The Hobbit Film Trilogy Thread

[Mr. Breathmask 480]

That is one bad trailer.

I'd hope the movie will be better, but it looks unlikely. Instead, it looks bloated, too glossy and like it's going to waste some of my time (why is there a subplot with an elvish love triangle in a movie about a hobbit and a buunch of dwarves?).

Still have hope for the movie, but these trailers are getting more and more uninspired and generic. Nothing to get excited about anymore.

[chuck 154]

[Incanus 5,519]

That is one bad trailer.

I'd hope the movie will be better, but it looks unlikely. Instead, it looks bloated, too glossy and like it's going to waste some of my time (why is there a subplot with an elvish love triangle in a movie about a hobbit and a buunch of dwarves?).

Still have hope for the movie, but these trailers are getting more and more uninspired and generic. Nothing to get excited about anymore.

Now now, no negative thoughts on these films. It was voiced several pages ago! Keep it positive!

[Jay 27,216]

Wow, that was WAY longer than what they showed on the Today show... they must have only shown less than a minute of it on the show. Looks like an awesome action movie!

[Barnald 349]

To be honest I'm a lot more encouraged by this trailer than the last. The second half in particular is very good. Liked that shot of the Orcs coming out of Dol Guldur (?). The Elf plotline is concerning but I notice a lot of what we've seen is just the same stuff, so hopefully it's not too prominent in the actual film. The mandate for these trailers since the teaser for AUJ has been action, so we should be used to how these are constructed by now.

Also, Smaug's voice sounds fantastic.

[Jay 27,216]

Yea I quite love that shot of the orcs marching (yes, it is Dol Goldur) for some reason

I can't wait to hear Smaug's voice! That part wasn't shown on the Today Show, and now I'm at work and can't listen.

[gkgyver 1,638]

Not sure what to think of this trailer. The Tauriel/Legolas plot appears to be horribly out of place. The shots of Thranduil's castle also look damn artificial.

Also, why is there a shot of Sauron's flaming eye? Isn't that the form he had on Barad-Dur? Is he walking around like that in Dol Guldur as well? Seems pretty inconsistent. Wouldn't he be more like a ghost or something?

[Matt C 423]

I'm with the rest of you... the trailer makes me shrug. It could be entertaining, but I just don't know...

I've noticed the writing credits have changed again... Guillermo del Toro's name is added back in.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

Hush Marc Breathmask

Its a great trailer! It has Legolas, Tauriel, Gandalf! And we hear Cumberbach!

[Incanus 5,519]

Not sure what to think of this trailer. The Tauriel/Legolas plot appears to be horribly out of place. The shots of Thranduil's castle also look damn artificial.

Also, why is there a shot of Sauron's flaming eye? Isn't that the form he had on Barad-Dur? Is he walking around like that in Dol Guldur as well? Seems pretty inconsistent. Wouldn't he be more like a ghost or something?

I think the Lidless Eye is here the manifestation of Sauron's will, much as it was in LotR films, until it became apparent that he was a floating flaming eye on top of Barad-dûr. I wonder why the Lidless Eye looks so cheap after FotR where the design was basically nailed to perfection. After going full 3 dimension with the eye it became rather a cheap effect in the sequels. But hey that had to show us something.

[KK 3,202]

I don't know about you guys, but that trailer has actually pumped me up in anticipation for this film. Sure, there are definitely some shots that need work on the CGI, but this film looks like it has much more depth than the first one. The first one was a fun adventure (albeit, a flawed one) but had little character moments and seemed to favour action and set pieces (the troll scene, Gollum scene, goblintown, etc). But here, from the trailer, it looks like there'll be some really great character stuff. Bard and Thorin, Thorin's lust and pride, Gandalf kicking ass, Bilbo and the ring, Smaug (Benedicts voice is quite fitting) and although I'm not a big fan of the predictable route of Tauriels character, I think I can take it. And I loved Bilbo's opening lines in the trailer, kind of sent chills down my spine. Yes, it may look like an overloaded action adventure film, but at the same time, it looks a lot more fun than the first one was. I don't know why I'm strangely optimistic about this today, but colour me excited. Whose with me?

Oh, and with ALL those different new locations, new characters, new action scenes, the music is going to be AWESOME! Shores score is what I'm most excited for. There's just so much happening here (contrary to AUJ, where everything it basically revisits similar LOTR locations and characters) and I think this score has the potential of being the best in the new trilogy. I can see how Shore might be overwhelmed with how much writing he would have to do now.

I wonder how long this movie will be. They're covering a lot more content than AUJ, and that movie was almost 3 hours.

[gkgyver 1,638]

Didn't Boyens say DoS would be shorter than AUJ?

I don't know why everything has to be amplified by action with Jackson. Just like the company couldn't just arrive at Rivendell in AUJ, it seems they can't just arrive at Beorn's, they have to be chased there.

[Jay 27,216]

Another new pic:

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

Looks great!

[Roll the Bones 2,967]

Tauriel looks like she is going to fall over in that pic.

Also, its interesting seeing the Animosity towards "The Burglar" bits near the end...

[KK 3,202]

Yes. I find the darker direction Thorin seems to be taking very intriguing and think it has the potential to be something really great on screen.

And more of the Thorin's pride theme, or as you aptly call it, "An Ancient Greivance"

[Roll the Bones 2,967]

Also, the Eye of Sauron seems to be updated...

[Romão 1,931]

It's amazing how these movies actually look worse than the previous trilogy. Lack of location shooting, I'd wager. As for the rest, it looks like a typical, cliched, Jackson dumpfest

[Roll the Bones 2,967]

And it seems the confrontation is in Erebor so it seems it will be after they are chased into the mountain by Smaug before he goes to Laketown or after Smaug's death....

Also, is that a shot of Dale's destruction again?

[KK 3,202]

It's amazing how these movies actually look worse than the previous trilogy. Lack of location shooting, I'd wager. As for the rest, it looks like a typical, cliched, Jackson dumpfest

Did you dislike LotR? I don't remember.

[Romão 1,931]

Yes, I did. At least several elements in it, athough I am appreciative of a few things. They were much better than AUJ at least. I absolutely hated King Kong

[Roll the Bones 2,967]

Screencaps here: http://s1344.photobucket.com/user/TheHobbitScreencaps/library/?sort=2&page=1

Avatars await!

[KK 3,202]

I don't like Saurons new eye....

[Roll the Bones 2,967]

I don't like Saurons new eye....

Oh the Irony! Right after I saw this post, I flipped over to TORN, and the first post I saw was "The eye looks so much better than in LOTR!"

[Barnald 349]

The guy on the ballista at Dale appears to be Girion. Now it was said this sequence would be in the AUJ:EE, and it may well still be (serving as a flashback in DoS to set-up Bard's backstory). But if not, it's further evidence that stuff was moved from that to DoS, which would explain the disparancy between the 13 minutes and those original 20-25 minutes comments.

[gkgyver 1,638]

Another new pic:

I swear, w

When I looked at that for the first time, I thought those were the video game figures. What an awful plastic-y sheen.

[Brónach 490]

Tauriel wants her finger to hurt really bad.

[Roll the Bones 2,967]

Those would be some awfully good video game graphics...

[KK 3,202]

Tauriel wants her finger to hurt really bad.

Lol!!

I don't think that poster looks that bad.

[BloodBoal 7,532]

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

You still claim you are not gonna write an extensive review after you see the film?

[Jay 27,216]

Hmmm, some good observations

Did anyone think Tauriel had a chance of living through the end of TABA?

Really bummed that the trailers have not really shown us any White Council, Beorn, or Master of Laketown stuff. Bah!

And it's still really stupid they showed Smaug in the last trailer.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

- Balin standing up for Bilbo, while Thorin is ready to abandon us (even though that goes completely against AUJ's ending, but whatever!)

That si not relevant. we know from the book that Thorin and Bilbo will fall out again.

[Roll the Bones 2,967]

Really bummed that the trailers have not really shown us any White Council or Beorn stuff. Bah!

And it's still really stupid they showed Smaug's head in the last trailer.

Well, we have not seen much of it, but we have seen some of it.

[BloodBoal 7,532]

[Roll the Bones 2,967]

- Balin standing up for Bilbo, while Thorin is ready to abandon us (even though that goes completely against AUJ's ending, but whatever!)

That si not relevant. we know from the book that Thorin and Bilbo will fall out again.

Hence the "But Whatever!"

[KK 3,202]

That's an interesting theory for the ending BB, but how will they cram everything up to Smaug's death? That's a lot of stuff to cover. And in a single movie we're to be introduced to Smaug and see him die?

I also like the emphasis on the ring. I think it's a good way to bridge the two trilogies.

As for Thorin's perspective on Bilbo, it'll make sense despite the ending of AUJ because his growing greed and madness will drive him against the will of the Company. It'll be quite cool if done right.

And I liked the "what did you find?" dialogue.

Agreed on the Taurielisms, but hopefully they won't be as bad in context.

Erebor's treasure room is definitely one of the worst CG sequences in the trilogy. In fact Erebor as a whole is one of the worst designs in all of the Middle Earth films. Very bloated, unimpressive and just plain cheesy (not a fan of the giant Dwarven statues, and colossal swinging dwarf hammers).

I feel this video-game look will be characteristic of these new films, which is disappointing. But I still think some shots look good, and I don't doubt we'll be getting some rather impressive stuff in this film.

[Roll the Bones 2,967]

I don't like Saurons new eye....

There are actually two frames of it, the first frame is better methinks:

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

The LOTR films were also criticised for their video game characteristics, back in the day. And now everyone pretends they look life-like. LOL

Yeah, but at the end of AUJ, there was basically a love declaration between Thorin and Bilbo. Thorin accepted him as a member of the Company at the end of the film. Here, he's suddenly like: "Don't give a shit. Let the Hobbitch die"

Well you know how volatile gay relationships are.

[KK 3,202]

Well I wouldn't know what they thought back in the day, but LotR was done right in the sense that they properly blended computer technology (CGI) with old fashioned filming techniques (miniatures, big sets). They tried to keep it as grounded and realistic looking as possible, and the result was something that looked really impressive as a whole. It by no means was perfect (lots of poor shots in the for sure), but you saw a lot of genuine effort and scale to make Middle-Earth seem as life-like as possible.

The problem with the Hobbit is that that effort isn't as apparent. Gone are the days of real sets, and miniatures, replaced by excessive of in-studio filming. So now we have all this artificial lighting, cheap CGI and stuff. It just doesn't look as impressive.

[BloodBoal 7,532]

[Roll the Bones 2,967]

Gone are the days of real sets

?

[Jay 27,216]

Finally heard the trailer.... Cumberbatch's performance as Smaug sounds PERFECT, but the digital processing they did to his voice sounds awful!

[BloodBoal 7,532]

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

Well I found nothing as such wrong with the look of AUJ when I watched it in the cinema and on home video. It looked and felt close enough to the Middle Earth of a decade ago.

The fastpaced editing and rough CGI of the trailer, seen by pretty much everyone here on (presumably) calibrated computer screens in compressed quality make it that a final word on the "look" of this film cannot be made.

[Roll the Bones 2,967]

the digital processing they did to his voice sounds awful!

Sounds a million times better than the BBC 60's Radio Drama processing (it was the 60's of course, but still!)

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

Alvar. Back in 2002 several people compained about certain shots of TTT looking like they came from a computer game. Like the "speedramp" shot from Isengard, revealing Saruman's army.

[BloodBoal 7,532]

The fastpaced editing and rough CGI of the trailer, seen by pretty much everyone here on (presumably) calibrated computer screens in compressed quality make it that a final word on the "look" of this film cannot be made.

Why, exactly? It's not like there'll be a huge difference when we see the film in the cinema. People said the same thing when AUJ's trailers were released "It looks pretty fake", and people like you were like: "Wait until you see it in the cinema". And what happened? It still looked pretty fake in the cinema. Why would DOS be any different? Sure, there could be a difference, but it won't be as big as you make it sound.

Alvar. Back in 2002 several people compained about certain shots of TTT looking like they came from a computer game. Like the "speedramp" shot from Isengard, revealing Saruman's army.

I demand sources!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,251]

Like I said. I looked fairly consistent with LOTR. Which had plenty of scenes and effects that looked fake.

[Roll the Bones 2,967]

....Okay, could someone explain this "Alvar" thing to me?