All the glorious moments

For discussion of the upcoming films based on The Hobbit and related material, as well as previous films based on Tolkien's work
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Smaug's voice
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All the glorious moments

Post by Smaug's voice »

Since people have finally seen (and some have yet to see) the complete trilogy, a thread to discuss the best segments and scenes from across all the three films?

So far with AUJ and DOS in the bag, the parts that I like the most are;

AUJ:
The entire first hour. Except for the inclusion of Frodo, I don't have a single quiff with how it all plays out. Not in the barest. I think all the critics who found those scenes boring, didn't really get the point of them. Not every scene in middle earth can be action-based, can it?

The Riddles. didn't like the intercutting, but that was Gollum at his best. I'd wish it was a bit longer though.

I like the Goblin King for the same reason I like Radagast, they add whimsy to the tale.

Unfortunately, I don't really like much of the rest of it, except for the Eagles, Azanulbizar and Bilbo's little chinwag with Bofur.

DOS (haven't seen the EE yet) :

Much to like.

Smaug of course.
I would even forgive the forges nonsense for the glimpse of a golden-Smaug had it not gone on for so long.

The initial part of Barrels.

Starlight.

The prophecy, Bard smuggling the dwarves under fish. Bard's characterization in general.

The confrontation with the Master, Thorin's promise.

Balin and co entering Erebor.

Riddles.

The Hall of the Dead.

Sauron.

The Golden statue, but not what precedes it.

The Healing scene.

(...nah, just joking ;) )
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Voronwë the Faithful
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Re: All the glorious moments

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

My list would be fairly similar to yours, SV. But I'll give it some thought.
The Healing scene.

(...nah, just joking ;) )
:rotfl:
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Re: All the glorious moments

Post by Dave_LF »

My list for the first two films would be:
The conversation between Balin and Thorin in Bag End after it appears they have lost their burglar
Bilbo realizing the dwarves have left without him
Gandalf's wager
Bofur telling Bilbo with his face what it's like to be homeless
The pity of Bilbo
Mountain pines in the moonlight (visual highlight)
A discussion of starlight
Bard's introduction
The prophesy
Entering the Mountain
Smaug the Golden
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Voronwë the Faithful
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Re: All the glorious moments

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

All of those, too!

I also really love both of the extended scenes with Beorn.
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Re: All the glorious moments

Post by Alatar »

I hate to be the killjoy, but I actually like the healing scene! Go figure.
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Re: All the glorious moments

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

I certainly don't dislike it the way many do. I like aspects of it. But I know how much SV hates it, hence my laughter.

I have changed my avatar and signature in honor of this thread. :)
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Re: All the glorious moments

Post by Passdagas the Brown »

I've just decided that the healing scene doesn't exist. Life's easier that way.
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Re: All the glorious moments

Post by Tyrhael »

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Last edited by Tyrhael on Wed Dec 17, 2014 7:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: All the glorious moments

Post by Elentári »

Passdagas the Brown wrote:I've just decided that the healing scene doesn't exist. Life's easier that way.

Healing scene......what heailng scene??? ;)


Moving on, these would be my most glorious moments from all 3 films...

AUJ:

Bag End: The Misty Mountains song and Bilbo waking up the next morning...
Bilbo and Bofur conversation in the cave about home...
Riddles in the Dark...
Gandalf's appearance in Goblin Town...
The Eagles flight...

DOS:

Beorn, particularly the extended sequence...
Entrance into Mirkwood realm and the revelation of Thranduil...
Bilbo and the barrel escape part in the cellars...
okay, the starlight conversation was all right but purely the dialogue...
Bard and the tapestry, reciting the prophecy...
Inside information...

BotFA:

Whole of the opening destruction of Smaug sequence, especially the Bard and Bain moment...
Bilbo and Thorin with the acorn...
Thranduil when Tauriel accuses him of having no love in him... (heartbreaking!)
Thorin and Dwalin scene in the depth of Thorin's madness...
Thorin's final words to Bilbo...

Oh, and Dain - he was just...fun!
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Re: All the glorious moments

Post by Passdagas the Brown »

I also loved Dain. Would have been nice if it was actually Billy Connolly in most of his scenes, but his obvious Scottishness just made me smile.
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Re: All the glorious moments

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

One more for me would be the white stag!
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
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Re: All the glorious moments

Post by Passdagas the Brown »

Tyrhael wrote:
Passdagas the Brown wrote:I've just decided that the healing scene doesn't exist. Life's easier that way.
Sorry to go off-topic a bit, but are you familiar with the healing scenes in Boorman and Pallenberg's LotR script? ;)
Aragon’s [sic] battlefield healing of Éowyn is so blatantly sexual it’s not surprising Boorman marries them immediately. [...] After the destruction of the Ringwraiths at the Fords of Bruinen, Frodo is carried into the sparkling palace of Rivendell, where in a vast amphitheatre full of chanting elves he is laid naked on a crystal table and covered with green leaves. A thirteen-year-old Arwen surgically removes the Morgul-blade fragment from his shoulder with a red-hot knife under the threatening axe of Gimli
... =:)
Haha! Frankly, I would have rather seen that insanity than the Hallmark commercial PJ gave us with Arwen's blubbering, and that odd fade to white. A completely mad set of LOTR and Hobbit films would have been preferable to the mediocrity we got. DOS being an exception. I genuinely believe that it's a good film.
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Re: All the glorious moments

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

It probably would be better if you kept your snark out of a thread entitled "all the glorious moments".
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
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Re: All the glorious moments

Post by Elentári »

Voronwë the Faithful wrote:One more for me would be the white stag!

Ooh, yes, that was sublime! :)
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Re: All the glorious moments

Post by Passdagas the Brown »

AUJ:

Good morning!
The Misty Mountains song. One of the best moments across all six films
The prologue.
Most of Bag End/ dwarf party.
Bilbo's feeling of emptiness and opportunity lost in the morning (one of the best scenes across all six films, IMO). I actually prefer this version to the book version of Gandalf forcing him out the door! A rare thing for me...
The Battle of Azanulbizar flashback. The Azog/Thorin fight in this flashback is better than any fights before or after.
Most of the riddle game (though I was put off by the lighting...)
The eagles. Particularly their flight amid a rising sun.
The flight of the thrush - great ending.

DOS:

Prologue.
Beorn, Beorn, Beorn. Especially his transformation, prowling in the mist, and EE scenes.
The white stag.
The spiders
The gate into Thranduil's hill (for some reason, that door is one of my favorite designs in the films).
Feast of Starlight (PJ and co. can be really good when they get mystical).
Rowing along the icy (and foggy) Long Lake.
Laketown in general.
Bard's recitation of the prophecy (songs and prophecies are one of the things missing from BOFA).
The thrush before the overlook.
Gandalf vs. Sauron.
Thorin and Balin enter the back door (one of my favorite scenes in cinema, and one of the few moments across all six films that bring tears to my eyes).
The first part of Bilbo's search for the Arkenstone, and his face-off with Smaug.
The scene among the dead dwarves in Erebor.
The golden dwarf statue.
"What have we done?"

BOFA:

Smaug bites the dust.
The ravens return!
The smoky ruins of Laketown on that glorious blue lake.
Bilbo, Thorin and the acorn.
Both of Bilbo's and Balin's scenes.
Thorin's final words with Bilbo.
Thranduil on his staf (in profile) as his army marches past.
The raven heralding Dain's arrival.
The entire journey back - particularly Bilbo in an empty Bag End. Perfect, and much better and more mature, IMO, than the ending of ROTK.
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Re: All the glorious moments

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

Much better. :)

One more for me would be Gandalf's arrival in the Goblin cave. Perfect.

And I watched the riddle game today for the first time in a long while, and really loved it.
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
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Re: All the glorious moments

Post by Helm Hammerhand »

AUJ:

Prologue - "And he never forgave, and he never forgot." :bow:
Good morning dialogue
Misty Mountains Song
Azanulbizar
Bunny sled - just kidding but I actually though it was very entertaining :whistle:
First meeting of the White Council
Helicopter shot of the company after leaving Rivendell with the Misty Mountains theme blasting - such a shame that it never made a comeback after AUJ
Bilbo and Bofur scene
Riddles in the dark
Bilbo earning the dwarves' respect after returning from the goblin tunnels
Eagles
Manly hugs
Thrush

DOS:

Beorn - haven't seen the extended edition yet but from what I've been reading from you guys I'm really excited
Strong introductions of both Thranduil and Bard
Gandalf's fight with Sauron
The dwarves entering Erebor
Smaug/Bilbo
"I am fire, I am death."

BotFA:

Smaug's demise
Dol Guldur
Thorin's decline into madness
Acorn scene/Bilbo and Balin/Dwalin and Thorin - pretty much everything inside Erebor was exceptionally well done
Bilbo delivering the Arkenstone to Thranduil and Bard
Dain's arrival
Thorin's last words to Bilbo :cry:
Bilbo's farewell to the dwarves
Bilbo's return to the shire

After having seen BotFA for the second time yesterday - which made the movie so much better for me - I can honestly say that my cineastic journey to Middle Earth has come to an end even though I'll probably do a third screening and I have not seen any of the EEs. Thus, I'd also like to give some sort of personal conclusion of the Hobbit trilogy:
All in all, they never quite reached the monumental scale of its predecessor for which there are many reasons: Firstly, the novel of course is quite different from LotR so it was probably bound to not be on the same level. Secondly, I have simply grown 13 years older since FotR and nothing will ever compare to the mind-boggling thrill ride that was my first viewing of The Lord of the Rings. However, even when casting all these circumstances aside the Hobbit did not inspire me as much as LotR did for various reasons such as stretching the story, failing to flesh out certain characters and adding a bit too much goofiness.
Yet, the trilogy still offered so much that made me grateful that it was created: An exceptional Martin Freeman as Bilbo who without no doubt delivered the best performance of all the hobbits in the entire six films or once again Ian McKellen as Gandalf - always a pleasure. But most of all certain scenes - for me at least - brought the book perfectly to the big screen, be it Riddles in the Dark, Smaug or Thorin's death. So, in conclusion, the Hobbit films could have been much better but boy, am I glad they were made and that I had the chance to once again enter Middle Earth through the cinema screen. In no way were they a 'Star Wars prequel' trilogy. :horse:

PS: Sorry for the slightly confusing writing style - I'm dead tired and finding words is hard :D
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Re: All the glorious moments

Post by Smaug's voice »

I feel like I have to watch it again to enlist all the stuff I like.
For the time being, Bilbo's final parting and Bilbo in Thranduil's tent are my favorite scenes from the film.
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Re: All the glorious moments

Post by yovargas »

Even though it was so short and slight that the whole sideplot ultimately felt highly unnecessary to me, I must say I really, really liked the fight at Dol Goldur. I think I could watch a whole movie consisting of nothing but Galadriel kicking arse. :horse:

eta:

Replace River Tam with Galadriel and I'm in. :D

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Re: All the glorious moments

Post by Passdagas the Brown »

Gandalf's appearance in Goblin Town...
I like that scene. But only because Gandalf uses his "dispel artificial lighting" spell.
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