The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

[The Ween]

That gif has been lightened so it's gonna show more of the CGI.

 

[The Ween]

https://youtu.be/hsUlHilL0Is

If I ever win the lottery, I'm moving there.

 

[The Josh]

That gif has been lightened so it's gonna show more of the CGI.

The cool thing is you get a good look at the coloring and how cool Smaug looks.

 

[The Ween]

The cool thing is you get a good look at the coloring and how cool Smaug looks.

Oh I know, but some think that's the way the CGI will look in the movie of him.

It's waaaaaay to early to judge the whole movie by a 2 minute clip now, but some are doing it.

 

[The Josh]

Agreed with both statements.

 

[Frank]

Trailer releases are now like the NFL draft.

 

[DiFabio]

This looks like crap if I judge it by the trailer alone.

Everything looks fake and Smaug looks awful. I love all the suspense and build up to him in the trailer only to reveal some black, pre-viz looking thing. I'm also not too fond of more ****ty CGI Orcs as opposed to prosthetic, make up wearing actors as well as the unnatural jumpy, video game characters. All the dialogue scenes look like the actors are in a controlled, green screen environment and the lighting is unnaturally glowy and bright.


Cool to see Legolas back I guess, but what's up with his eyes.

 

[Irvy]

This looks like crap if I judge it by the trailer alone.

Everything looks fake and Smaug looks awful. I love all the suspense and build up to him in the trailer only to reveal some black, pre-viz looking thing. I'm also not too fond of more ****ty CGI Orcs as opposed to prosthetic, make up wearing actors as well as the unnatural jumpy, video game characters. All the dialogue scenes look like the actors are in a controlled, green screen environment and the lighting is unnaturally glowy and bright.


Cool to see Legolas back I guess, but what's up with his eyes.

His eyes were shot against greenscreen

 

[jye4ever]

The white orc jumping into view was pretty weightless.

 

[wanderlai]

The trailer looked very good except for Smaug. He looked horrible. Reminded me of the dragon on Shrek that liked Donkey.

 

[Sachiel]

The white orc jumping into view was pretty weightless.

There sure was a lot of jumping and slashing.

 

[The Josh]

I agree the trailer was awesome and I think it showed the film is going to be pretty fantastic. I do hope they tweak the elves in the trees during the barrel escape but as a whole I really liked what I saw. As far as Smaug he's supposed to be in shadow. It's showing you but kind of keeping it secret but you already have an idea from the end of AUJ. Plus the gif shows you that Smaug looks really good I think. He reminds me of a blend between Howe and Lee.

John Howe

John Howe

Alan Lee

Couldn't find who this was by

 

[agen_kolar]

Who was the old guy who attacked Gandalf in what appeared to be Dol Guldur?

 

[The Josh]

Who was the old guy who attacked Gandalf in what appeared to be Dol Guldur?

I believe it's Thrain in a flashback of when Gandald gets the Key/Map from him.

 

[spindrift]

This looks like crap if I judge it by the trailer alone.

Everything looks fake and Smaug looks awful. I love all the suspense and build up to him in the trailer only to reveal some black, pre-viz looking thing. I'm also not too fond of more ****ty CGI Orcs as opposed to prosthetic, make up wearing actors as well as the unnatural jumpy, video game characters. All the dialogue scenes look like the actors are in a controlled, green screen environment and the lighting is unnaturally glowy and bright.


Cool to see Legolas back I guess, but what's up with his eyes.

I totally agree with you about the trailer- and I was underwhelmed anyhow by the first Hobbit film. How you can rate this trailer as "awesome" is a head scratcher.....snooozzzzzzzzzz

I do disagree with you about TDKR, though!

 

[DiFabio]

Looking back at the first Hobbit, the only thing that I really enjoyed was Riddles in the Dark and anything with Gollum. That was fantastic, Gollum/Smeagol and Bilbo exchanges alone were enough for me. I also really dug the Misty Mountains adventure theme.

The rest? Eh, I don't know. Usually things get better on repeat viewings, not the Hobbit in my opinion. For me it just doesn't feel right at all. I'm hoping things improve with Desolation of Smaug but by the looks of it, I don't think so. Maybe next year?

It's whatever though, I'll still always have the Lord of the Rings to enjoy.

 

[Niltusk]

The trailer looked very good except for Smaug. He looked horrible. Reminded me of the dragon on Shrek that liked Donkey.

I'm really hoping thats not finalized, but why put something unfinished in a trailer?

 

[spindrift]

Looking back at the first Hobbit, the only thing that I really enjoyed was Riddles in the Dark and anything with Gollum. That was fantastic, Gollum/Smeagol and Bilbo exchanges alone were enough for me. I also really dug the Misty Mountains adventure theme.

The rest? Eh, I don't know. Usually things get better on repeat viewings, not the Hobbit in my opinion. For me it just doesn't feel right at all. I'm hoping things improve with Desolation of Smaug but by the looks of it, I don't think so. Maybe next year?

It's whatever though, I'll still always have the Lord of the Rings to enjoy.

..and LOTR was an incredible achievement..looks like you really can't go home again....

 

[The Josh]

How you can rate this trailer as "awesome" is a head scratcher.....snooozzzzzzzzzz

Because I can and I thought it was. I feel the same way that I don't see how if you're a fan of Middle-earth this couldn't get you excited. If people didn't feel the same way that's fine by me. It doesn't matter much either way.

Looking back at the first Hobbit, the only thing that I really enjoyed was Riddles in the Dark and anything with Gollum. That was fantastic, Gollum/Smeagol and Bilbo exchanges alone were enough for me. I also really dug the Misty Mountains adventure theme.

The rest? Eh, I don't know. Usually things get better on repeat viewings, not the Hobbit in my opinion. For me it just doesn't feel right at all. I'm hoping things improve with Desolation of Smaug but by the looks of it, I don't think so. Maybe next year?

It's whatever though, I'll still always have the Lord of the Rings to enjoy.

The Riddles in the Dark sequences were great. Though, I would say the entire film is a solid film and fitting of a fan of a middle-earth. It just felt so much like the book and it looked great doing so. I would disagree with you in that I think the film does get better but I loved it from the start. I will say based on what's in the trailer this should be for some of us as good as the first if not better.

I still say some expected the LOTR2 trilogy not understand The Hobbit is different.

 

[DiFabio]

I know the differences between Lord of the Rings in the Hobbit in tone, but visually? There's something lacking there.


This is supposed to be the same world that Frodo and the Fellowship inhabit 60 years later and it just doesn't feel like that's the case. The Hobbit should definitely be it's "own thing", I get that, but the story and characters alone should lend themselves to that, not the world they live in.


Sure, people will defend it and say, "well, this is before Sauron and darkness crept back into the world" and my rebuttal has always been, "well look at the Fellowship's prologue". They feel world's apart when they shouldn't as far as I'm concerned. The effects only add to that weird feeling.

I have no problem with the humor and fun, I fully realize that this is based on a book for children. That's not my gripe. The structure, world and creatures that make up this world though leave a lot to be desired. It just doesn't feel right at all. It's just like the Star Wars prequels didn't feel like they could ever really exist or happened before the original 1977.