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The Hobbit RevisitedFollow

#27 Dec 13 2012 at 9:51 PM Rating: Decent
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Wife bought the family tickets for a Friday after noon show. Time to get my Hobbit on!

I might even log back into LoTRO for old times sake!
#28 Dec 14 2012 at 4:05 AM Rating: Good
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All right.

SPOILER WARNING. That means even if you've read the book, because there are differences between book and movie, obviously.

First off, the movie ends just after the band escapes from the goblins under the mountains via the aid of the Eagles. They look off into the sunrise at the Lonely Mountain from a spectacular vista, and it cuts to Smaug basking in his horde opening his eye.

Now let's talk movie-book differences.

The first, and largest, is the addition of a minor villain to play the role of antagonist for this film alone. "The Pale Orc" as he's called (he has a real name, but all I got was bluhsomething the Defiler and everyone just calls him the Pale Orc anyways) hunts down the gang for revenge against Thorin Oakenshield who took his hand years ago. It sums up to just a pack of Orcs that shows up at inopportune times hunting down the group, and was a little out of place, I thought. Even still, I can see the cinematic necessity of it, with the big villains in Smaug and the Necromancer not playing large roles in this first movie.

Second biggest: Radagast the Brown plays a much larger role, with about twenty minutes of screentime and some comic relief, as opposed to his only mention in passing in the book. He is also awesome.

Minor differences, in no particular order:

Frodo shows up in the opening, as a tie-in to the LotR series. The opening shows old Bilbo, writing There and Back Again as he prepares for his Eleventy First birthday (the party. You know the one).

Galadriel shows up with Saruman to give Gandalf a scolding. Well, Saruman tries to scold Gandalf, I should say. Gandalf and Galadriel just kind of ignore him and have super special mindreading conversations.

A lot more emphasis is placed on the Necromancer. It's not just mentioned in passing anymore.

So yeah. All in all, I liked it. It can get slow at times, and it's long - clocking in somewhere between 2:30 and 3:00 long. But that's not a complaint - you know what you're going in for when you go to see a LotR movie.

Edited, Dec 14th 2012 5:23am by IDrownFish
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#29 Dec 15 2012 at 12:13 AM Rating: Decent
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Just got back from watching it with the family, and it was AWESOME!


But when watching with kids, don't let them drink any pop, otherwise you will be (or in my case the wife) making many bathroom trips over the 2:45 duration.

This new 48 fps mode had no noticable difference to me, and the 3D was there for a sort of constant visual experience, nothing really "in your face" all the time.
#30 Dec 15 2012 at 5:44 AM Rating: Good
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I'm so jealous, it won't come out in Australia until Boxing Day.
#31 Dec 15 2012 at 7:23 AM Rating: Excellent
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Had a friend go to it and say it was absolutely terrible.

Buuuuuuuut he said it was terrible because they changed so many things. Strikes me as odd, as he loved LOTR, especially the third movie, which is completely different.

Seeing it in IMAX on Wednesday (my birfday!)
#32 Dec 15 2012 at 11:19 AM Rating: Good
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He must've gone to see a different movie, then, because that certainly wasn't what I thought.
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#33 Dec 15 2012 at 3:13 PM Rating: Excellent
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Posting from the movie theater. T-30 minutes and counting for start.
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#34 Dec 15 2012 at 7:28 PM Rating: Decent
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Just got back from seeing it. I saw it in 2D because I hate those damn glasses. It was more or less what I expected. The addition of Radagast was the biggest change and aside from his somewhat silly nature, I didn't object to it. What I did object to was the pale orc hunting them the whole movie. Not only was it not in the book at all, it didn't really fit with the flow of the storyline. The movie ended right about where I thought it would. It seems to me that if they had cut down on the length of some of the battle scenes that they could have made two movies instead of three, but then they wouldn't have a had a third movie to sell tickets to. My favorite scene would probably be the stone giants during the thunder storm. I didn't really expect them to be in the movie at all, so it was nice to see them included. Overall, I liked it, but it didn't blow my mind.

Edited, Dec 15th 2012 8:32pm by Turin
#35 Dec 15 2012 at 10:41 PM Rating: Excellent
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I agree Turin. Radigast being there was cool, but how he was portrayed was really not needed. they made him the jar jar binks of the wizard world. Yes, there were orcs in the hobbit, but it wasn't this one pissed off orc the entire time, and the constant attack attack attack pace was a bit out of character for that particular section of the book. Definitly should have been 2 movies. This should have been the "extended cut" not the final production movie.

It kind of felt like they were trying to get back into the swing of things but didn't really have it figured out yet. Also, they showed the $%^&*( spiders one whole movie early and I wasn't expecting it, forcing me to burn the entire theater down. Other than that though I liked it, but it could have been better than it was somewhat.
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#36 Dec 19 2012 at 8:52 AM Rating: Good
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Just a quick thing about the Orcs, doesn't Azog the Defiler play a major role later on in the book? Specifically at the battle of five armies where he kills Thorin

I think they're leading into that now, rather than having it all happen in the third film and people who haven't perhaps read the book scratching their heads and wondering what's going on.

Edited, Dec 19th 2012 9:52am by Nilatai
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#37 Dec 19 2012 at 7:34 PM Rating: Excellent
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Saw it tonight, really enjoyed it. I also haven't read the book since I was like 12 so I recall nothing that happens. The two friends I went with both had read the book more recently and didn't like it nearly as much; one actually said he probably wouldn't go see the others in theater.

The main fault with it was that it dragged on a bit too long, especially some of the huge, roaming vistas. They were nice... but too common and too lengthy. Only other complaint was it felt like some of the humor tried a little too hard; the Goblin King's death, for example. It felt like the humor broke the entire pace of the scenes.
#38 Dec 22 2012 at 11:00 PM Rating: Good
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I saw this today and I really liked it. My only complaint is that it seemed to drag on a bit, and felt incomplete at the end. I know that the story isn't finished obviously, but something about how and where it ended seemed a little off to me. It didn't leave me with a sense of closure. Not even in a 'this is just a chapter break' sort of way.
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#39 Dec 23 2012 at 10:27 PM Rating: Good
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I finally got to see it. It was a good movie. Very exciting, visually stunning (of course), but it wasn't The Hobbit. It was an epic story from the start. Not a story of a little man questioning his discontent, daring to step outside his familiar boundaries, testing his mettle, showing the courage of a 'big man' without sacrificing his values...type thing. I can't believe they threw Galadriel and Saruman into the mix - big names wanting their screen time??

I can't wait to meet Peter Jackson's Smaug in full form.

I loved the trolls and the eagles and the goblin king. I didn't like the goblin kings voice though. Should have been more goblinish. Gollum was wonderful as always and I enjoyed the bit of funning they did with the character in the riddle scene...and also happy it's one scene they didn't mess much with.

one more edit: My son agreed with you Koa, he didn't Radagast should have been such a no-mind. I like the character for what all that he didn't really need to be there. While he was portrayed as a whacko, I thought they let enough of his wizardly wisdom sneak out and certainly his 'goodness' was there. His speedy rabbit sled was cool and the hedgehogs adorable.

Edited, Dec 24th 2012 5:37am by Elinda
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#40 Dec 24 2012 at 2:19 AM Rating: Excellent
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Yeah. The scenes as it was with Radigast really could have worked, ignoring my objection about the @#$%^&* ******** springing spiders on me at least 3 hours worth of movie runtime than I was prepared to see them, I think if they had not gone so far out of their way to shoot way past "absentminded forest attuned wizard with less than steller people skills" straight to "wizard shunned by bums because he is too filthy and crazy to hang out with them, also, bird **** hat" then the character could have worked. The hobbit, and all movies of the Epic fantesy genre, don't really need a comic relief character. For one, Bilbo kind of presents that early on. But also the people that are going to see the hobbit, are expecting a 4th Lord of the rings movie. they don't need to "dumb it down" for wider audiance appeal. I wouldn 't have minded seeing a quick screenshot of the other wizards as they were mentioned when Gandalf was talking, even if they are never named. minor complaint though.

I re-read the hobbit after seeing the movie that night, and some of mmy impressions were incorrect. The goblin king was alot more chatty than I remember, and they do mention the Azog orc early on, so its not out of the realm of possibility for the assorted battles (eagle tree fire, etc) for them to have swapped out generic goblins for a named boss. They were placeholders for the rare spawn in this instance I guess. One thing I didn't really notice in the movie differeing from the book, is that there is a bit of character assasination going on against Bilbo. Yes, he was annoyed at the Dwarfs showing up at first, but he quickly set up a good feast for them anyays without too much complaining. He also wasn't nearly as bungling as he seems to be in the movie, and the dwarfs, though by no means entirely sold on his survival skills, weren't activly doubting him as much as they were in the movie.

the Galadirial and Sauroman part is kind of not really needed, but was apperently taken from notes and pieces of Tolkien stories regarding the Necromancer, who if I remember right, ends up being either sauron, or a henchmen. So that meeting, the witch king attack, and the morgul blade recovery did happen at some point in canon lore, the timing isn't necessarily correct though. I think thats how they are going to spread it into 3 movies though. they are going to have to put filler in somewhere, and dealing with the "necromancer" thinking they kill it and the witch king, but gandalf has suspicions that they didn't actually win that sets up fellowship of the rings later.

timewise, they definitly had to stop the movie where they did if they were going to split it in 3. The whole Were-bear section is going to take 20 minutes to navigate as is, and after that its spidersville. I hate that part of the book so much.
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#41 Dec 31 2012 at 5:29 PM Rating: Good
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The whole White Council and checking into the Necromancer (and yes, he is Sauron, but they don't know it yet) is cannon, and is actually quite important if they want to use the opportunity given them with the Hobbit to set up the events which occur in LotR. It also sets up Saruman and explains why he betrays his order and their purpose (seriously, the entire reason they literally exist) later. They could easily tell just the direct story in the Hobbit in two films. The decision to make it 3 clearly was made so they could include back story stuff from other sources (which they could never include in a film on their own). So expect extra stuff to be in there.

Hell. I wouldn't be shocked to see a cameo by Aragorn in one of the films. He's supposedly fighting with the northern tribes against said evil necromancer's forces right about the time of the events in the Hobbit. It all depends how much of the extra materials they really want to throw in. In any case, based on what they've put in so far, it does look like the intent is to introduce elements designed to lead directly into LotR. Which I personally prefer. The Hobbit is a fun story by itself, but it becomes so much more when you tie all the other threads together instead of just the ring itself. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the films.
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#42 Jan 01 2013 at 3:54 PM Rating: Good
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The addition of Radagast was the biggest change


Yeah, he was a great addition to keep younger kids/my sister entertained. Hedgehogs, man, hedgehogs.
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#43 Jan 02 2013 at 12:59 PM Rating: Good
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Like Kao, I really disliked the spiders, but that my arachnophobia speaking.

I thought Radagast was hilarious, but then again, I didn't really mind Jar Jar in The Phantom Menace either. I disagree that The Hobbit was supposed to be a Lord of the Rings 4. The Hobbit was a children's book while The Lord of the Rings was intended for adults. I think Radagast's character reflects that difference nicely. Compare the first Harry Potter movie to the last, except this was done the other way around.

Whether there were boring parts in it or not, I don't know. I tend to be completely absorbed into movies when I watch them for the first time. I was sweating and breathing hard an hour into the movie. The boring bits don't really stand out to me until the second or third viewing.
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#44 Jan 03 2013 at 3:44 AM Rating: Good
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Going to finally see it tonight. I hope Radagast is not too annoying. I tend to not like comic relief characters.

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I was sweating and breathing hard an hour into the movie.


This makes it sound like you were watching 'The Hobbit - The XXX Parody'. Smiley: lol
#45 Jan 03 2013 at 10:28 AM Rating: Good
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Considering the movie is about a party of fifteen guys running around a fantasy land, that could get weird really quickly.

"Oh, Bilbo... you're feet are so... hairy!"

Edited, Jan 3rd 2013 11:29am by IDrownFish
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#46 Jan 07 2013 at 11:31 AM Rating: Good
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gbaji wrote:
The whole White Council and checking into the Necromancer (and yes, he is Sauron, but they don't know it yet) is cannon, and is actually quite important if they want to use the opportunity given them with the Hobbit to set up the events which occur in LotR. It also sets up Saruman and explains why he betrays his order and their purpose (seriously, the entire reason they literally exist) later. They could easily tell just the direct story in the Hobbit in two films. The decision to make it 3 clearly was made so they could include back story stuff from other sources (which they could never include in a film on their own). So expect extra stuff to be in there.

Hell. I wouldn't be shocked to see a cameo by Aragorn in one of the films. He's supposedly fighting with the northern tribes against said evil necromancer's forces right about the time of the events in the Hobbit. It all depends how much of the extra materials they really want to throw in. In any case, based on what they've put in so far, it does look like the intent is to introduce elements designed to lead directly into LotR. Which I personally prefer. The Hobbit is a fun story by itself, but it becomes so much more when you tie all the other threads together instead of just the ring itself. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the films.

One of the rare occasions I agree with everything gbaji has said in a post.
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#47 Jan 09 2013 at 10:52 AM Rating: Excellent
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What could have been explained better (imo) is how the Dwarfen kingdom Ereborn fits into the world LotR (the movies) set us up for and how it's connected with other events we might be familiar with. Just from watching the Hobbit it didn't really feel connected to the other places aside from existing somewhere in the same realm.

And why did the elven king bow his head before Thrór? I can't remember reading anything like that in any of the books.Smiley: eek Seemed a bit strange.

Also, the Nazgûl existed for a long time when the Hobbit takes place. Why doesn't Radagast recognice their presences and shrieks in Dol Guldur? I get that he may not have faced Sauron ever before so it's okay if he didn't recognice him. But the Wraiths?

Don't get me wrong. I liked the movie. It was fun. But from time to time a question mark popped up inside my head while watching.
#48 Jan 10 2013 at 1:33 AM Rating: Good
Wait, how would it be possible for Aragorn to be involved in anything going on during the Hobbit's timeline? Bilbo is supposed to be around 50 when the story starts. I started re-reading Lord of the Rings a couple weeks ago, and it says that Bilbo and Frodo share a birthday, and Frodo was turning 30 (age of maturity) at Bilbo's 111th. Then he doesn't even start HIS journey until he's 50. So even putting Aragorn at 20 years old during the events of the Hobbit, that would make him 110 years old once he meets up with Frodo... Have they ever mentioned that humans in the Tolkien universe live longer than us?
#49 Jan 10 2013 at 1:39 AM Rating: Good
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PigtailsOfDoom wrote:
Wait, how would it be possible for Aragorn to be involved in anything going on during the Hobbit's timeline? Bilbo is supposed to be around 50 when the story starts. I started re-reading Lord of the Rings a couple weeks ago, and it says that Bilbo and Frodo share a birthday, and Frodo was turning 30 (age of maturity) at Bilbo's 111th. Then he doesn't even start HIS journey until he's 50. So even putting Aragorn at 20 years old during the events of the Hobbit, that would make him 110 years old once he meets up with Frodo... Have they ever mentioned that humans in the Tolkien universe live longer than us?

Wikipedia says:
Quote:
In The Fellowship of the Ring, Aragorn joined Frodo Baggins, Bilbo's adopted heir, and three of his friends at the Inn of the Prancing Pony in Bree. The four hobbits had set out from the Shire to bring the One Ring to Rivendell. Aragorn, going by the nickname "Strider", was then aged 87, nearing the prime of life for one of royal Númenórean descent.
So apparently he does live longer. The math still doesn't seem to line up, but he does live longer.
#50 Jan 10 2013 at 1:39 AM Rating: Good
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The men Aragorn was descended from lived much longer than we do. According to the wiki, Aragorn was 87 at the start of the Lord of the Rings, and he ended up dying at the age of 210.
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#51 Jan 10 2013 at 1:42 AM Rating: Good
Ah, okay. Thanks for that guys. I am not as well versed in Tolkien lore as I should be. Smiley: blush
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