The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug -- thoughts?

[Salli]

I liked it- it was a little drawn out I think, but a really beautiful movie.  I actually don't mind that they are dragging out the book over three movies- since I'll be sad when it finally ends...

This is me too.

I LOVE Lee Pace and Benedict Cumberbatch's voice so I was kind of in heaven. I don't mind them adding in Tauriel just beacuse Tolkien just didn't write many females into his stories. I mean even most of the characters' moms are mysteriously dead or vanished or whatnot. I still think her pacing back and forth in Thranduil's bedroom was super awkward. But hey; there's a scene in Thranduil's bedroom! So, I will forgive them.

Can't wait til it comes out. I wish they'd just go forever and ever telling stories from Middle Earth because I love it so much.

[Kiwi]

We enjoyed it - both Raijha and I were convinced Barb was Orlando Bloom (until I checked for sure when we got home). I can't really comment on book vs movie, since I was really young when mom read the book to me.

I know after the 3rd is out - I'm sure we'll do a Hobbit/LOTR marathon.

[Majesty]

It took me a while, but I finally saw it last weekend for the first time.  I enjoyed it.  I didn't realize though that the elf king is such a jerk.  It's also interesting to find out who in the new series is related to who in the old series.  The red headed dwarf in the new series is Gimbly's father.  I think that's his name.  Obviously we know now who is father in son in the elf world.

I was hoping to see Gollum/Smeagle but I guess he stayed in the cave since the last movie.  Also, does anyone know timeline wise if Arwen is even born yet?  We saw her father in the first hobbit movie I think right?

My Dad said the next movie will be called "There and back again", which is the book that Bilbo was writing in The Fellowship of the Ring.  I love how things connect.

[Beldarna]

Also, does anyone know timeline wise if Arwen is even born yet?  We saw her father in the first hobbit movie I think right?

Arwen is almost 3000 years old.

[Zapper]

Ah, has anyone heard of the Tolkien Estate forbidding any more movies based on J.R.R.'s works? I wonder how long they'll prevail. I can see a Silmarillion movie on the horizon if the Hobbit trilogy ends successfully in 2014.

[RarityDash]

I saw it on opening night with my friends, who are all serious LOTR fans. That was over a month ago, so my memory isn't perfect. The first half seemed kind of drawn out, but I think all movies are drawn out because I am impatient. Smaug was really amazing to watch, though, and I loved the fire effects with him. My friend forced me to dislike Tauriel because she is marrying Legolas and he can't like Tauriel too. I think LOTR was a little bit better than the Hobbit, but that would mostly be due to Aragorn not being in the Hobbit.

[andibgoode]

Well, I nearly fell asleep a couple of times...

I didn't enjoy the first, so I had incredibly low expectations for this. I honestly felt it was bloated. I don't mind that it's not exactly like the book, and I don't mind additional material if it feels relevant, but the LotR references/tie-ins (for lack of a better term) got a bit overdone and they felt clunky, at times. I think they could have been more subtle. But it's never possible to pelase everyone and I think these films have really divided people.

But Smaug was amazing and Benedict did such a great job with his voice. I liked Tauriel. And I really liked Luke Evans as Bard

I'm just not sure what's going to happen in the final film to drag it out to nearly three hours again?

Ah, has anyone heard of the Tolkien Estate forbidding any more movies based on J.R.R.'s works? I wonder how long they'll prevail. I can see a Silmarillion movie on the horizon if the Hobbit trilogy ends successfully in 2014.

Oh gosh. I never actually made it through reading the Silmarillion And I hadn't heard that, before!

[Zapper]

Well, I nearly fell asleep a couple of times...

So many people did. Everyone I've talked to so far told me that at some parts they just closed their eyes.

Oh gosh. I never actually made it through reading the Silmarillion

Neither did I, it's like the Bible... But I can see the greedy Hollywood people trying to get that material. And then they'd probably insert battles, dwarf jokes and surfing Legolas wherever there are boring parts.

[kuzronk]

I thought it was a bit meh in a bit part but I just tend to hate most large movies. I understood some of the flaws but never reading the book or seeing the three lord of the rings movies I had nothing to comparable it to par the first film.

[Beldarna]

Well, I nearly fell asleep a couple of times...

So many people did. Everyone I've talked to so far told me that at some parts they just closed their eyes.

Oh gosh. I never actually made it through reading the Silmarillion

Neither did I, it's like the Bible... But I can see the greedy Hollywood people trying to get that material. And then they'd probably insert battles, dwarf jokes and surfing Legolas wherever there are boring parts.

Aaaw but Silmarillion is his best book! I've read it more times than LotR and Bilbo together! It has one of the most beautiful stories of world creation and it explains so much about the hostility between the elves and the elves and dwarfs etc.. Not to mention the story about Luthien and Beren

But I don't think Jackson or anyone ever will get the rights. He wasn't allowed to use it for Bilbo and had to go other ways and I have a hard time believing the Tolkienestate will allow it afterwards. They don't need it moneyvise and storywise Silmarillion spans over so many ages (the entire Lotrsaga barely takes up three pages) that it will be tough to make the entire book and then to deicde which parts to cut out might be difficult depending on how the stories relate to each other.

[Moonbreeze]

Ah, has anyone heard of the Tolkien Estate forbidding any more movies based on J.R.R.'s works? I wonder how long they'll prevail. I can see a Silmarillion movie on the horizon if the Hobbit trilogy ends successfully in 2014.

Ugh yes, there was going to be a fan (non-profit) movie about Gondolin and it was looking really awesome, but... it got cancelled...