The Hobbit Film Trilogy Thread

[Jay 37,355]

Gkgyver wins the week!

[Incanus 5,714]

The time of BB is over, the age of Tauriel begins!

[Brónach 1,302]

Ahahahahahah! Tauriel, Tauriel!

[Muad'Dib 1,802]

New poster!

[Brónach 1,302]

I've always liked compositions with characters showing their back while they look at something.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

It does look a tad cartoonish... but it still feels like Jackson's Middle-Earth, if you know what I mean. I think when this trilogy and the LOTR trilogy can be viewed in their entirety, one of the greatest strenghts will be the aesthetic continuity of pretty much every aspect of the films. The world always feels the same, and always real. Say what you will about the tonal consitency....

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

See I had that reaction when I saw it in 3D, but in 2D it seemed much more familiar. I think that was a lot of it, but I can understand what you're saying. I wonder how much of that is because of the del Toro influence... the stuff that seems a bit more overtly "fantasy."

[KK 3,307]

The world of The Hobbit looks radically different to that of LOTR. The designs are over-the-top, as is the colour grading and the CGI. It works in parts mind you, but aesthetically very different from LOTR, and that plays to its fault. LOTR's stylistic choices were much more convincing and engrossing. A big part of it really has to do with abandoning miniatures and large-scale sets.

I like that poster by the way. I just hate the design for Erebor. Those giant dwarf statues makes this seem like some cheap fantasy...

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

I suppose I may have been over-zealous haha. I don't disagree with you, but there are moments, maybe moreso in stills like that poster, where things still feel very organic to me. Certainly in no small part due to Alan Lee and John Howe.

[KK 3,307]

That's true. One can find a certain comfort in looking at the Shire and Rivendell all touched up a decade later.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

The teaser trailer will actually be released on Tuesday (not Wednesday)!

The new teaser trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug will be unveiled this Tuesday, June 11th, at 10am PT / 1pm ET!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=529187847116825&set=a.291674244201521.63650.160617097307237&type=1&theater

[crocodile 8,012]

I actually like this poster.

Karol

[Quintus 5,399]

It's a good poster, brilliant even when compared to some of the previous ones.

[KK 3,307]

Yeah, the more I see it, the more I'm liking it. So far a good start for this film. Let's see what happens with the teaser.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

Yeah, the more I see it, the more I'm liking it. So far a good start for this film. Let's see what happens with the teaser.

The first film also had a nice teaser poster. And we all know how this film turned out...

[KK 3,307]

So speaketh BloodBoal, the foreteller of Doom.

[Brónach 1,302]

Let's be honest: nothing can really save this. It's still going to have the terrible look, it'll still use green screen for a throne room set, it's still going to have Azog pointlessly chasing the characters who don't need persecution motivation to keep going, it's still going to have some of these odd designs that take you out of the film, it's still going to have Tauriel, and so on and on.

A bitter fan might attempt to cut the whole thing to make it more palatable by deleting massive amounts of mediocre footage but it will never be the film those of us who liked both LOTR and The Hobbit book have been wanting anyway.

[Quintus 5,399]

I love your optimistic outlook Chaac, as always.

[Brónach 1,302]

The people who expected Attack of the Clones to be good after The Phantom Menace had an optimistic outlook. And these weren't even thought out and shot at the same time.

I just don't know what to look for in the remaining two (!) films. At most I can expect a moment here and there that makes me go "oh, that I like", like in the first one.

[KK 3,307]

Let's be honest: nothing can really save this. It's still going to have the terrible look, it'll still use green screen for a throne room set, it's still going to have Azog pointlessly chasing the characters who don't need persecution motivation to keep going, it's still going to have some of these odd designs that take you out of the film, it's still going to have Tauriel, and so on and on.

A bitter fan might attempt to cut the whole thing to make it more palatable by deleting massive amounts of mediocre footage but it will never be the film those of us who liked both LOTR and The Hobbit book have been wanting anyway.

All very true. One of my prime worries is the continuing existence of Azog, which confirms suspicions of flaws in the following films.

But perhaps Jackson has learnt a lesson from the incredibly rushed, strenuous process of the last film? With the last-minute villain change and all, the film wasn't quite finished. Maybe he'll keep things more organized this time. Work more on the visuals, and EDITING. Along with that, this new film will have numerous new locations and plenty of narrative points so that it may create a more fulfilling product rather than the thinly plotted predecessor.

Things don't have to be over yet...

- KK being the optimist (because JWFan has none)

[Jay 37,355]

It's a cool poster but I'm surprised the first teaser poster would use the Dwarf kingdom and not MIrkwood or Laketown

[KK 3,307]

It's reminding us of the ultimate destination. And after the mess in the first film, the audience probably needs a little nudge in the right direction.

[Quintus 5,399]

The people who expected Attack of the Clones to be good after The Phantom Menace had an optimistic outlook.

In all seriousness you have just made me realise I have come full circle.

[Incanus 5,714]

I like the poster. Nice juxtaposition of Bilbo against the imposing mountain. Also I have a weak spot for that Dwarven design of the gates of Erebor. The gigantic dwarf statues bring certain grandeur and subtle hint of the old magnificence of this realm home to the viewer even though they strike as ostentatious to some. People do build giant statues and compared to the show-off hall of Dwarrowdelf from FotR this is nothing.

But as a stickler for details, why isn't the river running out of the mountain as it does in the novel and even Tolkien's illustrations. I always thought it a marvellous idea and visually imposing.

[KK 3,307]

Those dwarf statues are a big turn-off for me. Looks like something from a B-rate fantasy video game...

[Incanus 5,714]

Those dwarf statues are a big turn-off to me. Looks like something from a B-rate fantasy video game...

This B-rate stuff is probably done by John Howe and Alan Lee though.

But of course if we would go by Tolkien's description there would be a hole in the mountain wall nothing else.

[KK 3,307]

Those dwarf statues are a big turn-off to me. Looks like something from a B-rate fantasy video game...

This B-rate stuff is probably done by John Howe and Alan though.

Which is what makes it all the more disappointing.

[Incanus 5,714]

Weren't we supposed to be optimistic?

But it has to be admitted that not everything stamped with P.J. Approved is pure gold. I don't think for a second that any conceptual artist had free reign in a PJ production although they might influence it heavily.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

First DoS trailer!

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

Certainly not as enchanting as the very first trailer was.

[Brónach 1,302]

[KK 3,307]

Hmm...there's going to be a LOT in this movie. But there's too much CGI....

And we see Smaug!!!! Glad he's red...

But as BB said, nothing looks impressive....looks some typical summer fantasy flick.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Smeltington 1,440]

Here a Legolas, there a Legolas, everywhere a Legolas

[Brónach 1,302]

[KK 3,307]

Yeah...although CGI doubles started showing up in the first part...

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Brónach 1,302]

What a load of crap.

[Smeltington 1,440]

I just realized, if this trilogy mirrors the first one, that means AUJ will end up being my favorite. And that's not good!

[Brónach 1,302]

Everything looks horrible except some casting choices.

[Smeltington 1,440]

There's a heavy focus on action scenes in this trailer, and they look good in a lot of ways... easier to tell what's going on than some of your typical PJ action scenes. But they seem to use almost exclusively CG actors in them :'(

[Romão 2,274]

The special effects look absolutely horrendous

[Brónach 1,302]

The special effects, the dumb CGI, the overly artifical light and composition, the complete absence of location shooting except for a river, all the nonsense scenes that shuldn't be there, the lackluster design...

:lock2:

[Henry B 50]

There are lots of pretty locales, though.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Barnald 365]

CGI on people and Smaug needs work certainly, but they have five months or so to do that. It's about what I expected - Mirkwood was always going to feature prominently, as were the barrels and Gandalf in Dol Guldur. Hopefully the emphasis on Elves isn't representative of the final film. Locales look very impressive.

Can't judge much from a brief trailer. I'll see the film before I make my judgment.

[BloodBoal 7,538]