie.

And that's without the parts that made no sense in the context of the universe, like the Nazgul being dead and a regular orc having a morgul weapon.

 

[adamkungl]

Frodo writing his book, and a solid 15 minute chunk from Bilbos LOTR bday party = boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooring

Legolas being a bad ass owning orcs = good

I enjoyed Legolas and Tauriel's scenes.

 

[adamkungl]

And really, Legolas being way overpowered is pretty standard for these movies. Every character in The Hobbit and LOTR, even the f**king Hobbit characters, amass epic kill counts in the face of being overwhelmingly outnumbered.

 

[vvvrulz]

Wut.

Two Towers was by far the best LOTR movie.

I loved Desolation, it was a massive improvement on the first part. The elaboration on the novel's plot didn't feel like pointless fan service this time round, due in no small part to the complete absence of f**king Frodo and Galadriel.

The pacing was much better, it never felt like it was dragging, there was always something awesome happening, the fight scenes were brilliantly choreographed, and Benedict Cumberbatch's Smaug was f**king boss.

Two Towers was good but imo was the worst of the LOTR movies. Yes there was always something happening but everything seems rushed with rapid cuts between the Frodo/Sam, Aragorn and Merry/Pippin arcs not to mention bits of the Ents, Arwen/Elrond, Saruman/Wormtongue, Theoden etc.

The truly interesting plot arc of LOTR is the journey and destruction of the ring, and those scenes including Gollum were the best parts of the movie.

There was just too much happening with too many characters who weren't fleshed out and had no bearing on the story. Lots of action, lots of fight scenes, no character development.

Back to DoS, I like the elaboration of the Necromancer and the fight scenes were definitely fun to watch, and yes Smaug was outstanding.

But anything involving Legolas was absolutely pointless fan service, the love triangle was completely forced and important Hobbit elements especially Beorn were wasted. They gave us a nice look at Radagast in the first movie and then he had nothing in this one.

I think they could have sliced off a huge chunk of the fun but pointless fight scenes and instead focused on Bilbo and reaching the real climax fight scene which will now be the third movie. Didn't even need to be three movies.

 

[vvvrulz]

And really, Legolas being way overpowered is pretty standard for these movies. Every character in The Hobbit and LOTR, even the f**king Hobbit characters, amass epic kill counts in the face of being overwhelmingly outnumbered.

This I agree with except for FOTR, which was the only movie in which the characters seemed to be in actual danger (Gandalf vs the Balrog & Boromir the two best examples).

In the rest of LOTR they were all basically invincible.

 

[adamkungl]

Two Towers was good but imo was the worst of the LOTR movies. Yes there was always something happening but everything seems rushed with rapid cuts between the Frodo/Sam, Aragorn and Merry/Pippin arcs not to mention bits of the Ents, Arwen/Elrond, Saruman/Wormtongue, Theoden etc.

The truly interesting plot arc of LOTR is the journey and destruction of the ring, and those scenes including Gollum were the best parts of the movie.

There was just too much happening with too many characters who weren't fleshed out and had no bearing on the story. Lots of action, lots of fight scenes, no character development.

Back to DoS, I like the elaboration of the Necromancer and the fight scenes were definitely fun to watch, and yes Smaug was outstanding.

But anything involving Legolas was absolutely pointless fan service, the love triangle was completely forced and important Hobbit elements especially Beorn were wasted. They gave us a nice look at Radagast in the first movie and then he had nothing in this one.

I think they could have sliced off a huge chunk of the fun but pointless fight scenes and instead focused on Bilbo and reaching the real climax fight scene which will now be the third movie. Didn't even need to be three movies.

Haha, I find the war in the west and all the shit involving Rohan and Gondor and Saruman to be the best part of LOTR. Each to their own then!

 

[vvvrulz]

Haha, I find the war in the west and all the shit involving Rohan and Gondor and Saruman to be the best part of LOTR. Each to their own then!

lol yep lets agree to disagree.

 

[Walt Flanigan]

The only thing I don't like about Two Towers is that Frodo and Sam's journey in that movie is sooooo boring.

They had to move the Shelob scenes from that book to the beginning of ROTK, which took away a bit from Frodo and Sam in the Two Towers movie, but probably suited the trilogy as a whole.

Loved all the scenes involving Rohan and the Ents though.

 

[Springs]

And really, Legolas being way overpowered is pretty standard for these movies. Every character in The Hobbit and LOTR, even the f**king Hobbit characters, amass epic kill counts in the face of being overwhelmingly outnumbered.

Not really. Legolas was always overpowered yes but he was never super ninja physics-defying god elf. The things he did in this movie were ridiculous. Sliding under spiders, standing on dwarf heads, killing orcs without looking...the fact that half the time he needed to be CGI is testament to that. The only time in LOTR when I remember him being CGI was on the mumak, and that was the only part of LOTR where he was anything near like he was in this.

And every character does not have epic kill counts like Legolas. Bilbo has killed like 3 things. The dwarves were overpowered in the goblin tunnel but in this they couldn't even kill the three orcs in Bard's house. They bumbled about like idiots while Legolas and Tauriel killed the entire pack without trying. (how they even got in, when the dwarves had to be smuggled, is just another thing that doesn't make sense).

And as for LOTR, none of the Hobbit characters have any killings of note except Merry. And no other character do the whole silly acrobatic crap that Legolas and Tauriel do in this movie. If the action scenes in LOTR were like the over-the-top cartoony things in The Hobbit (Bombur in the barrel anyone?) then they would be much lesser movies and the action would feel out of place. Boromir's death would be laughable.

 

[Springs]

Haha, I find the war in the west and all the shit involving Rohan and Gondor and Saruman to be the best part of LOTR. Each to their own then!

I agree with that.

This I agree with except for FOTR, which was the only movie in which the characters seemed to be in actual danger (Gandalf vs the Balrog & Boromir the two best examples).

In the rest of LOTR they were all basically invincible.

Not really. Just because no one dies doesn't mean they weren't in danger. Aragorn fell off a cliff and almost died, Theodon dies, Denethor dies, Faramir is almost killed, Eowyn and Merry are both near death and Frodo is thought dead. Not to mention the thousands that die at Helm's Deep and Minas Tirith.

The thing that makes The Hobbit feel less dangerous is not the lack of deaths, but the fact that all the action scenes are played for fun/laughs. You can't imagine someone dying when the action is so light-hearted. Compared to the books where there are no real action scenes until the battle.

 

[Misanthrope]

I agree with that.



Not really. Just because no one dies doesn't mean they weren't in danger. Aragorn fell off a cliff and almost died, Theodon dies, Denethor dies, Faramir is almost killed, Eowyn and Merry are both near death and Frodo is thought dead. Not to mention the thousands that die at Helm's Deep and Minas Tirith.

The thing that makes The Hobbit feel less dangerous is not the lack of deaths, but the fact that all the action scenes are played for fun/laughs. You can't imagine someone dying when the action is so light-hearted. Compared to the books where there are no real action scenes until the battle.

Which would make one hell of a boring movie, let alone three movies.

People need to stop thinking of these films as adaptations of the books and just enjoy them for what they are - a chance to return to an almost universally beloved setting and some familiar characters.

 

[Walt Flanigan]

Not really. Legolas was always overpowered yes but he was never super ninja physics-defying god elf. The things he did in this movie were ridiculous.

I don't know about that, he does some pretty amazing sh*t in LOTR.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMTYFeAbTEk

It doesn't really bother me. Everyone knows that he's not going to die in these movies anyway.

 

[shiznit]

IMO it's great to see the passion from the fans of the book come out like this...

But I gotta agree with the sentiments about enjoying it as it's own entity.

I love seeing legolas and taurel going all ninja and destroying legions of orcs... That's what gets me through the cinema door...

And I'm thinking that's what has made it the blockbuster smash it has become.

The books on there own won't get the masses through the door...

 

[Dutchy]

. (how they even got in, when the dwarves had to be smuggled, is just another thing that doesn't make sense).

Umm, the bridge.

 

[Tommax25]

And really, Legolas being way overpowered is pretty standard for these movies. Every character in The Hobbit and LOTR, even the f**king Hobbit characters, amass epic kill counts in the face of being overwhelmingly outnumbered.

This is why my favourite kill in the LOTR series was (excuse my memory and laziness in checking names) that chick who kills the king nazgul or whatever he was, the one that couldn't be killed by any man so the saying went, and she's all "DO I LOOK LIKE A GOT A D, BRO?" then BAM!

 

[Tommax25]

Frodo writing his book, and a solid 15 minute chunk from Bilbos LOTR bday party = boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooring

Legolas being a bad ass owning orcs = good

I enjoyed Legolas and Tauriel's scenes.

Same, mainly Tauriel (Legolas felt too much like fan service for my liking). But totally unnecessary for the story of The Hobbit. I'm fine with it, as I have accepted the fact that they want three movies. They've gotta find that padding somewhere.

 

[Apey]

Which would make one hell of a boring movie, let alone three movies.

People need to stop thinking of these films as adaptations of the books and just enjoy them for what they are - a chance to return to an almost universally beloved setting and some familiar characters.

This is what I said to a friend on FB. To enjoy it you really have to try and separate it from the books, much like many other book adaptations. Just try and forget that Legolas isn't even in the book :lol:

 

[vvvrulz]

I didn't mind seeing Legolas there, if he was contributing to the plot somehow.

Radagast/Elrond/Saruman contributed to the plot in the first one, Legolas here sort of just tagged along.
It was fun fan service but all that screen time could have been better used on Beorn for example.

 

[parraparraparra]

old poo head Radagast