The Hobbit 2: The Legend of Curly's Gold (Off-Topic)

by CaneCutter , Alabama, Monday, December 16, 2013, 16:57 (3998 days ago) @ ncsuDuncan

Anyone else watch The Desolation of Smaug this weekend?

I thought the quick first-person shots during the barrel ride felt really out of place. I'm not sure about the added romance subplot, though any excuse to have Evangeline Lilly onscreen is okay with me. Half expected to hear Dream Weaver during one scene though.

Smaug was gorgeous! I was really impressed with the dragon's design and animation.

Pretty pleased overall. Granted, it's been ten years since I read the book, so I might not be the best judge of its worth as an adaptation.

FYI, I haven't read the book in a long, long time, so I'm viewing these movies as if I've never read it. The GF, on the other hand, was shaking her head at the liberties taken throughout the movie.

Overall, I was entertained by the movie and quite enjoyed it. However, the fight scenes' CGI was terrible. It looked cheap and outdated. I'm assuming this is because they were meant to be viewed in 3D and when viewed in 2D, they looked off. I'm the kind of guy who can suspend his disbelief easily, but the whole time they were fighting down the river I was like "That's fake. That's fake. The CGI looked better in the original trilogy!" BUT the Smaug CGI was excellent and makes me scratch my head at the aforementioned CGI.

For me (much like the first movie) the stuff with Bilbo and Smaug (or Golem) was the highlight of the movie. Smaug's CGI was really well done, and Cumberbatch did an excellent job. I'd watch it again just for those scenes. I didn't really get the Dwarf/Elf romance. Could've done without that.

And yeah, I groaned at the ending. I was looking for a controller to throw. LOL But with all that said, it was fun and I'll probably watch it again. I really liked the Smaug/Bilbo scenes.

- CC