Hobbit Movie - Thoughts & Trailer Analysis

  • Thread starter Greg Bernhardt
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In summary, the new Hobbit movie is hard to judge because there is not much footage released yet. Some people are worried about how unique each dwarf will be, but Jackson has always delivered in the past. The music is perfect and the horror and suspense genres are not my cup of tea, but I am still excited for the movie.
  • #1
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Thoughts on the new Hobbit movie? I've seen a couple trailers. It's hard to get a real sense of what it will be. I suppose that is good. I can't wait for Smaug! I bet he's in the second of the movies though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0k3kHtyoqc
 
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  • #2
I have never been a fan of Harry Potter or Lord of the Ring, UK's fantasies never attract me more than those of China. I like US's horrors and suspense.

Many movies from Asia I found are very good, but as they are from...Asia, so they have never been able to to stand in line with the "Western" though these Western ones are still pretty bad in filming techniques.
 
  • #3
I'm from australia, i would disagree from my experiences although i have to agree on par with some asian countries as for example majority if not all australian films are horrible compared to anything produced in north america, I am looking forward to The Hobbit mainly due to the trailer actually sucking me into the film.

The music that has been used is perfect in my oppinion, i am looking forward to the sound/music rather than the story/graphics/special effects.

In terms of horrors and suspense i have seen paranormal activity 3 and 4, i didnt jump once maybe its just me but i found everything predictable and extremely slow paced.

But each to their own, i can say its still better than anything australia has produced!

The Hobbit is the only book i have ever read, for a school english exam. I hope i don't get frustrated by the book during the movie from suttle differences.
 
  • #4
I can't wait to see the movie! I can't imagine it will be better than lord of the rings though, but I'm sure it will be really awesome.
 
  • #5
trueo said:
I though these Western ones are still pretty bad in filming techniques.
Bad? LOTR won 3 academy awards for special effects. What on Earth are you referring to?
 
  • #6
Evo said:
LOTR won 3 academy awards for special effects.

I had a blast watching the making of the films on the extended dvds. So interesting how they did everything!
 
  • #7
Greg Bernhardt said:
I had a blast watching the making of the films on the extended dvds. So interesting how they did everything!
It's really incredible what these people can do.

I am looking forward to the Hobbit.
 
  • #8
I have a deep-rooted penchant for hairy feet, and I am already in slavering mode regarding this movie.
Is there something wrong with me?
:confused:
 
  • #9
Greg Bernhardt said:
I had a blast watching the making of the films on the extended dvds. So interesting how they did everything!
I found the extended versions of FoTR and TT exceptionally good, so I was somewhat disappointed about RoTK EE.
It felt, frankly, choppy, with inserted details that cut up the well-told narrative in the cinema version, wheres the EEs of the two first films seemed to tie up loose threads and making in general, the experience more well-rounded and orderly than the cinematic versions.

I think, by the way, that Smaug will already appear in the first film, in a dramatic retelling of the Dwarves' flight from erebor.
 
  • #10
I am really worried about this movie. I have heard they are adding characters like some elf chick and for some reason Legolas is going to appear...?

I am also apprehensive about how... "unique" each of the dwarves are. I guess I enjoyed the idea that they were pretty simple dudes. Just a cute little colored hat like a gnome wears. I can't imagine them as a bunch of gnarly dudes, seeing as how they were so easily taken care of by a bunch of little spiders.

I am not necessarily predicting that I will not like the movie... just that I am worried about it. I will definitely be going to see it, though.
 
  • #11
Legolas lived at that time, being roughly a 1000 years old in loTR.
Since he is Thranduil's son, it is not unreasonable that he appears at kingly feasts or battles the elves participate in. That Bilbo wouldn't know his name is perfectly understandable.

As for dwarves vs. spiders, that depends on how big they are?
From what I remember, the height of the spiders in The Hobbit is about that of Bilbo, and then just slightly less than the height of a dwarf.
They are not Shelobs, but damn big nonetheless..
 
  • #12
SHISHKABOB said:
I am not necessarily predicting that I will not like the movie... just that I am worried about it. I will definitely be going to see it, though.

I think we can trust Jackson at the helm. He didn't let us down with LotR. I'm sure the drama and fighting will be embellished, but it's a movie, it's suppose to be entertaining.
 
  • #13
Greg Bernhardt said:
He didn't let us down with LotR.

welllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

they were certainly good movies

but I guess I get a little annoyed by stuff like "elves at helms deep" and "Arwen replacing Glorfindel"

I would rather these movies stick very closely to the book, and most of the time they did, except for those really weird situations. Not saying they "ruined" the movie whatsoever, just that I think that I personally would have enjoyed them more if there weren't things like that.
 
  • #14
SHISHKABOB said:
welllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

they were certainly good movies

but I guess I get a little annoyed by stuff like "elves at helms deep" and "Arwen replacing Glorfindel"

I would rather these movies stick very closely to the book, and most of the time they did, except for those really weird situations. Not saying they "ruined" the movie whatsoever, just that I think that I personally would have enjoyed them more if there weren't things like that.
NERD ALERT!

Legolas has an explicit WISH at Helm's Deep in the books that he had a hundred or so Elven archers with him. PJ was merely involved in..wish-fulfilment. :smile:
 
  • #15
yes I am definitely massively nerdy about LotR

hopefully it does not ruin the hobbit move for me >.>
 
  • #16
SHISHKABOB said:
yes I am definitely massively nerdy about LotR

hopefully it does not ruin the hobbit move for me >.>

I fully agree with you that there are several points in Jackson's adaptation that was less than par.
My greatest disappointment was concerning Denethor, who was totally changed from the books into an idiotic lunatic.
His story in the books is one of classic tragic grandeur in which a basically good man, dedicated to the safety of his people, gradually withers into an embittered shadow of himself, still as dedicated, but becoming more and more harsh, until he suddenly snaps and betrays everything he once stood for.
-----------
But, this is still a minor issue, I really believe Jackson can make yet another beatiful trilogy from Middle Earth!
 
  • #17
arildno said:
His story in the books is one of classic tragic grandeur in which a basically good man, dedicated to the safety of his people, gradually withers into an embittered shadow of himself, still as dedicated, but becoming more and more harsh, until he suddenly snaps and betrays everything he once stood for.

How do you portray that in a 3 hour movie with a complex story?
 
  • #18
Greg Bernhardt said:
How do you portray that in a 3 hour movie with a complex story?
First off:
By showing the evacuation of the civilian population that Denethor ordered, and show him as a quick, perceptive man, if bitter, lashing out at those soldiers who seem to quail before the battles.
Secondly, and utterly critical:
Show his private, ultimately hazardous mental battles with Sauron by way of denethor using the Palantir, forcing information out of it, on the expense of becoming exhausted by Sauron's malevolent presence. In particular, Sauron might gloat and play on the guilt-ridden soul of Denethor of not just having sent his son Boromir to his death, but also Faramir. Finally, Denethor snaps under the mental assault.

I agree that this would have taken clever, difficult script writing, but I think PJ at this point made a cop-out.
 
  • #19
It has been a very long time since I read the Hobbit. But, I'm glad to see that Peter Jackson is directing and that it was fimed in New Zealand like the others. My wife and I went there in 2004 and got to tour the actual site of Hobbiton so I'm looking forward to those scenes.
 
  • #20
Does anyone remember the 1977 Rankin and Bass animated version? I still have a video tape of it. Cute, nicely done although all of the characters looked like they were from Sendak's "Where the Wild Thing Are". The voices were well done: Smaug easily reconizable as Richard Boon, Gadalf was John Huston, the elvenking was Otto Preminger, Has Conreid was Thorin Oakenshield, and Orson Bean was Bilbo.

The one really grating part was a continuing "voice over" song, "The greatest Adventure" which kind of narrated the story, including poem lyrics from the book, sung by Glen Yarbrough!
 
  • #21
HallsofIvy said:
Does anyone remember the 1977 Rankin and Bass animated version?

You mean...

 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #22
see all I'm looking at is the little preview picture of that youtube video and I see the dwarves in the forest and bilbo is climbin a tree

all the dwarves they just look dwarfy to me. Cute little clothes and a hat thing and a beard. The pictures I've seen of the dwarves in the Hobbit movie all look kind of ridiculous.
 
  • #23
The previous video made me think about

M1x3XkHs-BE[/youtube] (apparently not entirely original version)
 
  • #24
I just found out that they are going to make this movie into three parts. That makes me MUCH less apprehensive about it, because I am assuming that they are doing it in three parts so that they can really do it justice. I always hate watching movies based on books and seeing parts of it cut out. I mean, I know that they *have* to cut out parts else you'd get ridiculously long movies. But IMO things like the Hobbit and LotR are worth spending a lot of time on, because there's just so much to them.
 
  • #25
Evo said:
Bad? LOTR won 3 academy awards for special effects. What on Earth are you referring to?

Maybe he means "bad" as Michael Jackson meant it. Y' know, BAAAAD. A compliment. :biggrin:
 
  • #26
Peter Jackson and Air New Zealand teamed up for a flight safety video. :tongue:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBlRbrB_Gnc#!
 
  • #27
I wonder how he'll pull off the worg-goblin conversation. In LoTR he portrayed Worgs as mindless, but they speak and its a very important part in The Hobbit. Gandalf understands what they say when they are trapped in the trees and starts throwing fire acorns at them.
 
  • #28
Spinalcold said:
I wonder how he'll pull off the worg-goblin conversation. In LoTR he portrayed Worgs as mindless, but they speak and its a very important part in The Hobbit. Gandalf understands what they say when they are trapped in the trees and starts throwing fire acorns at them.

Talking wolves have beards.
 
  • #29
I didn't look to see if this has been mentioned but Denny's Restaurants have introduced a Hobbit Menu

From the menu: "Welcome to Middle-Earth's Diner: Discover many new items inspired by The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Whether you're here for First Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner or Second Breakfast, every bite's a treasure. So lift up your fork and let the adventure begin. " ...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/grubgrade/first-look-the-hobbit-men_b_2009741.html

As a result there is a huge demand for short order cooks.
 
  • #31
For me, the biggest letdown in the LotR movies was the way the eye of Sauron was portrayed in the last movie--a great big ball of fire on top of a tower. The Eye should never have been visible in normal shots, but only in "Ring-vision" flashes or through the Palantiri. IMO, to do otherwise really cheapens the power of Sauron's spiritual presence. And the way they treated his gaze like a searchlight, from which you hide by crouching behind rocks, was really lame. It's a simple change, but I think one could take Sauron a lot more seriously if those shots that panned up Barad-dur simply came to focus on that empty spot where you know Sauron is--but you don't see him.

Beyond that, it would be cool if Gimli wasn't always a complete buffoon. Comic relief isn't bad, but the poor guy didn't get to be much else.

Beyond that, I loved the movies quite a bit, and am ok with most of the changes and omissions made. Looking forward to the Hobbit!
 
  • #32
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yqVD0swvWU
 
  • #33
Initial verdicts from reviews at rottentomatoes seems to be..rather underwhelming.
Too many dwarves (inevitable), too awkward&much "humour" (unfortunate), too long introduction (not particularly disappointing), too drawn-out breathless action (major flaw, IMO), too episodic (expected). A particular concern is that the 48 frames per second seems to be more annoying than enriching.
Anyways, I'm probably going to see this movie a dozen times or more..
 
  • #34
My own concern is that this is not another epic trilogy to be filmed. This is a fairy tale! And I'm just not sure if I can tolerate a childhood bedtime story transformed into a yet another Hollywood blockbuster.

Even the dwarves are not the way they ought to be. No brightly coloured cloaks, their lovely instruments are replaced by an epic songsinging, etc. Come on, just take a look at Thorin! In the movie, he is a warrior, while in the book he's a white-bearded wise dwarf. Stubborn, proud, and brave, but fairy-taleish still. One glance at the cast and trailers has confirmed all my fears about the upcoming movie. It is going to be in the same style as LotR, projecting every single thing from the story into desires of masses, who will go to the movie theaters, without reading the book and expecting a thrilling experience.

*sigh*
And yes, I am going to watch it a dozen times too.
 
  • #35
I would like to point out that Thorin, and also two other dwarves, died as warriors, so I'm not sure it's correct to say that depicting them as warriors is completely a bad idea.

I don't know that I'd call The Hobbit a "fairy tale", but it's been a while since I've read it.
 
<h2>1. What is the plot of the Hobbit movie?</h2><p>The Hobbit movie follows the journey of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who is recruited by the wizard Gandalf to join a group of dwarves on a quest to reclaim their homeland from the dragon Smaug. Along the way, they encounter various challenges and enemies, including goblins, trolls, and a mysterious creature named Gollum.</p><h2>2. How does the trailer compare to the book?</h2><p>The trailer for the Hobbit movie is loosely based on the book, but there are some differences. Some scenes and characters have been added or changed for cinematic purposes, and the timeline of events may be altered. However, the overall story and themes remain true to the book.</p><h2>3. Who are the main characters in the Hobbit movie?</h2><p>The main characters in the Hobbit movie include Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf the Grey, Thorin Oakenshield, and the Company of Dwarves. Other important characters include the elf Tauriel, the wizard Radagast, and the dragon Smaug.</p><h2>4. What is the significance of the Hobbit movie in the Lord of the Rings universe?</h2><p>The Hobbit movie serves as a prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It introduces important characters and events that set the stage for the epic journey of Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring. It also provides more context and background information on the world of Middle-earth.</p><h2>5. How does the visual effects and cinematography enhance the Hobbit movie?</h2><p>The Hobbit movie utilizes advanced visual effects and cinematography techniques to bring the fantastical world of Middle-earth to life. The stunning landscapes, intricate costumes, and lifelike creatures all contribute to the immersive experience of the film. The use of high frame rate technology also adds to the realism and intensity of the action sequences.</p>

1. What is the plot of the Hobbit movie?

The Hobbit movie follows the journey of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who is recruited by the wizard Gandalf to join a group of dwarves on a quest to reclaim their homeland from the dragon Smaug. Along the way, they encounter various challenges and enemies, including goblins, trolls, and a mysterious creature named Gollum.

2. How does the trailer compare to the book?

The trailer for the Hobbit movie is loosely based on the book, but there are some differences. Some scenes and characters have been added or changed for cinematic purposes, and the timeline of events may be altered. However, the overall story and themes remain true to the book.

3. Who are the main characters in the Hobbit movie?

The main characters in the Hobbit movie include Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf the Grey, Thorin Oakenshield, and the Company of Dwarves. Other important characters include the elf Tauriel, the wizard Radagast, and the dragon Smaug.

4. What is the significance of the Hobbit movie in the Lord of the Rings universe?

The Hobbit movie serves as a prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It introduces important characters and events that set the stage for the epic journey of Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring. It also provides more context and background information on the world of Middle-earth.

5. How does the visual effects and cinematography enhance the Hobbit movie?

The Hobbit movie utilizes advanced visual effects and cinematography techniques to bring the fantastical world of Middle-earth to life. The stunning landscapes, intricate costumes, and lifelike creatures all contribute to the immersive experience of the film. The use of high frame rate technology also adds to the realism and intensity of the action sequences.

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