Desolation of Smaug reviews

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I doubt this will give warm and fuzzies, but I'll post it anyway. Tweet from a director named Jeff Wadlow (I've never heard of him):

Smaug is FANTASTIC. The story will never surpass LOTR, but 3 sequences in this one eclipse anything in the other 4 movies! BAD. ASS.

[Smaug's voice]

I doubt this will give warm and fuzzies, but I'll post it anyway. Tweet from a director named Jeff Wadlow (I've never heard of him):

Smaug is FANTASTIC. The story will never surpass LOTR, but 3 sequences in this one eclipse anything in the other 4 movies! BAD. ASS.

On Jeff Wadlow:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Wadlow

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Yeah, I looked him up.

I'll think I'll go watch CumberSmaug's interview at TORN again, just to remind me that this isn't just an action/adventure movie.

[Dave_LF]

It's interesting how so many people are saying these films could never match LotR as though that were established fact. Has the previous trilogy already been sainted?

[Elentári]

It's interesting how so many people are saying these films could never match LotR as though that were established fact. Has the previous trilogy already been sainted?

Obviously , though one couldn't really say it was "canon"-ized!

LotR truly was ground-breaking in that it took fantasy at a time when it wasn't a fashionable genre for film and showed that it could be believable, real-looking, mainstream entertainment.

With TH, however, it's like, now that fantasy is cool again, we can celebrate the fantastical, push it to the max and not have to worry about reality. This computer-generated look might have worked for a standalone adaption of the book, but to me it's somewhat of a backwards step - especially when PJ professes to be trying to make a seamless transition between trilogies.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Here is someone who is either unaware of or disregarding the embargo:

http://ripemovies.com/review/2013/the-h ... -of-smaug/

Mostly positive, but lukewarm mostly because he seems disappointed with the cliffhanger ending. And utterly horrible writing.

[Smaug's voice]

The writing seems so laughably bad that I seriously started questioning the reviewer's credibility.
Though I do think the cliffhanger ending, whatever it is, could be a major issue among critics.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

From the Executive Editor of the Hollywood Reporter, who gave AUJ a poor review:

There's an action sequence in the new #Hobbit movie that might be the most amazing I've ever seen.

Peter Jackson apparently has been watching Game of Thrones. New #Hobbit movie much more violent than first. (In a good way.)

https://twitter.com/THRMattBelloni

[Dave_LF]

Here is someone who is either unaware of or disregarding the embargo:

Well, it appears to have been written by a computer algorithm, and I don't think they're yet legal persons to whom gag orders can apply.

(at first I thought you were saying the reviewer was disappointed with the utterly horrible writing in the film)

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I could see why you would think that. My criticism of their writing was pretty bad writing.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

A TORN member called dcole4 claims to have seen it. He loved AUJ, but is disappointed with DoS. Interestingly, his biggest complaint is with the barrel scene, which has almost universally been singled out for praise by others who have seen it. My gut feeling is that he is telling the truth about seeing it, but I'm not 100% sure. I take his comments with a grain of salt.

[Dave_LF]

Hidden text.

Bombur rolls on land like a bowling ball, knocks over orcs like pins, launches off a rock onto the other side of the river, rolls over more orcs and then stands upright, rips his arms through the barrel and begins fighting on land with a Ninja stance, using the barrel as a coat of armor while he wields two axes.

Sounds plausible enough to me!

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Sounds great to me. Bring it on!

Very little of what he said is bothersome to me. I'm sure there will be things that I don't like, but I doubt they will be the ones that he doesn't (other than

Hidden text.

the Tauriel healing scene being like Arwen

). I must admit to experiencing a bit of guilty pleasure at looking at the explosion of angst over there.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

More positive tweets, from Erik Davis, managing editor of movies.com

https://twitter.com/ErikDavis

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Another one from someone named Borys Kit:

DESOLATION OF SMAUG is what the 1st Hobbit should have been. Rollicking fun. Also has possibly the best action sequence of the year.

Erik Davis said that too (about the action sequence).

[Smaug's voice]

My anticipation is seriously dwindling now. :-(
More so after seeing the TORN thread.
It's not the CGI-complaints by that person I am worried about. But it's the constant reference to action by him and tweeters alike. I was more hyped about even AUJ than now!

[Voronwë the Faithful]

One word: Smaug

And a lot of other stuff too. I recommend that you watch Benedict Cumberbatch's interview at TORN if you have not already done so. No spoilers, but it will definitely ramp up your anticipation level.

Plus this: this will be a better film than AUJ. I guarantee it. You can take it to the bank.

[Passdagas the Brown]

A TORN member called dcole4 claims to have seen it. He loved AUJ, but is disappointed with DoS. Interestingly, his biggest complaint is with the barrel scene, which has almost universally been singled out for praise by others who have seen it. My gut feeling is that he is telling the truth about seeing it, but I'm not 100% sure. I take his comments with a grain of salt.

A lot of reviewers praised the Goblintown sequence too...

I'm quite sure DOS is going to be awful. The descriptions of the barrel sequence alone sound like the worst of my worst nightmares about these films. Pirates of the Caribbean in Middle Earth, basically. Critics may prefer that - consistent with the popularly-held view that fantasy is best when it's silly - but I've lost all excitement about these films.

[Passdagas the Brown]

Sounds great to me. Bring it on!

Very little of what he said is bothersome to me. I'm sure there will be things that I don't like, but I doubt they will be the ones that he doesn't (other than

Hidden text.

the Tauriel healing scene being like Arwen

). I must admit to experiencing a bit of guilty pleasure at looking at the explosion of angst over there.

I understand that tastes differ, but I'm curious. What about that description of the barrel sequence is "great?"

ETA: This Erik Davis guy states that the first film (AUJ) had "stronger emotions."

Can that be possible? The theatrical AUJ was one of the most emotionally vacant films I can remember watching in the past five years.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I saw a film just last week that I found to be more emotionally vacant than AUJ.