The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

[TheObsoleteMan]

Just got back from a 3D showing... AWESOME!

While the first movie felt like a bit of a slog at times, this one just pops from start to finish, and the whole Smaug sequence was brilliant.

 

[tomandshell]

That barrel sequence was tons of fun. I was all smiles and giddy watching what PJ did with that segment.

The whole climax threw me for a bit because I honestly didn't quite understand Thorin's plan. It was nice visually but I thought it did feel a bit like the last twenty minutes were invented for the sake of an action packed end to the open ended middle installment, but I still enjoyed it very much. Seeing Beorn, Mirkwood, the halls of the Elven King, Lake Town, Erebor and Smaug made this a wonderful film experience for me. Several classic segments from the book brought to life in a cinematic way.

I was surprised at how little screen time Gandalf had from the Appendices this time--I was definitely expecting more but it seems that some didn't like the additions in the last one and so perhaps they will be pleased with this one. I sincerely loved Tauriel and was skeptical going in, so that was a pleasant surprise. There were also some moments where I didn't know if I was looking at practical or CGI orcs. Maybe my favorite Bilbo moment in the film was his delivery of "Mine!" and reaction afterwards. I liked how they showed more of the obsession coming out in Thorin. Overall, some nice setup for things to come.

I'm seeing it again tomorrow with the wife and kids.

 

[The Josh]

My question to you gentlemen is, If you had to choose between 48 FPS or the regular 24, Which one would you rather choose?

And, not having to do with money or anything (I know those are more expensive)
But if it was all up to your choosing, which one would you prefer?

Easy choice of 24 fps for me.

 

[tomandshell]

I loved seeing the first at 48fps and made sure that I saw the new one that way, as well.

 

[jye4ever]

Which had the better 3D/48 presentation?

 

[The Josh]

I think DOS did.

 

[tomandshell]

The theater was better where I saw the first one, but I didn't make the drive because my local theater offered HFR this time. I guess that since I'm used to watching movies on my HDTV, I don't have a problem adjusting to the frame rate. I just enjoy the clarity and detail and ability to comprehend the action scenes far more than usual. I totally understand that others hate it, but for me it enhances my enjoyment of the movie and so I'm glad that it's available as an option. (My theater offered 2D, 3D and HFR 3D, so people could choose the presentation they wanted, and I like that approach so nobody is forced one way or another.)

There was a bumblebee moment with great 3D and it really made the barrel sequence pop.

 

[jrice73]

Just got done watching. Damn fine film.

 

[jye4ever]

Midnight Update: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug opened to $8.8 million at midnight, which is the second-highest midnight performance ever in December. Unfortunately, it ranks second behind last year's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which brought in $13 million at midnight. That's a 32 percent decline—if Smaug continues at that pace through the rest of the weekend, it will open to a very disappointing $58 million.

Of course, using midnight grosses to project the full weekend is far from an exact science. And it is entirely possible that Desolation of Smaug's attendance is more spread out throughout the weekend. However, this is a pretty clear sign that excitement just isn't as high this time around—as a result, it's now safe to say that Smaug will not come close to matching An Unexpected Journey's $84.6 million debut.

 

[TheObsoleteMan]

I was surprised there were only 4 other people with me at the showing I went to. Not used to it being that empty on an opening day showing.

 

[tomandshell]

There's no way that I was going to see a movie this long at midnight on a school night.

 

[jye4ever]

There's no way that I was going to see a movie this long at midnight on a school night.

 

[The Josh]

The theater I was in had a parking lot full of cars and the double feature I was in had maybe 12 empty seats in the whole place.

 

[jye4ever]

The theater I was in had a parking lot full of cars and the double feature I was in had maybe 12 empty seats in the whole place.

You took your entire family.

 

[The Josh]

You took your entire family.

 

[occulum]

You took your entire family.

.. nice .
Gotta love Josh. He rolls with the punches better than any LOTR/Sideshow apologist on the board

 

[OSCORP]

Looks like i'm going in 45! (11 year old daughter wanted to go bad)

 

[The Ween]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomandshell

There's no way that I was going to see a movie this long at midnight on a school night.

Posted from Sideshowcollectors.com App for Android

 

[Kuzeh]

Well…
what can I say…
Despite the changes, I liked AUJ a lot… I liked Radagast, the whole intro on Bag End etc. I wasn't too crazy about Azog though…

But now, with DOS… I was continuously upset about some of the changes and forced characters… Legolas and Tauriel are such a forced element it takes away a lot from the movie…

Legolas is kind of a

Spoiler

******* IMO… I didn't like him, he's nothing like the LOTR Legolas

Also, WTF with the whole Beorn sequence…

Spoiler

They made him look quite one-dimensional and they took all the fun out of Gandalf introducing all the Hobbits… meh...

Most of the scenes with the orcs chasing them down were kind of unnecessary in my opinion, but that has been carried out since the first one, though I thought it was managed better in AUJ.

The whole chase on

Spoiler

Erebor was also quite the WTF moment, made Smaug look kind of stupid...

With that said… and though it might seem weird, I enjoyed the movie a lot overall. My favorite parts were the barrel scene, the spiders scene I particularly loved how

Spoiler

Bilbo could understand them talking while wearing the ring

, and the whole Smaug reveal and first few minutes of his exchange with Bilbo were great!

Overall, a mixed bag for me… but will definitely watch it again in theaters. Maybe once I'm over all the changes and additions, I can enjoy the movie on it's own merits…

 

[JAWS]

Hmm. I agree with an earlier review - started out well but the end was just fan fiction with orcs in Laketown - Legolas fights Bolg, yawn, and while Smaug himself was great PJ made him look stupid by making the dwarves give him the run around. Yes, we've got time for all this pyrotechnic rubbish while Smaug just looks angrily at Thorin. Why couldn't they just have a battle on the mountainside like they do in the book?
And Tauriel was just a cheap copy of Arwen.

Should have been two movies.

I agree about the 2 movies and all the fan fiction bits... This was the first of all the PJ Tolkien films that I thought was boring and sort of needless. It still had some great moments. Love the Spiders, Barrel chase and some of the smaug stuff. But the film felt bloated even though it was one of the shorter ones.

However I could enjoy it much more upon 2nd but as of now it is just above TTT. I liked FOTR, ROTK, and AUJ better then this one. But like I said repeat viewings could help it............or hurt it