Thoughts after watching DOS
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- Nibonto Aagun
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Thoughts after watching DOS
So I finally got around to watching DOS on the Tv, straight after December '13.
After a million presses on the rewind button, new thoughts;
1) Vastly better than AUJ. Both as an adaptation and as a film. But not on par with LotR. (as you all know I would say...)
2)I didn't like a lot of the first half. It has serious pacing issues with one chase following another. And it just feels incomplete, starting all of a sudden with a bear-chase. Elves at Mirkwood brought some long and welcome dialogues. And the prison chat with Kili is probably the second best scene in the first half (after, of course, Bilbo's "Ring-moment" in the spider-fight).
I am quite positive the EE will cure the pacing problems.
3)The barrel-sequence no longer works for me (it did at first) and is tiresome.
4)Evangeline Lilly totally wins in playing a female Elf. More refreshing and alive and Elvish than Cate Blanchett and Tyler. I just wish the love-triangle aspect was played down, as she herself said in an interview, that it's just one part of a character. It seriously undermines her character.
5)Thranduil, undeniably the best Elf ever portrayed. All the poetic lines in the film come from him.
6) I liked it before as well, and I did now too. Laketown is the best segment of the movie. It just feels lively and contains humane emotions. The set is simply gorgeous. Kudos to Del Toro.
7) I think Evans' Bard treads very close to Bernard Hill's Théoden and Sean Bean's Boromir. I look forward to him immensely in BOFA.
8)Loved the conversation with Smaug, yet again. I feared I would not.
9)Although on my first viewing I did not like it, but this time I liked the chase in Erebor!
The main problem here, I think, is of the direction. I was plain confused the first two times re; what they were doing, what was their plan, how did it work etc. It didn't help that it was intercut with the Laketown attack, making it even more muddy.
I hated the Thorin-on-a-wheel-barrow and Thorin-on-Smaug's-snout thingies though. But honestly are those any worse than burning-Parodenethor-jumping-off or Legolas-skateboarding-stairs/oliphaunt? Not to me.
After a million presses on the rewind button, new thoughts;
1) Vastly better than AUJ. Both as an adaptation and as a film. But not on par with LotR. (as you all know I would say...)
2)I didn't like a lot of the first half. It has serious pacing issues with one chase following another. And it just feels incomplete, starting all of a sudden with a bear-chase. Elves at Mirkwood brought some long and welcome dialogues. And the prison chat with Kili is probably the second best scene in the first half (after, of course, Bilbo's "Ring-moment" in the spider-fight).
I am quite positive the EE will cure the pacing problems.
3)The barrel-sequence no longer works for me (it did at first) and is tiresome.
4)Evangeline Lilly totally wins in playing a female Elf. More refreshing and alive and Elvish than Cate Blanchett and Tyler. I just wish the love-triangle aspect was played down, as she herself said in an interview, that it's just one part of a character. It seriously undermines her character.
5)Thranduil, undeniably the best Elf ever portrayed. All the poetic lines in the film come from him.
6) I liked it before as well, and I did now too. Laketown is the best segment of the movie. It just feels lively and contains humane emotions. The set is simply gorgeous. Kudos to Del Toro.
7) I think Evans' Bard treads very close to Bernard Hill's Théoden and Sean Bean's Boromir. I look forward to him immensely in BOFA.
8)Loved the conversation with Smaug, yet again. I feared I would not.
9)Although on my first viewing I did not like it, but this time I liked the chase in Erebor!
The main problem here, I think, is of the direction. I was plain confused the first two times re; what they were doing, what was their plan, how did it work etc. It didn't help that it was intercut with the Laketown attack, making it even more muddy.
I hated the Thorin-on-a-wheel-barrow and Thorin-on-Smaug's-snout thingies though. But honestly are those any worse than burning-Parodenethor-jumping-off or Legolas-skateboarding-stairs/oliphaunt? Not to me.
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Re: Thoughts after watching DOS
Thanks for sharing that, SV. I pretty much agree with everything you say, other than that I still enjoy the barrel-sequence.
"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."
- Smaug's voice
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Re: Thoughts after watching DOS
I kinda like your new profile pic!
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Re: Thoughts after watching DOS
"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."
Re: Thoughts after watching DOS
[aside] V, I like the avatar, too. Did you draw it yourself? Have you said anything about it anywhere? [/aside]
“Wilbur never forgot Charlotte. Although he loved her children and grandchildren dearly, none of the new spiders ever quite took her place in his heart. She was in a class by herself. It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.” E. B. White, who must have had vison in mind. There's a reason why we kept putting the extra i in her name in our minds!
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Re: Thoughts after watching DOS
No, it was drawn by a very fine young artist who also happens to post here.
"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."
Re: Thoughts after watching DOS
What do I win if my guess is right: Was it Smaug's voice?
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Re: Thoughts after watching DOS
You win a smile:
"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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- Smaug's voice
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Re: Thoughts after watching DOS
And regarding this thread,
I re-watched DOS again.
And my liking for the Smaug-chase is decreasing again. That's mostly due to the Thorin-on-wheelbarrow moment!
I re-watched DOS again.
And my liking for the Smaug-chase is decreasing again. That's mostly due to the Thorin-on-wheelbarrow moment!
Re: Thoughts after watching DOS
Yes. (At least the wheel barrow is.)I hated the Thorin-on-a-wheel-barrow and Thorin-on-Smaug's-snout thingies though. But honestly are those any worse than burning-Parodenethor-jumping-off or Legolas-skateboarding-stairs/oliphaunt?
I wanna love somebody but I don't know how
I wanna throw my body in the river and drown
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I wanna throw my body in the river and drown
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Re: Thoughts after watching DOS
As always, these types of things are a matter of opinion/taste. I don't like the Thorin on a wheelbarrow, but my dislike of it pales compared to my dislike of both the burning Denethor and particularly Legolas's take down of the Oliphant.
"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."
Re: Thoughts after watching DOS
But.....wheelbarrow.....on molten gold!
(I don't really get why people are bothered by Leggy's big superhero stunts.)
(I don't really get why people are bothered by Leggy's big superhero stunts.)
I wanna love somebody but I don't know how
I wanna throw my body in the river and drown
-The Decemberists
I wanna throw my body in the river and drown
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Re: Thoughts after watching DOS
Kewlness!yovargas wrote:But.....wheelbarrow.....on molten gold!
To me they are just eye-roll inducing. Although I admit I giggle at the one that probably bothers the most people, his jumping from Dwarven-head to Dwarven-head during Barrels out of Bond.(I don't really get why people are bothered by Leggy's big superhero stunts.)
"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: Thoughts after watching DOS
The dwarf-head hopping is the least problematic of the Legolas gymnastics, IMO. In fact, I thought his stunts on the Running River were the most entertaining across all five films. There's a real rhythm to that sequence that makes it all work for me (interrupted only by the awful ninja-barrel Bombur, which almost ruined it - it was flowing so well, like the river, until that moment ground it to a halt).
By the way, I love your new profile pic, SV. Is that a drawing of yours? If so, I think your artwork captures some of that primordial beauty that Tolkien taps into.
By the way, I love your new profile pic, SV. Is that a drawing of yours? If so, I think your artwork captures some of that primordial beauty that Tolkien taps into.
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Re: Thoughts after watching DOS
Húrin's Last Stand. And yes, it is his.
"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: Thoughts after watching DOS
Passdagas the Brown wrote:If so, I think your artwork captures some of that primordial beauty that Tolkien taps into.
I agree. I especially like that it shows the hero with a wiry strength instead of a bulky one.
I also like the understated monstrosity of his enemies.
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Re: Thoughts after watching DOS
Now that I need it, I see there's no blushing icon.
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Re: Thoughts after watching DOS
Matter of taste as V says.yovargas wrote:Yes. (At least the wheel barrow is.)I hated the Thorin-on-a-wheel-barrow and Thorin-on-Smaug's-snout thingies though. But honestly are those any worse than burning-Parodenethor-jumping-off or Legolas-skateboarding-stairs/oliphaunt?
For me, the Legolas antics at Pelennor and Helms' Deep ruin what are supposed to be very serious battles upon which ME's existence depends. It's not the fact that it is there, but how it was shown.
I admit, I like Legolas' stunts in DOS much better but I dislike the head-popping as well as the Laketown fights.
Denethor's death OTOH just stands out as a brief LOL moment in the battle, where his death should have been tragic. Not funny.
Thorin on a wheelbarrow on the other hand is a crazy thing in a plan that is supposed to be crazy. Kill a dragon on their own? I don't like that much craziness but it's atleast uniform.
ETA:
As an aside, I really dislike the fact that throughout the whole movie, everytime Kili is under danger Tauriel is her savior and no one else. Atleast 4 times. That's far too much luck on their side!
The irritance of course is elevated by the sudden burst of the "Tauriel theme" in the score whenever she pops up to save Kili.
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Re: Thoughts after watching DOS
There are emoji for that!