The Desolation of Smaug
It's taken me a while but here's what it think without spoilers. I love Martin Freeman. He is a wonderful Bilbo and his facial expressions are masterful. I had been looking forward to Stephen Fry as the Master of Laketown and he did not disappoint me. The dragon is awesome. The look, the voice, love everything about him. I adore this film's opening ( Read more... )
Nevertheless, there were plot holes in the AUJ - many of them! Right up front:
1. How would Bilbo forget that today was his birthday and big, big party?
2. Maybe because he's too busy writing his book?
3. The replies have come! Oh and it's party day - bit late?
4. Frodo apparently knows what's in them though, even without opening them.
5. Well let's pin the "No Admittance" sign on the door today anyway - even though there's no one around to see it?
And so on and so on... BUT we didn't mind because there was lots of Bilbo in it and he got to do good stuff and the cave scene was epic! Lesley reckons the best scene in any film ever!
The dwarves appeared to care about him and he even, eventually, wins Thorin round.
However, in DOS all that seems to have been forgotten. Bilbo rescues them from the spiders (with help from the elves?) but no one seems to care or thank him. Thorin has gone back to not giving a toss about him. He's obviously picked up the Arkenstone and, although Thorin doesn't actually know that, is ready to run him through to get it. No kudos for facing down Smaug either (mainly because, apparently everyone wanted to have a go?) Even when he plans their escape in the barrels, they're prepared to argue about it?
I didn't mind seeing Leggie again (I have a certain fondness for him after Recap) and Tauriel was well played - it just wasn't the movie I came to see. Bilbo got so little screen time and, when he did, it was like he was a minor character. That, and only that, is my big beef with this film.
I agree that the elf/elf/dwarf lurve triangle contributed to this and so I would rather it hadn't been there. I wanted to see a film with the eponymous character actually in there somewhere!
Someone said that the best thing about The Hobbit vs LoTR was that it only had one hobbit - I think that's its main problem!
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For some reason, the plot holes in AUJ didn't upset me as much. The AU bits didn't upset me in AUJ either. Either I was more tolerant of it or it was just a better film. In any case, AUJ did have more character building and more meaningful interaction between the characters.
Sad to say, I think I missed bits of DOS because I was asleep. I'd had very little sleep the night before the film because our hotel room was dreadful in ways I can't begin to describe here. So, I missed some of the film. I never would have thought that I could sleep during a film with a hobbit in it, but I did.
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