The HOBBIT An Unexpected Journey 2013

[K.G. Carlson]

I greatly enjoyed this flick. I started to worry as the framing sequence at the beginning seemed to run on a bit, but things started to roll.

And the added nemesis for Thorin? Yeah. Very cool. Go see this. Now. Good times!

[Kit]

Caught it last night. It wasn't bad. I am wondering what they are going to do for the next two movies though.

Movie 2: From beorn to elves in mirkwood to capture by spiders and rescue to capture by elves and rescue[with option of Gandalf and white Council driving Necromancer out of dol guldur] to laketown to lonely mountain to death of Smaug. they could extend Smaug into third movie, but since second film is called Desolation of smaug, it really should have all the dragon scenes there. Besides, death of Smaug is a good climactic point to end the second film.

movie 3: seige by elves and humans, theft of arkenstone and falling out of bilbo and Thorin, arrival of dwarf army, arrival of goblins/orcs [doubtless led by Azog] Gandalf telling them to get their shit together, big battle , arrival of eagles 6-7 major death scenes, one major death scene after battle, wrap up in Erebor, travel back to Shire, any additional appendix stuff, deal with Sackvill baggins, and more linking material with Fellowship of the Ring.

just a guess, but it fits, i think

[Thakowsaizmu]

I was half joking at the end of the first one that the third one was going to be three hours of fighting Smaug.

[Kit]

I think a good question is how one makes the one-shot kill of smaug dramatic on film

[Thakowsaizmu]

Ethereal chambre music and slow motion action.

[Jameson]

I think a good question is how one makes the one-shot kill of smaug dramatic on film

For something like that I think you have to build up the dramtic tension on Smaug's invulnerability. Think about how Lucas made the one shot kill work in Star Wars; by the time Luke made the shot we'd been in the trench runs for 5-10 minutes as other rebels died trying to make that single shot.

[Arcane Guyver]

I think a good question is how one makes the one-shot kill of smaug dramatic on film

Lots of build-up, have other characters hold off Smaug during the shot, and dramatic death throes. Maybe he'll mess with the lore a little by having Smaug have merely a loose scale, and Thorin or Gandalf manages to smash it off with a warhammer or something, making the shot possible. Knowing PJ, Bard will probably empty his quiver before remembering the Black Arrow, and then make a mad scramble through danger across town to retrieve it from a vault or some place of honor.

[luketheduke86]

My friends and I saw this on Friday and we all really enjoyed it. There is a different feel to it than the LoTR trilogy, but it was the same way with the books. I would advise against seeing the high-frame rate version because I disliked how it looked and found it to be distracting at the beginning. Still a great film and would highly recommend it.

[Setothes]

I think a good question is how one makes the one-shot kill of smaug dramatic on film

I just re-read the Hobbit, and it seemed that the attacks by the lakemen's arrows actually did sting Smaug a bit (with him starting out incinerating them as they came at him, but later ignoring them, and being described as 'enraged' by the attacks), so, thinking of it in a gamist sense, perhaps Smaug wasn't so much 'invulnerable' as he was softened up a bit for the kill by all of the preceding attacks.

If the director / filmwriter wants to have the initial volley at least sting and annoy Smaug, that might make the 'kill shot' seem less like the only damage he took in the fight.

[Millennium]

I thought it was too long, felt stretched out, and Jackson was too keen to hold onto thematic influences of TLotR.... but I loved it

SPOILERS!!!

SPOILERS!!!

SPOILERS!!!



The moment that got me bought into the film. After this I almost cried when Bilbo ran after them:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRUBe2RTq74

[kumori84]

Admittedly I was a bit skeptical on how they were going to make three, three hour movies out of it. But if the next two are as engaging as the first, I don't think I'll have an issue watching the next two.

[Millennium]

My friends and I saw this on Friday and we all really enjoyed it. There is a different feel to it than the LoTR trilogy, but it was the same way with the books. I would advise against seeing the high-frame rate version because I disliked how it looked and found it to be distracting at the beginning. Still a great film and would highly recommend it.

I loved the high frame rate. The image is amazingly sharp and detailed, like looking through a window

[HenshinFanatic]

My friends and I saw this on Friday and we all really enjoyed it. There is a different feel to it than the LoTR trilogy, but it was the same way with the books. I would advise against seeing the high-frame rate version because I disliked how it looked and found it to be distracting at the beginning. Still a great film and would highly recommend it.

I loved the high frame rate. The image is amazingly sharp and detailed, like looking through a window

Was going to post the exact same sentiment Millennium, but you beat me to it so I'll have to settle with seconding your opinion instead.

[Bombaatu]

I loved the high frame rate. The image is amazingly sharp and detailed, like looking through a window

Was going to post the exact same sentiment Millennium, but you beat me to it so I'll have to settle with seconding your opinion instead.

Same here - it made it seem more like watching a play than a movie and it lent a very 'you-are-there' vibe to the experience.

[luketheduke86]

My problem with the high frame rate was the detachment of the actors from the background, which made the CGI too noticeable to me and ruined some of my suspension of disbelief. Don't get me wrong it was incredibly detailed, but everything just seemed TOO detailed, if that makes any sense...