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Post by Stormrider on Dec 7, 2014 18:43:35 GMT -6
Ardo! Nice to hear from you!
I do not care for the love triangle that has developed between Legolas, Fili, and Evangeline Lilly's Elf maiden. That is really uncalled for. I liked seeing Radaghast but it was pretty bazaar with his rabbit sled. And all the action adventure Hollywood style that was added with the Orc chase during the Dwarves' and Bilbo's wine barrel escape from Thranduil's prison and the Dwarves' and Smaug chase scenes. Granted it was exciting and entertaining, but I would have liked PJ to keep closer to the written word. When you think about it in an adult fashion, it really is scary enough as a tale as written. In the movie not enough of the Attercop spider scene and weird glowing eyes in Mirkwood nor the Elf Feast in the wood. I was hoping for the animals serving Beorn and his guests, too. Would have liked to have seen how PJ would have pulled that of!
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Post by Fredeghar Wayfarer on Dec 20, 2014 3:07:49 GMT -6
Just saw The Battle of the Five Armies. I wouldn't say Peter Jackson redeemed himself per se but this was certainly better than the god-awful second movie.
Here of olde were the SPOILERS of Dale. Read no further if you haven't seen the movie yet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . This one stuck closer to the book than Desolation. We get Bard vs. Smaug (pretty awesome scene), Thorin's dragon-sickness, the Arkenstone subplot, the auction of Bag End, and of course the battle (a lot of it). I'm okay with expansion of the battle since it's pivotal to the story. Likewise, I enjoyed the White Council's attack on Dol Guldur. This was at least based on Tolkien and I have to admit, seeing them all in action against the Nazgul was pretty sweet. Bilbo and Thorin's relationship is given time to shine and we get some good acting from some of the Dwarves.
Now the bad. There are a few self-indulgent Jackson-isms. Could have done with a lot less Legolas. I'm okay with him being there but he was practically the star in this. We needed more Beorn (extended edition perhaps?). I still hate the Tauriel/Kili romance though Evageline Lilly does her best with the material. I continue to despise Azog and see no good reason his role couldn't be given to Bolg. Also, seriously...were-worms?! Really, Jackson? That's one damn sentence in the book and I wasn't even convinced they were real.
Overall, I liked it, barring a bit of unnecessary nonsense. These movies have good moments but would have been much stronger if Jackson had reined himself in and stuck to two films.
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Post by Stormrider on Dec 20, 2014 7:54:00 GMT -6
Was going to see it today but am fighting a nasty cold so it will have to wait. Half of Desi's family saw it though and I was going to go with the other half today. They even said they would wait until it came out on DVD. Desi said she liked the beginning and end and the middle was nap worthy!
I am hoping the get the extended second movie DVD for Christmas so I may watch both movies before going to see the last one.
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Post by Stormrider on Jan 12, 2015 14:55:16 GMT -6
I have not seen the Battle of Five Armies yet, but I did have a chance to watch my extended version of The Desolation of Smaug. It was much better than the theatrical version since many scenes, such as Attercop were in the extended version that didn't make it to the theater. I forgot how cool Beorn looked with his furry head and face in his human form. My mother-in-law was watching it with me and she thought Smaug was a beautiful dragon and that the story line was really amazing. She said whoever wrote this has a really wonderful imagination. (and she has been telling me all these years that my Tolkien obsession is like I am part of a "cult"). I told her she just had to sit down and watch and pay attention to the whole story and have someone explain some of the more confussing stuff and that she would like it too! Maybe she is now going to convert! LOL! Maybe she will even go with me to the theater to see the Battle of Five Armies now so she can see what happens to Smaug.
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Post by Stormrider on Dec 31, 2015 16:22:30 GMT -6
FINALLY had the chance to see Battle of the 5 Armies! I got the extended version a couple of weeks ago. Never saw it in the theater or on TV. Good job by Richard Armitage in depicting the dragon's gold lust curse. The emotion in Thor in and Bilbo's last moments was very authentic.
Still that goofy love triangle was strange. But in a way it kind of tied Thranduil's coldness and aloofness to losing his mate up in Angmar. And Tauriel's hurting from losing a loved one and never wanting to love again. Perhaps why Thranduil was so cold himself.
I would have liked to seen more of Beorn in the battle. And not once did Sting glow blue with all those orcs around!
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Post by Stormrider on Sept 1, 2020 9:46:59 GMT -6
Last week I read The Hobbit and last afternoon/night I watched all 3 PJ extended version movies. I had forgotten that some of the other Tolkien background stories were added. I rather liked how PJ had inserted those into the movies . . . Sauruman, Galadriel, Gandalf, Elrond in Rivendell; the Necromancer meetings by Radaghast and Gandalf at Dol Guldor and rescues by Galadriel, Elrond, Sauruman (noticed that Sauruman offered to "handle" Sauron himself, perhaps how he got into cahoots with Sauron because of his "handling", while Galadriel recovered after expending herself), how and why the Goblins and Orcs went to attack at The Lonely Mtn, etc.
Still Radaghast's rabbits and the love triangle were odd, but I was better with them after not having watched the movies in a long long time. And I have to say that Lee Pace as Thranduil is sooooo much more hotter than the "oh so hot Legolas" was in the FOTR movie (although he was a very cold hearted Elf). LOL LOL LOL
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Post by Andorinha on Sept 1, 2020 14:03:30 GMT -6
I've got The Hobbit DVD's, have not yet decided to watch 'em, maybe save 'em for one of those long, nasty insomnia nights. Been watching a 20 minute YouTube song version that looks good, but probably has all of the good outdoors material... www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY0lLcz3Qis
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Post by Stormrider on Sept 1, 2020 17:15:44 GMT -6
Great link, Andy. They did a nice job merging the scenes. I liked this a lot. Glad I watched the movies last night.
While watching the Hobbit movies again, I still couldn't help thinking that the dwarves should all look more rugged, big nosed, and narly. Say for instance Thorin, Kili, Fili, and Bofur. I thought they looked more like shorter men rather than dwarves. I kept thinking at times Thorin looked a bit like Aragorn and Thorin should have had more grey hair and a longer beard. Fili and Kili looked like short elves to me.
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Post by Stormrider on Apr 9, 2022 15:07:18 GMT -6
Wow! I just thought Benedict Cumberbatch did Smaug's voice. I didn't realize his movements and facial expressions were done like Andy Serkis and Gollum/Smeagol! fb.watch/chHMVWZlQG/
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