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LinweSingollo
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Post The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like?
on: December 18, 2012 09:12
Post your grievances, grumbles, gripes, quibbles, and nitpicks here. If you thought the film was perfect as is, don't post here.

[Edited on 08/07/2013 by LinweSingollo]
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hobbitsrock
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like?
on: December 19, 2012 03:36
I thought that the whole "Azog as personal enemy"-thing was unnecessary. Also, I thought that Radagast was too much displayed as a complete idiot, especially with these bird-droppings in his hair. Oh, and he hadn't been in the books, anyway Otherwise, very good movie, I really enjoyed watching it.
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: December 21, 2012 08:50
I agree!

Apart from that... The dwarves weren't exactly how I imagined them, Thorin especially. Nor were the elves. I missed the bit where Bilbo gets up late and doesn't notice the note. And like any Hollywood movie, it had too many fights and personal confrontations. There were things left unsaid in the book - 'the small things', 'the world isn't in books' and 'you don't have a home' - that weren't really necessary. Mind you, they pulled it off pretty well... it didn't seem so bad.

And really, I liked the film. These things didn't matter much. It's just awesome that one of my favourite books has been made into a film, and a good one at that! And it was nice that they didn't change the Gollum bits at all... And I thought Peter Jackson showed a lot of restraint in not mentioning the 'Thrain in the dungeons of the Necromancer' bit. I thought he'd make too much of that.
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: December 23, 2012 04:50
I don't like how much "camera time" Thorin had. Like, they made his character overly dramatic, I think. I think that had him "stare into the camera dramatically while some sad awful back story is said in a voice over" way too many times. It got old to me, and I got bored of it. The Thorin in the books wasn't that pathetic.

Didn't care the Azog thing too much. They made the personal vendetta thing a little over the top I think.

Some of the added fight scenes seemed forced because they were, well, added.
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: December 24, 2012 07:28
Overall, I really enjoyed the film even though The Hobbit isn't my favorite book. A few quibbles:

1. The dwarves don't look dwarvish enough.
2. The CGI wargs weren't believable. I expected Weta to do better this time around and they failed.
3. I tend to agree with the others re the Azog encounters. It seemed like an attempt to provide backstory to set us up for the Battle of the Five Armies.
4. Frodo and Bilbo looked so much older that it threw me. It's a minor quibble, really, because it was a nice start to the movie, and...well, I'll just admit it...I can't get enough Frodo.
5. No talking eagles.
6. A little too much camera zooming in on a brooding Thorin. (a very minor quibble).

The Riddle scene was brilliant. If they hadn't nailed that one, I probably would have called it quits right then and there and refused to see the other two movies.
Hopefully, I'll get to see it a second time and see if I alter my opinions any.
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: December 25, 2012 02:18
Overall, I liked the movie a lot. I don't mind Thorin's camera time (winks).
My personal question mark was when Gandalf showed up and brought the sun with him to the trolls. That was so not in the original story, nor in any of the other books. And a bit too much overview scenes when running for the goblins.
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: December 25, 2012 04:13
Bringing Azog to the story in such a big role bothered me quite a lot. I kind of guess why it was done but still...

There were a couple of other annoying bits too but but there was one thing over everything else that bothers me so much that the other parts seem very irrelevant. I may be all alone with my opinion, but there was too much music straight from the LotR. The LotR has a great score and the images that come along the music are unique and quite strong for me. Now that they are brining the same music to Hobbit it's now very confusing because the same piece of music now brings back to mind two different stories :/ Especially when they created totally new scenes for characters who weren't in the LotR, or even in the Hobbit book, I think they really would have deserved their own, new music, too.

Don't get me wrong, all the new music was great and I would have expected some familiar music from the LotR (the Ring and Hobbits for example), but for me it was just too much they had borrowed.
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: December 25, 2012 05:36
Entirely too much CGI. The wargs, the goblins, everything.
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: December 25, 2012 07:00
My complaints, hmm...I thought it was a little too drawn out. There were some parts that I was just waiting for to be over. Also, not enough Kili screentime. Overrall I thought the movie was excellent and I liked it a lot. Most of the complaints most people seem to have I don't really share. I just think that the movie might've been a little too...long maybe.

It was different for FotR, because I mean they were putting an entire book into a movie. But this, they were just putting what, 150-200 pages? So it wasn't as easy or engaging to watch/
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: December 25, 2012 08:54
I'm with Elafacwen. Way too much CGI. I miss seeing the characters interact with "real" villians, like the orcs and Uruk-hi in LOTR. Otherwise I also felt it was too long. I'm VERY glad the elves of Rivendell were not silly like they were in the books.
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: December 25, 2012 11:20
I finally got to see the movie today, Overall I actually liked it but i do have some compliants which some of you have also mentioned which were Azog being alive in the movie, I also would have liked to see the eagles talk like they did in the book and King Thranduil with is army turning their backs on the dwarfs at the start which also didn't happen in the book. I would have liked to see Gandalf going to Dol Guldur and getting the map and key from Thrain, but maybe there might be a flash back in the next movie.

What did you think about the Witchking supposedly being buried by the Dunedian?
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: December 30, 2012 12:22
I honestly wasn't a huge fan of the movie. I mean, I felt like it was a good movie in and of itself, I just don't see it as an adaptation of The Hobbit. In The Lord of the Rings, Jackson took out a lot of things for the sake of brevity and attention-span, and I don't mind that too much. It requires some things to be added or changed, but that's fine. He showed that he could take Tolkien and adapt it to the screen to make a movie that was excellent in its own right, and also fairly true to source material. Fast-forward to The Hobbit and you really can't say the same. Very little is taken out, and most of what is feels like it was taken out for the sake of the additions and changes made to other parts. Effectively, things went from "We need to take this out because it'll make this movie way too long, and that means we need to change this" to "Let's change these fifteen things, and then that'll require us taking this one part out."

I honestly got the feel that they scripted a movie that was true to the source material, decided it didn't have enough action sequences and chase scenes, and so decided to add more. However, that introduced inconsistencies, which required a change of the backstory, which then required further explanation, which then slowed the overall pace of the movie, which required more action sequences and chase scenes, et cetera until you have a movie that is something else entirely.

On the other hand, I suppose I'm incredibly anal about lore, so there's that.

Also, altogether too much CGI, as previously mentioned. Everything looked kind of fake to me, especially, again, when compared to LotR
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: December 30, 2012 01:28
Lord_Sauron, did the Dunedain have magic? How could they put the Witch King in a spell-protected crypt? Could they have used Rune magic or had help from the Elves? But this was so not in the book. The Witch King of Angmar fled, he was never captured, correct? And if he was buried, how then, did he get out?
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: December 30, 2012 02:06
I didn't like Azog. At all. Not only is he fake, he looks fake too.
Otherwise there were a few things that don't correspond with the book.
The film was also a little long.

But I love it all the same. Twas so nice to see Middle Earth again.

Edit: Azog isn't fake in the sense that he's part of the world, but shouldn't he be dead by the time of the Hobbit? That's why
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: December 30, 2012 03:26
Azog isn't fake, he is a real character (not mentioned in the Hobbit however). However, they expanded his character to more than he really was, which I didn't really care for.
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: December 30, 2012 05:00
Lindarielwen I honestly don't know if the Dunedain had magic, in the movie i would say maybe the elves including Galadriel, Elrond and Glorfindel helped in that department,However in the books the Witchking was never captured and buried in a spell protected tomb, Peter Jackson added that into his movie, so maybe we will see in the next movies how the witchking was captured.
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: December 30, 2012 11:15
Lord_Sauron, I certainly look forward to seeing the next film and in the meantime it will be fun to speculate as to what will happen. It will be interesting to see how Peter Jackson handles the Witch King issue. For me, I would enjoy seeing the Dunedain and the Elves working together to capture the Witch King and I think Peter Jackson will use plenty of flashbacks to tell the story.
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: December 31, 2012 12:51
Yes Lindarielwen so do I. Hopefully they have a flashback of Gandalf getting the key from Thrain as well. Also I wouldn't mind seeing Saruman searching the Anduin river for the one ring
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: December 31, 2012 05:03
Hopefully they have a flashback of Gandalf getting the key from Thrain as well.


This is were some confusion is currently taking hold of fans worldwide. In a recent interview with Peter Jackson, he confirmed that a flashback or prologue scene will take place in Film 2 regarding Gandalf's finding of Thrain.

However, this poses several questions. Will it be a flashback scene of how Gandalf acquired the key of Erebor? If so, in AUJ why was the wizard surprised by Radagast's remarks of a growing evil in Dol Guldur, when Gandalf would have witnessed it for himself when finding Thrain?

The way some of the scenes in AUJ were presented, pointed towards the fact that Gandalf hadn't yet been in Dol Guldur (thus his lack of knowledge on its present evil) and therefore the meeting with Thrain COULD be shifted forwards in 'The Hobbit' timeline and brought to the present (i.e. during Bilbo's quest).

If this option is taken, then again, how would Gandalf have acquired the key BEFORE the quest began (and given in to Thorin) if it is clearly stated during the Azanulbizar flashback that Thrain was lost and taken captive? (How would he have given the key to Gandalf prior to his meeting in Dol Guldur?)

I'm looking forward to seeing how the filmmakers will work around this timeline knot and solve an apparent issue in the sub-plot narrative.

Oh and PJ's interview mentioned above, can be found here: http://www.vulture.com/2012/12/where-was-gandalfs-backstory-in-the-hobbit.html
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: December 31, 2012 11:36
Quote from scaliper, December 30, 2012, 10:22
I honestly got the feel that they scripted a movie that was true to the source material, decided it didn't have enough action sequences and chase scenes, and so decided to add more. However, that introduced inconsistencies, which required a change of the backstory, which then required further explanation, which then slowed the overall pace of the movie, which required more action sequences and chase scenes, et cetera until you have a movie that is something else entirely.


Wow, that is exactly what i thought, more or less
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: January 01, 2013 01:50
I thought it was pretty good film overall, not quite LOTR however in my opinion. Didn't care much for the Azog story line nor did I like all the CGI, as mentioned before. What threw me off personally were some of the weird cheesy one-liners.
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: January 01, 2013 08:27
Azog is in The Hobbit so much because we must get the feeling of hatred that Thorin Oakenshield has for him.

Cheesy one liners are prevalent in the Trilogy.

Has anyone noticed that Sting does not have Elvish writings on it?

Also, the Morgul blade that Radagast gave to Gandalf did not disappear as it did when Aragorn held it in Fellowhip. Why do you suppose that is?
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: January 02, 2013 04:00
I was quite disappointed with it. I agree, they changed way to much, put waayyy to much action it, made it seem rather unrealistic to me. (I mean seriously! Yeah, the LotR had lots of fighting, action etc. etc. but they weren't fighting every five minutes the they were in The Hobbit! Okay, maybe not quite every five minutes, but still...) They almost never get to rest, and then they get up and fight, and their all very energetic! LotR was a lot more believable, to me at least. To much CGI like some others were saying, and I didn't like the scene were their in the trees near the end. I liked that much better in the book. And I wasn't happy that the Eagles didn't talk. The troll part was also much better in the book I thought. A lot amusing, Gandalf making them argue and all. Music was great though.
Over all, I like the book much better, and my own pictures of what it was like.
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: January 02, 2013 08:48
I was dozing off a little bit when I watched it in the cinema, so let's see if I can remember it all.

I was kind of confused by the huge role Azog and his fellow orcs had. It's a while since I read the book, so I'm not sure if they were in it and I just forgot about them, but they were definitely not that important in the story. I did like Azog's freaky fork-hand, though.
Also, the goblins looked too fake to me. I realize it may be necessary to make such scenes with CGI sometimes, but in LotR they mostly had actors dressed as orcs and other such creatures, and the CGI was always very well-done.
At first I also disliked the fact that they included sequences with Gandalf, Elrond and Galadriel talking about the growing evil in Dol Guldur (obviously hinting that Sauron is rising again) because I thought they were making it into too much of a LotR prequel, when in fact this story has nothing to do with the story in LotR (save for the fact that the ring is found by Bilbo), but now I like it a little bit better, particularly because I got to see Cate Blanchett in that wonderful dress.

Overall though, I am crazy for that movie. It was amazing. Maybe not quite as amazing as the LotR-trilogy, but still a new favorite movie.
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: January 02, 2013 09:40
The happenings in Dol Guldur and such happened at the same time as the Hobbit, it just was not mentioned in the book (it was mentioned in the appendixes). And if it wasn't for Bilbo and his little adventure, we wouldn't have LOTR. So it is kind of a prequel.
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: January 02, 2013 10:17
Lindar, I suspect that the morgul blade did not affect those who handled it because they were either elven or maian, rather than human/hobbit. And wasn't it wrapped in something anyway. They didn't actually touch it.

I also agree with Eruce. The reason there are 3 films is because they're incorporating material relevent to the time of the Hobbit from other sources like the Sil, appendeces, and unfinished tales. In a way, it is an effort to tie the entire two different times together.

I saw the film again today...in 2D. I have to say I felt the same way I did at the first film viewing though wasn't making any decisions then (simply absorbing). I felt the CGI scenes with the underground orcs were way too ...well, CGI. Too much of a good thing. Also a little concerned at the redundancies. For example, Gandalf using identical language/sayings he used before in LOTR ("Run, you fools"). Or at the end, everyone standing side by side (in this case gazing off at the Lonely Mountain), just as the group did at the end of 'The Two Towers'. The race through the orcs (the too CGI ones) was similar to Khazad Dum only once again, way over the top.

Azog didn't bother me as much this time, though, which is interesting. He's growing on me. *laughing*
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: January 02, 2013 10:24
The only complaint I have so far is that they didn't include the 'Fifteen Birds' song towards the end. I was really looking forward to that song. Maybe in the extended edition?
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: January 02, 2013 06:28
I have to say I really enjoyed the movie, but can agree on many of the points listed here - CGI, too many orcs, etc.

The other thing that annoyed me is how PJ portrayed Radagast almost as a 'crazy old fool'.
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: January 02, 2013 11:40
Quote from gwendeth on January 3, 2013, 04:28
I have to say I really enjoyed the movie, but can agree on many of the points listed here - CGI, too many orcs, etc.

The other thing that annoyed me is how PJ portrayed Radagast almost as a 'crazy old fool'.


I didn't take it that way, just that he was a bit more eccentric and tied in to nature more than the others (like with the rabbits and birds)
I'll be honest though, the mushroom bit made me facepalm.
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: January 03, 2013 01:09
I thought that's kinda what Radagast was supposed to be? He was more worried about nature and animals than the happenings of middle-earth, thus he never really did anything. Concerning the explanation of what happened to all the wizards that came to ME.
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: January 03, 2013 04:49
Radagast was definitely more in tune with nature, I just thought they went a bit over the top with portraying the eccentricity. just MHO.
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: January 03, 2013 09:55
Quote from Erucenindë on January 3, 2013, 11:09
I thought that's kinda what Radagast was supposed to be? He was more worried about nature and animals than the happenings of middle-earth, thus he never really did anything. Concerning the explanation of what happened to all the wizards that came to ME.


Yes, or at least that's what I think. How I see him in the books is to be a bit...sorry a lot of a hermit. So thinking of him in that way, yes I see him nearly as eccentric as they decided to portray him in the movies. (Kinda like the crazy old folk up in the mountains that rarely go to the city for any reason. /wink JKJK)
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: January 08, 2013 08:58
Lord_Sauron, in the beginning of this thread you wondered if we will see a flashback of Gandalf getting the map and key from Thrain. I have found out that something has already been filmed regarding this matter. It is indeed a flashback showing Gandalf at Dol Guldur getting attacked by a crazed Thrain. When Thrain realizes it is Gandalf, he gives the map and key to the wizard. I do not know when we will see this or if it will be in an extended edition but I thought it would be of interest to you.
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: January 08, 2013 12:06
I can't wait to see it in the movie, maybe it will be in the second part
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Post Re: The Hobbit Film: What Didnt You Like? **Spoilers**
on: January 08, 2013 12:13
Yes, it seems to me that it would be in the next movie. Well, we only have to wait 11 months and 5 days for The Desolation of Smaug.
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