in the hall of the mountain king
So i've seen this twice now! I saw it with my family when it came out, and then my younger brother was in town for Christmas and hadn't seen it yet so we went and saw it with him. I hadn't really felt the need to see it twice in the theater, but i liked it well enough and it's grown on me. I think maybe i enjoyed it a little more the second time but it also felt EVEN LONGER and i was sort of drifting off in the middle hour.
I guess it never fails that no matter the quality of something, if it's at all involved in a franchise i have a previous affinity for, it will get me back into that franchise and dredge up all my old feelings. Therefore, SUDDENLY: LOTR FEELINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Middle-Earth is just so neat and i like swords and trees and wizardry and fantasy shit and hobbit holes and QUESTS FOR TREASURE WHEEEEEEEEEEEE. Really all it takes is a little nudge for me to get into that type of fantasy stuff again, and i just started playing Skyrim and i rewatched Brave (similar aesthetic vein!) and i'm building the Bag End LEGO set i got for Christmas (IT'S SO CUTE AAAAHHHHH) and i finally started reading The Silmarillion, so... yeah... that's where my head is at right now.
Anyway the movie was really long but it was also really pretty. I saw it in 48 FPS both times because nerd stuff u kno, and the only parts that were weird were fast camera moves and more action-y parts, obviously just because you're so used to seeing motion blur. Honestly i barely even noticed it the second time around. But i didn't think it looked cheap at all, if anything it looked way better than the original LOTR movies because it didn't have any weirdly shitty effects or even crappy lighting moments (they're beautiful movies, but they also have a bunch of stuff that has always bugged the shit out of me. this post kind of sums it up, but i'm the kind of person who is even annoyed by shit like digitally-added light sources not properly casting light -- like Gandalf's staff when they enter Moria -- so i was really extra delighted in this by the light from Sting actually being real when Bilbo is down in the goblin caves. hahaha my life is so sad). The only part i really don't like is Smaug's attack, that's the only major thing that looks cheap and dumb to me and i think some of that is PJ's direction because he has a tendency to do annoyingly cheesy camera moves, and the Dale sets/costuming look pretty crappy.
I loooooooove that first shot inside Erebor, all the green and gold is so so pretty and so unlike all the other LOTR settings we've seen.
I didn't like that they shoehorned in Frodo, even though it was cute that it was the same day that Fellowship starts. It's just like UGH YEAH I KNOW, FAMILIAR CHARACTERS. It's not like people are gonna be unable to care without all the main characters from LOTR hanging around, and it just seems so fanservicey. At least Galadriel and Saruman make sense to shove in there where they weren't before. And okay i'm kind of excited to see Legolas again because I SPENT A LOT OF TIME OBSESSED WITH LEGOLAS, I'M SORRY. But, ugh. Fanservice.
I haaaaated Radagast, even moreso upon rewatch, but i did like the brief Necromancer bit.
When they got to Rivendell i suddenly remembered that Evangeline Lilly is supposed to show up as an elf at some point, but apparently not in this movie. (thanks to spoilery LEGO sets i now know that'll be in the next movie!) I hope she's a CRIMINAL ELF and feels morally conflicted about it! :) I miss Kate. :( No but seriously she's gonna be one of the wood elves and i bet the whole reason she was cast was for tree-climbing oh boy oh boy oh boy i'm excited
LOL BRET MCKENZIE LOL
Riddles in the Dark was far and away the best part of the whole thing. Gollum is so entertaining, it's like i always forget how legitimately hilarious he is until i'm watching him again and then i'm like OH RIGHT ANDY SERKIS AS GOLLUM IS LEGIT THE GREATEST. "WE HATES IT FOREVERRRRRRRR!"
Man i imagined Thorin as WAY OLDER in the book for whatever reason so for him to be ~sexy brooding romantic hero~ Richard Armitage is weird but NOT UNWELCOME because daaaang Thorin, lookin' good. He is really the dreamiest and i got even more into him upon the second viewing and his voice is so nice whether he's singing (!!!!) or speaking and uggghhhhhhh
Okay my other favorite part was the shot of Smaug's eye at the end, THAT WAS SO COOL, SO EXCITED FOR SMAUG, DAAAAANG IT. This and Game of Thrones really get off on withholding dragons.
The elf styling does a great job of making Lee Pace unattractive, hahahaaaaa >:( But that moose/elk was fucking amazing. WHO FUCKING RIDES A MOOSE? FUCKING THRANDUIL
The dwarf songs are sooooo gooooooood, and the Song of the Lonely Mountain has been stuck in my head for days now. Like i went to the bank today and in my head it's just "we must awayyyyyyy ere break of daaayyyy to find our looooonnnnggg forgotten gooooooold"
I think my fav dwarves are Balin and Bofur... and Fili and Kili... and Thorin obvs....... basically any time they're all BROS is my favorite
Martin Freeman was exactly as delightful as expected! Such a perfect Bilbo, jeez.
My main criticism -- which has lessened a bit because i've gotten into such a Tolkien mood now -- is that i wasn't really excited going into this because The Hobbit is not LOTR but they're trying to make it LOTR and stretching it out to 3 movies is a terrible awful no good very bad idea. And lo and behold, it was way too long and bloated while only being a third of the story! The Hobbit isn't SUPPOSED to be as dense as LOTR and all this is allowing them to do is make a really ploddingly thorough and soulless adaptation of a kids' story that is 90% songs and talking animals. ...And yet i still really enjoyed being immersed in that universe again? UGH!
I'm really excited for Beorn?!??! Like he's one of my fav parts of the book because the dude is a fucking actual bear THAT IS SO GREAT. So yeah, most anticipated upcoming stuff: Beorn, Smaug, Legolas, Evangeline Lilly, Thranduil being ridiculous, more dwarf pallin' around! Least anticipated stuff: oh nooooo i care too much about dwarves who are gonna die :(
I am still really delighted by the Tron fic that hariboo recently wrote for me as part of her fandom advent calendar. As much as i have NEVER STOPPED THINKING ABOUT TRON since it took over my life two years ago, this is the time of year i associate most with it since this is when Legacy came out (much like i will always associate LOTR with Christmastime!). It makes me all wistful and junk. Sigh.
I guess it never fails that no matter the quality of something, if it's at all involved in a franchise i have a previous affinity for, it will get me back into that franchise and dredge up all my old feelings. Therefore, SUDDENLY: LOTR FEELINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Middle-Earth is just so neat and i like swords and trees and wizardry and fantasy shit and hobbit holes and QUESTS FOR TREASURE WHEEEEEEEEEEEE. Really all it takes is a little nudge for me to get into that type of fantasy stuff again, and i just started playing Skyrim and i rewatched Brave (similar aesthetic vein!) and i'm building the Bag End LEGO set i got for Christmas (IT'S SO CUTE AAAAHHHHH) and i finally started reading The Silmarillion, so... yeah... that's where my head is at right now.
Anyway the movie was really long but it was also really pretty. I saw it in 48 FPS both times because nerd stuff u kno, and the only parts that were weird were fast camera moves and more action-y parts, obviously just because you're so used to seeing motion blur. Honestly i barely even noticed it the second time around. But i didn't think it looked cheap at all, if anything it looked way better than the original LOTR movies because it didn't have any weirdly shitty effects or even crappy lighting moments (they're beautiful movies, but they also have a bunch of stuff that has always bugged the shit out of me. this post kind of sums it up, but i'm the kind of person who is even annoyed by shit like digitally-added light sources not properly casting light -- like Gandalf's staff when they enter Moria -- so i was really extra delighted in this by the light from Sting actually being real when Bilbo is down in the goblin caves. hahaha my life is so sad). The only part i really don't like is Smaug's attack, that's the only major thing that looks cheap and dumb to me and i think some of that is PJ's direction because he has a tendency to do annoyingly cheesy camera moves, and the Dale sets/costuming look pretty crappy.
I loooooooove that first shot inside Erebor, all the green and gold is so so pretty and so unlike all the other LOTR settings we've seen.
I didn't like that they shoehorned in Frodo, even though it was cute that it was the same day that Fellowship starts. It's just like UGH YEAH I KNOW, FAMILIAR CHARACTERS. It's not like people are gonna be unable to care without all the main characters from LOTR hanging around, and it just seems so fanservicey. At least Galadriel and Saruman make sense to shove in there where they weren't before. And okay i'm kind of excited to see Legolas again because I SPENT A LOT OF TIME OBSESSED WITH LEGOLAS, I'M SORRY. But, ugh. Fanservice.
I haaaaated Radagast, even moreso upon rewatch, but i did like the brief Necromancer bit.
When they got to Rivendell i suddenly remembered that Evangeline Lilly is supposed to show up as an elf at some point, but apparently not in this movie. (thanks to spoilery LEGO sets i now know that'll be in the next movie!) I hope she's a CRIMINAL ELF and feels morally conflicted about it! :) I miss Kate. :( No but seriously she's gonna be one of the wood elves and i bet the whole reason she was cast was for tree-climbing oh boy oh boy oh boy i'm excited
LOL BRET MCKENZIE LOL
Riddles in the Dark was far and away the best part of the whole thing. Gollum is so entertaining, it's like i always forget how legitimately hilarious he is until i'm watching him again and then i'm like OH RIGHT ANDY SERKIS AS GOLLUM IS LEGIT THE GREATEST. "WE HATES IT FOREVERRRRRRRR!"
Man i imagined Thorin as WAY OLDER in the book for whatever reason so for him to be ~sexy brooding romantic hero~ Richard Armitage is weird but NOT UNWELCOME because daaaang Thorin, lookin' good. He is really the dreamiest and i got even more into him upon the second viewing and his voice is so nice whether he's singing (!!!!) or speaking and uggghhhhhhh
Okay my other favorite part was the shot of Smaug's eye at the end, THAT WAS SO COOL, SO EXCITED FOR SMAUG, DAAAAANG IT. This and Game of Thrones really get off on withholding dragons.
The elf styling does a great job of making Lee Pace unattractive, hahahaaaaa >:( But that moose/elk was fucking amazing. WHO FUCKING RIDES A MOOSE? FUCKING THRANDUIL
The dwarf songs are sooooo gooooooood, and the Song of the Lonely Mountain has been stuck in my head for days now. Like i went to the bank today and in my head it's just "we must awayyyyyyy ere break of daaayyyy to find our looooonnnnggg forgotten gooooooold"
I think my fav dwarves are Balin and Bofur... and Fili and Kili... and Thorin obvs....... basically any time they're all BROS is my favorite
Martin Freeman was exactly as delightful as expected! Such a perfect Bilbo, jeez.
My main criticism -- which has lessened a bit because i've gotten into such a Tolkien mood now -- is that i wasn't really excited going into this because The Hobbit is not LOTR but they're trying to make it LOTR and stretching it out to 3 movies is a terrible awful no good very bad idea. And lo and behold, it was way too long and bloated while only being a third of the story! The Hobbit isn't SUPPOSED to be as dense as LOTR and all this is allowing them to do is make a really ploddingly thorough and soulless adaptation of a kids' story that is 90% songs and talking animals. ...And yet i still really enjoyed being immersed in that universe again? UGH!
I'm really excited for Beorn?!??! Like he's one of my fav parts of the book because the dude is a fucking actual bear THAT IS SO GREAT. So yeah, most anticipated upcoming stuff: Beorn, Smaug, Legolas, Evangeline Lilly, Thranduil being ridiculous, more dwarf pallin' around! Least anticipated stuff: oh nooooo i care too much about dwarves who are gonna die :(
I am still really delighted by the Tron fic that hariboo recently wrote for me as part of her fandom advent calendar. As much as i have NEVER STOPPED THINKING ABOUT TRON since it took over my life two years ago, this is the time of year i associate most with it since this is when Legacy came out (much like i will always associate LOTR with Christmastime!). It makes me all wistful and junk. Sigh.