The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoilers)

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by Skywalker, Dec 8, 2013.

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How would you grade [i]The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug[/i]?

  1. A+

    8 vote(s)
    6.6%

  2. A

    31 vote(s)
    25.6%

  3. A-

    24 vote(s)
    19.8%

  4. B+

    16 vote(s)
    13.2%

  5. B

    17 vote(s)
    14.0%

  6. B-

    2 vote(s)
    1.7%

  7. C+

    7 vote(s)
    5.8%

  8. C

    8 vote(s)
    6.6%

  9. C-

    3 vote(s)
    2.5%

  10. D+

    3 vote(s)
    2.5%

  11. D

    1 vote(s)
    0.8%

  12. D-

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%

  13. F

    1 vote(s)
    0.8%
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  1. Allyn Gibson

    Allyn Gibson Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile

    I believe Hanukkah Solo has that correct. The Kili/Tauriel stuff has been talked about since the role was announced as they were casting for it.
     
    Allyn Gibson, Dec 23, 2013
    #101
  2. Mr Light

    Mr Light Admiral Admiral

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    Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile

    The funny thing about that is that Tauriel/Legolas shipping probably accounts for 30 seconds of screen time. Which I guess points to the fact that it IS a reshoot :lol:
     
    Mr Light, Dec 23, 2013
    #102
  3. Turtletrekker

    Turtletrekker Admiral Admiral

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    Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile

    Personally, I thought that all of the Legolas and Tauril stuff was a waste of screen time.
     
    Turtletrekker, Dec 23, 2013
    #103
  4. Set Harth

    Set Harth Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile

    Sauron spoke a few times in the LOTR films.
     
    Set Harth, Dec 23, 2013
    #104
  5. Skywalker

    Skywalker Admiral Admiral

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    Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile

    Yeah, agreed. It was rather pointless, and barely played a role in the story. I guess that just proves even further that it was a studio-mandated addition and not Jackson's idea. :p
     
    Last edited: Dec 23, 2013
    Skywalker, Dec 23, 2013
    #105
  6. Dama47

    Dama47 Admiral Admiral

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    Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile

    It was what I remembered most fondly, but the mush left me soured. I think the flirtations could (should) have been skipped, leaving Tauriel's character all the better--and Kili all the better, too, for being with his kin and doing his duty. They might have met as equals in their fields with a little banter. The whole matter was instead a distraction from otherwise excellent characters, IMHO. As always, YMMV. :)
     
    Dama47, Dec 23, 2013
    #106
  7. davejames

    davejames Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile

    After really enjoying the first movie (a lot more than others seemed to), I had high hopes for this one. But the story dragged so much and had so much obvious filler that I very quickly lost interest.

    I'm not sure if it's the story being told this time, or because the joy of seeing Middle Earth again that I felt in the first movie has worn off, but halfway through I just realized I really don't care anymore about these boring dwarfs and their journey to reclaim their kingdom. No matter how much they tried to shoehorn in Sauron and stuff from LOTR, the story just doesn't seem to justify the incredible amount of screentime devoted to it.
     
    davejames, Dec 23, 2013
    #107
  8. Allyn Gibson

    Allyn Gibson Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile

    Tangential to The Desolation of Smaug, the Weinsteins are suing Warners because they believe the decision to split The Hobbit into three movies deprives them of their contractual five percent.

    It's all very technical, but I think they have a point.
     
    Allyn Gibson, Dec 25, 2013
    #108
  9. Mr Light

    Mr Light Admiral Admiral

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    Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile

    And Peter sued New Line because they were withholding profits to him from the original trilogy... the wheel turns...
     
    Mr Light, Dec 26, 2013
    #109
  10. 1001001

    1001001 Serial Canon Violator Moderator

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    Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile

    The kids and I just got back from seeing it in Glorious Imax 3D.

    I loved it. I thought it was great. The spider scene was creepy as hell, and the whole Elf-Orc-Dwarves in Barrels sequence was fantastic!

    :lol:

    A solid "A" from us.

    :techman:
     
    1001001, Dec 27, 2013
    #110
  11. Set Harth

    Set Harth Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile

    I wish "Barrels out of Bond" had stuck to the relative simplicity of the Tolkien version, but I liked other things about the movie.
     
    Set Harth, Dec 27, 2013
    #111
  12. The Old Mixer

    The Old Mixer Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si Xim. Moderator

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    Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile

    Haven't seen it yet, but it sounds like they were going for "Barrels out of Bond...James Bond."
     
    The Old Mixer, Dec 28, 2013
    #112
  13. Greylock Crescent

    Greylock Crescent Adventurer Admiral

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    Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile

    ^ circa Roger Moore ;)

    FWIW, I like Moore's Bond.

    :techman:
     
    Greylock Crescent, Dec 28, 2013
    #113
  14. The Old Mixer

    The Old Mixer Mih ssim, mih ssim, nam, daed si Xim. Moderator

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    Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile

    Moore gets a bad rap. He was highly entertaining and kept the franchise viable post-Connery.
     
    The Old Mixer, Dec 28, 2013
    #114
  15. Klaus

    Klaus Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile

    Moore had some good outings as Bond and some horrid ones, and this is from a dyed-in-the-wool Connery fan... the bad ones were mostly more recent so I think they stick in our minds more.

    I'm going to go to see it a 2nd time on Monday, trying to decide if I want to put my eyes through 3D HFR again or not.
     
    Klaus, Dec 28, 2013
    #115
  16. sojourner

    sojourner Admiral In Memoriam

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    Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile

    Saw it this week. Not bad, but the changes to existing parts of the book bothered me more than additions. So to speak. I don't know what book they got the whole Lake Town act of the movie from, but it wasn't The Hobbit.

    I kept waiting for "Thag you bery buch".
     
    sojourner, Dec 29, 2013
    #116
  17. JarodRussell

    JarodRussell Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile

    I liked it. Favorite bits Smaug and Tauriel.

    Actually I thought Smaug is the ultimate movie dragon. They shouldn't bother with dragons anymore in any other movie. They did this one to perfection.
     
    JarodRussell, Dec 29, 2013
    #117
  18. Anwar

    Anwar Admiral Admiral

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    Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile

    They stated that they deliberately focused more on trying to develop Bard and give him some added character since to them, Book Bard just came out of nowhere and felt 1-Dimensional.

    I'm not saying they were right, just what their mindset was.
     
    Anwar, Dec 29, 2013
    #118
  19. CaptainWacky

    CaptainWacky More than meets the eye Rear Admiral

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    Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile

    Me too, and would it have killed them to let Bilbo shout "attercop!" at a spider at least once?
     
    CaptainWacky, Dec 29, 2013
    #119
  20. JarodRussell

    JarodRussell Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Grading & Discussion (Spoile

    Bard's going to kill Smaug, so he better be developed.
     
    JarodRussell, Dec 29, 2013
    #120
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