Spoiler-rific Thoughts on The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
So, overall, I really enjoyed this, and a little bit more than the first one, I suspect mostly because there was the barrel sequence, Tauriel, and Smaug. But there were definitely times where the story limped along, and it felt a little like an RPG run amok while the PCs split and dithered what to do.
Goods:
* More world-building: Middle Earth is... well, it's epically gorgeous, of course, but the more I see of it in these movies, the more that I feel like it's a real place, one that I could visit. (Yes, I know I can visit New Zealand.) The fictional world feels very real, and this was largely due to all the beautiful wood and ice textures we saw in this movie.
* I don't care that she's been added in, I LIKE Tauriel. I like seeing someone being just as kickass as Legolas (whose entire character arc, as I observed previously, could be summarized as, "But *I'M* the prettiest! *pouts* Oh, wait, orcs? EW. I'll take out my issues on them!".) I didn't even mind the romance subplot, although it got a little cheesy towards the end. I'm trying to get a handle on why I like her so much, and I think it's because she's how I idealized my initial D&D characters when I was first getting into the game in JHS. Leather armor, arrows, super dexterity... yeah, that was pretty much my wishful thinking vision of myself back then.
*Smaug was perfect. I would have liked just a smidgen more dialogue between him and Bilbo, but it was a pretty talky movie already, and Cumerbatch was perfect in almost every respect. And, as usual, Martin Freeman was fantastic.
* The sequence with Beorn, although brief, was almost exactly how I pictured it as a child, listening to my Dad reading me the story. :)
Bads:
* I thought the bit with the arkenstone was overdone. YES, we get it, Thorin needs a symbol of leadership, and YES, we know that Bilbo has to find it, but OMG, can we stop talking about it now, please?
* Those mofo spiders were... UGH. They came so close to pushing all my bad buttons, and when one leapt into the frame, I nearly died.
* How many goddamn orcs are there? I could never keep track, and they just kept coming and coming.
Snarks:
* My mental title of this movie, as of about halfway through, was, "The Hobbit: Everything's Coming Up Arrows!"
In non-spoilery bits:
* Did anyone see it in 3D? I think there were a few sequences that might have been made more exciting with that, but I'd love to hear what you thought of it.
* How does everyone pronounce Smaug? My Dad, when reading it aloud to me, always pronounced it as "Smog," but all the actors had a thing with "SmOWgh" going on. Other than my Dad ironically referencing the annoying pollution problem, was he totally off the mark? :S
* We shelled out for Arclight again (*sighs*), at a 21-and-over showing. I still think movie chains that encourage alcohol consumption are missing out on potential merchandising profit by not offering drinks that are relevant to the movies being shown. For example, I would have bought mead at a Hobbit showing, or I would buy a martini at a James Bond showing, etc. etc. But it was the same old liquor, and overpriced at that.
* In the trailer park: Christopher Nolan's new project is inscrutable, other than using stock historical footage; "Edge of Tomorrow"/"All You Need is Kill" is either going to rock or suck, but it's still hard to tell which; and "Jupiter Ascending" looks like the Wachowskis are attempting something completely ambitious, visually speaking.
Goods:
* More world-building: Middle Earth is... well, it's epically gorgeous, of course, but the more I see of it in these movies, the more that I feel like it's a real place, one that I could visit. (Yes, I know I can visit New Zealand.) The fictional world feels very real, and this was largely due to all the beautiful wood and ice textures we saw in this movie.
* I don't care that she's been added in, I LIKE Tauriel. I like seeing someone being just as kickass as Legolas (whose entire character arc, as I observed previously, could be summarized as, "But *I'M* the prettiest! *pouts* Oh, wait, orcs? EW. I'll take out my issues on them!".) I didn't even mind the romance subplot, although it got a little cheesy towards the end. I'm trying to get a handle on why I like her so much, and I think it's because she's how I idealized my initial D&D characters when I was first getting into the game in JHS. Leather armor, arrows, super dexterity... yeah, that was pretty much my wishful thinking vision of myself back then.
*Smaug was perfect. I would have liked just a smidgen more dialogue between him and Bilbo, but it was a pretty talky movie already, and Cumerbatch was perfect in almost every respect. And, as usual, Martin Freeman was fantastic.
* The sequence with Beorn, although brief, was almost exactly how I pictured it as a child, listening to my Dad reading me the story. :)
Bads:
* I thought the bit with the arkenstone was overdone. YES, we get it, Thorin needs a symbol of leadership, and YES, we know that Bilbo has to find it, but OMG, can we stop talking about it now, please?
* Those mofo spiders were... UGH. They came so close to pushing all my bad buttons, and when one leapt into the frame, I nearly died.
* How many goddamn orcs are there? I could never keep track, and they just kept coming and coming.
Snarks:
* My mental title of this movie, as of about halfway through, was, "The Hobbit: Everything's Coming Up Arrows!"
In non-spoilery bits:
* Did anyone see it in 3D? I think there were a few sequences that might have been made more exciting with that, but I'd love to hear what you thought of it.
* How does everyone pronounce Smaug? My Dad, when reading it aloud to me, always pronounced it as "Smog," but all the actors had a thing with "SmOWgh" going on. Other than my Dad ironically referencing the annoying pollution problem, was he totally off the mark? :S
* We shelled out for Arclight again (*sighs*), at a 21-and-over showing. I still think movie chains that encourage alcohol consumption are missing out on potential merchandising profit by not offering drinks that are relevant to the movies being shown. For example, I would have bought mead at a Hobbit showing, or I would buy a martini at a James Bond showing, etc. etc. But it was the same old liquor, and overpriced at that.
* In the trailer park: Christopher Nolan's new project is inscrutable, other than using stock historical footage; "Edge of Tomorrow"/"All You Need is Kill" is either going to rock or suck, but it's still hard to tell which; and "Jupiter Ascending" looks like the Wachowskis are attempting something completely ambitious, visually speaking.