[Suzerain of Sheol]

Originally Posted by Lawtan

Parts I would rather cut:
1) Smaug - too long. They actually made a brilliantly rendered dragon chase the dwarves for a large amount of time, during which the chase got boring, they spat completely on the laws of physics, and they turned the great Smaug into a Tom and Jerry routine...also, the great "I am Smaug/Barrel Rider" speaking was confused because they broke it up in the action scene.

Agreed. The plan was so contrived and unbelievable it just destroyed any tension at all. And being trapped inside a mountain could be damned scary if handled right.

2) The Graphics - at times they did wonderfully - better than LotR - but at other times...it looked terrible (Will say right now that I detest the White Ork...he looks like the Rankin Bass cartoon had a child with LotR)

Rankin Bass is a masterpiece compared to this movie. I just re-watched it the other day. Talk about the spirit of Tolkien.

3) Making every story arc a battle scene. The Hobbit is an adventure with action, yes, BUT it was just as much, if not moreso, a battle of Hobbit ingenuity against the general dangers of the world outside of the Shire.

Exactly. Bilbo is nothing but an addendum in this movie, which is really sad.

4) The Elf King - they made him a bland greedy cowardly fellow...with the power of an elf. I think that this character was done better in the Hobbit cartoon...and that one looks like a Drow mixed with a frog.

From the "prequel to the LotR movies" aspect, I didn't mind him as much. I could really take or leave the parts of the book that are so out there compared to the rest of Tolkien's mythos.

5) They extended several scenes ridiculously, and erased others. What of the race of great birds who would call the other dwarves to help? What of the treacherous waters that put any who drank it to sleep? Replaced with a slapstick battle between Legolas, Tauriel, the orcs, and the dwarves tumbling down the river (from whitewater experience, no, Bilbo should not have been able to hang on.

Oh, but you see the magical Silmaril I mean Arkenstone, has the power to compel the dwarves into the service of it's owner! Did... did Peter Jackson not think of the implications of this? 1, it's mind-rape and enslavement. 2, that thing is more powerful than the Ring in evil hands.

I did miss the enchanted river a lot.

And the less said about the Disneyland ride, the better.

6) They made this story about Thorin, not the Hobbit - and Thorin doesn't really develop until he is betrayed by Bilbo (in order to avert war) and forced by the Orcs to ally with men and elves. Overall, you could say a strong moral of the Hobbit would be "get out of your comfort zone"

Exactly.

7) Spider scene was disappointing - they really had to focus on the ring rather than Bilbo becoming a cocky warrior singing "Attercop"

Again, didn't mind it as much in the prequel to LotR sense.

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Things I liked about it:
1) Expanding the "captured by woodelves" scene - it succeeded in making the Dwarven-Elven relations understandable.

But did they really expand it? It felt like they were captured for all of an hour!

2) The Inclusion of Beorn - points for that.

Beorn was a token gesture and nothing more. No points for that! None, I say!

3) The Romance - If they played their cards right, this could be like Gimli and Galadriel - becoming loyal/trusted friends. I doubt that they will come third movie, but that is what I'd like to see - a generally pure-hearted she-elf helping where she saw good people, and inciting the jealousy of Legolas (giving him a character flaw rather than being Legolas-god)

Get out. :|

If that was what this had been, I could live with it. It so, soooooo wasn't though. Galadriel didn't go running off into the wild like Bella Swan when she heard orcs were attacking Gimli's party. :|

4) The Graphics - as said, when they got it good, it was superb - the lair of the Necromancer was splendid (and the execution, in my opinion), Smaug is now likely the best movie dragon yet, the golden halls were nice, as was the inside of Mirkwood.

Point. Though I found the design of Mirkwoodd bizarre. How do the elves travel it?

5) Bard - I liked the idea of having a Pirates of the Caribbean actor as Bard. Also, they did the background story decently, and Bard is a nice character. I just wish they expanded it out more. In the Hobbit, the Dwarves spent time in the city. They also camped out near the hidden door. I'd have liked to see some of that.

Okay on it's own, but the stupidity with the Black Arrow and the contrived conflict between him and the Master that eats up an hour of screen time ruins it.

6) Linking the Hobbit to the LotR - Including Legolas and the music for the Ring are good pluses

Well, it was good in theory. They messed up royally in almost every way possible. The entire subplot with the Nazgul is just SPECIAL for how magnificently stupid it is.
Evaluation - I do want an hour of the time back, but I don't regret seeing it. Rate: 54/100

A respectable assessment. Though I'd be hard-pressed to give it a 20/100. :P

Comments in bold.