Fan Thread: Ken Stott's Balin

[Passdagas the Brown]

Hands down, his character is what I am most looking forward to for the next two films. For a few reasons.

1. Along with McKellen and Freeman, Stott is the best actor in the film.
2. Balin is possibly the most sympathetic character of the whole lot. An old campaigner - experienced and tough - but kindly and fair.
3. I like his look. He is a comforting, bearded dwarven presence amidst a sea of some pretty odd and somewhat plasticine-looking dwarves. I would have given him a mustache, but no big deal.
4. He looks like my older brother.

Discuss.

[sinister71]

I have to agree. Balin is one of the few dwarfs that is a whole character. The look, the demeanor, everything. IMO as an actor Stott gets it. He knows what Balin was from the book. With his delivery of lines like "his name... is Bilbo" I have complete confidence in him and the character. Not so much in characters like Kili and Fili. But IMO Balin is spot on.

And I have to admit though I'm not a huge fan, Armitage has done a great job bringing Thorin to life. I feel he is doing the best he can with the material given to him. Although Thorin could use a longer beard and I don't buy Armitage saying it was in reverence to the singed beards when Smaug came. But whatever helps him deal with the character

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Definitely very high on my list of what I am looking forward to. However, I would add both Armitage and Cumberbatch to the list of excellent actors whose performances I am looking forward to (Blanchett is a suburb actress, but I don't really expect too much from Galadriel in these films). I am particularly looking forward to the tension between Thorin and Balin over Thorin's treatment of Bilbo, a glimpse of which we see in the trailer, and to Armitage's take on Thorin's dragon sickness (hopefully it will be handled more deftly than Denethor's madness in ROTK!). And I have been excited about Cumberbatch as Smaug from the moment I heard that he had been cast in the role, and the little that we heard in the trailer really ramps that up. In addition, I was really impressed with Freeman's delivery of his line addressing Smaug, and I am hopeful that that confrontation will be as much of a highlight as it should be.

But yes, Stott is a real asset.

[sinister71]

VtF i have to agree about Cumberbatch and his portrayal of Smaug. I was thrilled to hear he was cast just for his voice. ever since seeing Sherlock i thought he was perfect. The right amount of arrogance, and intelligence mixed with something creepy hidden underneath.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

A wild card is Mikael Persbrandt’s Beorn. Reputedly, Persbrandt is an excellent actor, although I have absolutely no basis upon which to judge. I hope that his character is another one that we can look forward to, but I am very much wary of anticipating too much. I do like what I have seen of his house, but the glimpses that we have had of the character, mostly in bear form or perhaps in transition, are questionable.

But I'm definitely looking forward to Stott's Balin. And Cumberbatch's Smaug.

[Passdagas the Brown]

A wild card is Mikael Persbrandt’s Beorn. Reputedly, Persbrandt is an excellent actor, although I have absolutely no basis upon which to judge. I hope that his character is another one that we can look forward to, but I am very much wary of anticipating too much. I do like what I have seen of his house, but the glimpses that we have had of the character, mostly in bear form or perhaps in transition, are questionable.

But I'm definitely looking forward to Stott's Balin. And Cumberbatch's Smaug.

I have seen Persbrandt in three films, and he is electrifying. He has an old Norse "wildness in the eyes" sensibility about him, which should be more than appropriate for Beorn.

My fear, however, is that PJ has given him some ridiculous prosthetics and hair, and that this will hamper his performance. Hopefully he will over come that (as I believe Stott has overcome his own overdone prosthetics).

Lastly, I am also looking forward to Pace's Thranduil, and what Armitage is able to do with Thorin's arc. I thought Armitage was okay in AUJ, but PJ has drawn him as a very one-note, angsty teen, and I don't know if Armitage can transcend that.

[sinister71]

Not a fan of Beorn so far. I like Persbrandt as an actor though I have only seen him in one thing but like everyone else, I have my reservations esp since seeing the mulleted Sonic the hedgehog looking grainy picture. Being someone who has bear hunted, I find the bear form of Beorn (in motion at least) to honestly be terrible. I have never hunted a grizzly bear but a black bear has the same features just smaller. Beorn to me looks more like a dog than a bear. The picture with him coming thru the door screams dog. the snout is too pug, fur is too short, and a bears jowls do not move like that. small details that I find less than flattering. Hopefully Persbrandt can overcome the details Jackson has crippled him with (IMO) and give a great performance

Thranduil i can't wait to see what Pace does with the character. I can't hold him at fault for the dialogue, or what Thranduil does because Jackson wrote the script. But I'm sure his performance will be stellar. I have never seen anything badly acted that Pace has done.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Yes, I'm looking forward to Thranduil, as well.

I think we three can agree that there is a lot to look forward to, despite our varying degrees of trepidation about certain aspects.

[sinister71]

Yes, I'm looking forward to Thranduil, as well.

I think we three can agree that there is a lot to look forward to, despite our varying degrees of trepidation about certain aspects.

Agreed. I'm really hoping for more character driven scenes in this film instead of all the OTT action like AUJ.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Don't worry, there will be plenty of OTT action, too.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I split off the posts about Beorn

[Passdagas the Brown]

Don't worry, there will be plenty of OTT action, too.

We've already seen much of it!

Beorn encounter is being turned into action. Legolas will pull a Tarzan against the spiders of Mirkwood. There will be an orc attack on Thranduil's realm. The barrels scene is going to be an unholy mess of action, full of orcs, elves and bouncing ball barrels full of weapon-wielding dwarves. The arrival at Laketown will somehow feature another orc attack, and Legolas will be there to help dispatch them. Smaug's assault on the dwarves is going to feature heightened jumping away from fireballs action. Etc. etc.

If anyone is expecting significantly more character development, and far less OTT action, they best put their reality cap back on. AUJ was not, IMO, an anomaly.

Nonetheless, I do expect there to be a bit more meat on the bones of DoS than there was in AUJ. Which will either be a good thing, or a really bad thing.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Or both.

[Passdagas the Brown]

Or both.

A really good bad thing, or a really bad good thing?