The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

[NAZGUL-KING]

The question I think we must ask ourselves….If the Hobbit trilogy was the only three movies and LOTR movies did not exist. How would they have been received being compared only to the movie that proceeded it?

Next thought..

Now my opinion coming from the POV that there are six movies. I really enjoyed The Hobbit trilogy. I like that the Hobbit movies have provided us fans a lighter take to Middle earth if your not in the mood for heavier, darker and serious story lines in the LOTR trilogy. Character design of Beoron would be the only thing I did not like about The Hobbit. Everything else I am cool with.

I guess we all have to except that how fast Smaug gets killed in BOTFA is the only reason we have "Smaug chasing the Dwarves around” in DOS. They were fillers for more screen time.

Anyways I am a fan and I thank PJ for creating another trilogy I can love and watch over and over and over again!!!

A good point, but the only difference for me would have been the amount of $$$ I would have saved on statues etc... because I was always more of a fan of LOTR than The Hobbit (books) so I wouldn't have been as interested. I was a fan of Middle-Earth long before PJ made movies about it. Back in the mid-eighties when I first read The Hobbit and LOTR the only visuals we had were the Rankin-Bass and Ralph Bakshi cartoons (neither of which could touch the books) and the awesome art of guys like Alan Lee, John Howe, Ted Nasmith and the Hildebrandts. Peter Jackson changed the way I envisioned Middle-Earth when reading the books when he made LOTR and I guess that would have applied to some extent with common characters and locations if we only had The Hobbit. I think part of the problem was the years of red tape that held up The Hobbit from being made. Finally when it was all sorted out and Del Toro had to pass on it PJ pulled a Frodo and took up the burden himself even though he may have not been 100% up for it.

 

[Khev]

- While I liked the look of Azog, why wasn't he killed in The Battle of Azanulbizar (as he is in the History Of Middle-Earth) and leave Bolg as the main villain?

Peter and Phillipa said they wanted a primary bad guy to be involved earlier in their journey instead of them having to wait until the battle began at the very end. And since Azog was the one who killed Thror they liked the idea of keeping him alive in order to have a more personal fight with Thorin.

- Azog bursting through the ice during the fight with Thorin (I mean come on, I'd expect something like that in a Friday the 13th movie)

I agree, very cartoony. There's no way he'd have the leverage for such a feat and something that they clearly only considered due to him being a CG character. Imagine if Richard Armitage's Thorin was trapped under the ice and he had to burst out. No way would they make him burst into the air like Superman. I loved Azog and how he was portrayed but that one moment was definitely a bit of an eye-roller.

 

[NAZGUL-KING]

Peter and Phillipa said they wanted a primary bad guy to be involved earlier in their journey instead of them having to wait until the battle began at the very end. And since Azog was the one who killed Thror they liked the idea of keeping him alive in order to have a more personal fight with Thorin.

That makes sense, but I still think it would have worked if they had Bolg set on a quest of revenge and kept Thorin focused on Erebor & The Arkenstone and then defending it.

I agree, very cartoony. There's no way he'd have the leverage for such a feat and something that they clearly only considered due to him being a CG character. Imagine if Richard Armitage's Thorin was trapped under the ice and he had to burst out. No way would they make him burst into the air like Superman. I loved Azog and how he was portrayed but that one moment was definitely a bit of an eye-roller.

That's exactly what I said in the theater.

 

[The Ween]

I liked the trilogy and I don't over think things nor compare it to LotR. Sorry it disappointed so many of you.

 

[NAZGUL-KING]

I liked the trilogy and I don't over think things nor compare it to LotR. Sorry it disappointed so many of you.

I have no problem with anyone who really enjoys them. I don't hate them by any means, I just hold them to a higher level than say a Fast and Furious movie. My wife loves the Hobbit trilogy as well as LOTR and tells me that I'm overly critical. Unfortunately the comparisons will be made especially since PJ went out of the way to make so many links to the LOTR.

 

[imthebestatwhatido]

I just watched this and I have mixed feelings. Like many of you I love the source material. I feel the LOTR trio was a fair representation of the books and I enjoyed the first two hobbits. This last one I had to pause and take breaks in between to finish it. It's not that I disliked it, it was ok. It's just that I found it couldn't hold my attention. I'm disappointed somewhat, but I love this stuff too much to be completely negative.

 

[slynger]

I enjoyed the series, but it LOTR is definitely the better trilogy.

Does anyone know if PJ plans on releasing a box set of the extended editions of all three movies later this year?

 

[The Ween]

I enjoyed the series, but it LOTR is definitely the better trilogy.

Does anyone know if PJ plans on releasing a box set of the extended editions of all three movies later this year?

I'm sure he will release one, but not sure it will this year. I would assume close to Christmas if he did.

One day we'll have a super, upper Middle Earth box set of all six films.

 

[crows]

obligatory post

 

[jye4ever]

Dying to own the BOFA Extended, can't wait.

Take that crows.

 

[The Ween]

Dying to own the BOFA Extended, can't wait.

Take that crows.

Me too! No sense in posting stuff like that anymore anyway.

 

[Irvy]

Why? Did they fix the film? [emoji38]

 

[furystorm]

I haven't felt the need to buy a copy of BOTFA yet. Still miffed at how bad it was.

I'm sure I'll get a copy eventually, when a box set of EE's comes out...

 

[jye4ever]

None of the Hobbit movies are bad films for me.

Bad for me means Superman 4 Quest for Peace, that was an abortion of the greatness that was STM 1/2.

Hobbit was not an abortion of the LOTR trilogy, for me they are good companions to them.

Of course nothing in that universe will ever exceed the quality of LOTR, that was lightning in a bottle unlike anything out there.

 

[furystorm]

Bad is just my opinion of course. Not stated as fact.

 

[Irvy]

I haven't bought it either and I consider myself a Tolkien nerd. Maybe when the EE hits.

 

[Adolfo]

I bought it just for the lego pieces...

 

[Adolfo]

Finally had a chance to look at the list of what the extended scenes will be on the Battle of the Five Armies...cant wait

 

[jye4ever]

Thanks for leaving us hanging!

 

[BagginsOfBagEnd]

Finally had a chance to look at the list of what the extended scenes will be on the Battle of the Five Armies...cant wait

There's a list out!! Need to see it!!