Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile
Best. Explanation. Ever.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoilers)
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These kinds of conversations always remind me why I love the internet.
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile
The video makes a solid point of the lameness of the insta-romance. And I'd like to know: just what do elves do with their lives, if they're pretty much ageless? Do they farm at all? Practice their fluting and harping all day? F**k? Are elf-women only able to conceive every other decade or so, thus keeping the population to reasonable levels? It's one thing to have Leggy and Gimli be buddies in ass-kicking orcs; it's quite another thing to ask us to be invested in a cross-species romance, unless Tauriel'd be willing to shed her agelessness like Arwen.
I mean, Vulcans also live long lives, but at least they do get old and die, and do science and sh*t until then. So what's up with the elves?
The video makes a solid point of the lameness of the insta-romance. And I'd like to know: just what do elves do with their lives, if they're pretty much ageless? Do they farm at all? Practice their fluting and harping all day? F**k? Are elf-women only able to conceive every other decade or so, thus keeping the population to reasonable levels? It's one thing to have Leggy and Gimli be buddies in ass-kicking orcs; it's quite another thing to ask us to be invested in a cross-species romance, unless Tauriel'd be willing to shed her agelessness like Arwen.
I mean, Vulcans also live long lives, but at least they do get old and die, and do science and sh*t until then. So what's up with the elves?
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile
The elves spend all their time cleaning up after dragons. Two questions answered.
The elves spend all their time cleaning up after dragons. Two questions answered.
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile
This bit from the "Unfinished Tales" entry on Wikipedia will hopefully help:
"The Quest of Erebor" is written in the first person, from the perspective of Frodo Baggins However, nearly all the text consists of narration by Gandalf, who was telling the story at the request of Frodo in Minas Tirith after the coronation of King Elessar
Gandalf knew that Smaug the Dragon could pose a serious threat if used by Sauron then dwelling in Dol Goldur in Mirkwood. He was thinking about the matter when he met Thorin Oakenshield at Bree"
Sauron's master, Morgoth, created the dragon species and they were his servants, so Sauron had a pretty good chance at either commanding Smaug, or at least teaming with him.
This bit from the "Unfinished Tales" entry on Wikipedia will hopefully help:
"The Quest of Erebor" is written in the first person, from the perspective of Frodo Baggins However, nearly all the text consists of narration by Gandalf, who was telling the story at the request of Frodo in Minas Tirith after the coronation of King Elessar
Gandalf knew that Smaug the Dragon could pose a serious threat if used by Sauron then dwelling in Dol Goldur in Mirkwood. He was thinking about the matter when he met Thorin Oakenshield at Bree"
Sauron's master, Morgoth, created the dragon species and they were his servants, so Sauron had a pretty good chance at either commanding Smaug, or at least teaming with him.
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile
thanks for the info
thanks for the info
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile
I'm starting to be really curious about where the footage for a whole third movie came from. Let's hypothesize that the two originally greenlit movies would have been about three hours each. Jackson has said the two-movie split point was Bard's appearance after barrel sequence. I've listened to the extended AUJ commentary, and though they mention additional shooting, it didn't sound as though they added very much, just a bit more to Bilbo's character arc at the tail end of the first movie. Bard's appearace is, what, halfway into DOS? So we're theoretically looking at an hour and a half or so of material that was either added or intended for the extended dvd cuts only up to that point in the plot. As I understand it, the Tauriel-Kili crush was always in there; it was just Leggy's crush that was added. Which amounts to, what, three additional minutes of Thradruil saying he has a crush on her?
I imagine the AUJ climax with Azog was beefed up, so there's five or ten minutes. I'm still not seeing where more than an hour of footage could have been removed. The Gandalf/Thorin flashback in Bree, for sure. 55 minutes. Still puzzled. I hope we get a full accounting someday...
I'm starting to be really curious about where the footage for a whole third movie came from. Let's hypothesize that the two originally greenlit movies would have been about three hours each. Jackson has said the two-movie split point was Bard's appearance after barrel sequence. I've listened to the extended AUJ commentary, and though they mention additional shooting, it didn't sound as though they added very much, just a bit more to Bilbo's character arc at the tail end of the first movie. Bard's appearace is, what, halfway into DOS? So we're theoretically looking at an hour and a half or so of material that was either added or intended for the extended dvd cuts only up to that point in the plot. As I understand it, the Tauriel-Kili crush was always in there; it was just Leggy's crush that was added. Which amounts to, what, three additional minutes of Thradruil saying he has a crush on her?
I imagine the AUJ climax with Azog was beefed up, so there's five or ten minutes. I'm still not seeing where more than an hour of footage could have been removed. The Gandalf/Thorin flashback in Bree, for sure. 55 minutes. Still puzzled. I hope we get a full accounting someday...
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile
I get the sense that they didn't add all that much extra footage in pickups after the third movie was confirmed. I still think they decided to make it a trilogy after seeing just how much footage they'd shot and realizing there was no way they'd be able to comfortably fit it all into two three-hour films.
I get the sense that they didn't add all that much extra footage in pickups after the third movie was confirmed. I still think they decided to make it a trilogy after seeing just how much footage they'd shot and realizing there was no way they'd be able to comfortably fit it all into two three-hour films.
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile
But something tells me that vast majority of what we have seen (and will see) was already filmed. To me, the one biggest detriment is Gandalf's story. Given what we see in DoS, those sequences would have been fine in the first of a two-part series. But amazing though it was, it was too sparse in the middle installment of this trilogy.
This is my sense, as well. I'm sure, had they stayed with the two-film formula, they would have cut more out of the barrels sequence and Smaug sequence, and likely Legolas fighting in Lake town ... that might have been collectively between 5-10 minutes.
But something tells me that vast majority of what we have seen (and will see) was already filmed. To me, the one biggest detriment is Gandalf's story. Given what we see in DoS, those sequences would have been fine in the first of a two-part series. But amazing though it was, it was too sparse in the middle installment of this trilogy.
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile
ROTK ended up with what like 45 minutes of additional footage? If he filmed two movies at that pace that's an extra movie right there.
There's no doubt in my mind that if he had made LOTR today, it would have been four movies. I wouldn't have minded.
ROTK ended up with what like 45 minutes of additional footage? If he filmed two movies at that pace that's an extra movie right there.
There's no doubt in my mind that if he had made LOTR today, it would have been four movies. I wouldn't have minded.
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile
From what I understand, they shot a whole lot of additional material last spring, almost a year after production had originally ended. I think the love triangle stuff was added at that point, among other things. The barrel sequence was definitely significantly expanded, too.
From what I understand, they shot a whole lot of additional material last spring, almost a year after production had originally ended. I think the love triangle stuff was added at that point, among other things. The barrel sequence was definitely significantly expanded, too.
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile
There's roughly 122 minutes of extra footage in the LOTR extended editions. That's another full movie right there - especially if they had gone back and done pickup explicitly to create a fourth.
I'm not sure what that would have done to improve the structure of the story, of course. I think FOTR is about as perfect a film as I could ever have wanted, so shifting its end point to accommodate a fourth film may not be the best thing (hypothetically speaking, of course). But filming an "extra movie" certainly isn't an unusual thing for Jackson's Middle Earth productions. And I've been mostly very happy about the Hobbit films thus far.
There's roughly 122 minutes of extra footage in the LOTR extended editions. That's another full movie right there - especially if they had gone back and done pickup explicitly to create a fourth.
I'm not sure what that would have done to improve the structure of the story, of course. I think FOTR is about as perfect a film as I could ever have wanted, so shifting its end point to accommodate a fourth film may not be the best thing (hypothetically speaking, of course). But filming an "extra movie" certainly isn't an unusual thing for Jackson's Middle Earth productions. And I've been mostly very happy about the Hobbit films thus far.
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile
Return of the King would have been made into two movies; it's what they do with all final books nowadays. The Extended Edition is over two discs and the cut point is when Miras Tirith is completely surrounded and Grond the battering ram is brought up to the door while the armies chant its name.
Return of the King would have been made into two movies; it's what they do with all final books nowadays. The Extended Edition is over two discs and the cut point is when Miras Tirith is completely surrounded and Grond the battering ram is brought up to the door while the armies chant its name.
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile
The moment I have waited for has finally arrived!
Desolation of Smaug has out-grossed Catching Fire!!!
Smaug: $894 million
Fire: $863 million
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=hobbit2.htm
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=catchingfire.htm
The moment I have waited for has finally arrived!
Desolation of Smaug has out-grossed Catching Fire!!!
Smaug: $894 million
Fire: $863 million
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=hobbit2.htm
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=catchingfire.htm
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile
I, too, lament the wait ... but I soothe myself with purchasing the theatrical cut!
I, too, lament the wait ... but I soothe myself with purchasing the theatrical cut!