Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Trailer Review

Here is the review for the awesome new Desolation of Smaug trailer, and JT is back to offer his opinion as well in our usual rundown of trailers with HD screen caps. Wow, this trailer is amazing compared to all of the other trailers for either Hobbit film. The tone is darker and more epic, plus there will apparently be a few epic battles. Again the Elves are back, which is arguably just as much a good thing as it is bad. On one hand Elves are cool and Legolas is a fan-favorite, on the other the hand Elves could overshadow the other characters like Bilbo, Gandalf, and Thorin. However, I will give Peter Jackson the benefit of the doubt because he has done well so far. Now there is even more controversy over the addition of Tauriel's character now that she is obvious going to be a romantic interest for Legolas, as well as being an entirely new character not from Tolkien's lore. This change is somewhat similar to giving Arwen a larger role in the Lord of Rings, except Arwen was actually mentioned in the book. The original rumor is that Tauriel was going to be a romantic interest for Kíli or one of the other Dwarves, however that is either going to not happen or there will be some crazy awkward "love triangle" between the character, which I hope is not the case. Now, Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug sounds awesome! At first I could hardly tell it was Cumberbatch but after listening to it more, his distinct voice was clearly present. Also I really like the part when Bilbo starts to tell Gandalf what he could in the cave, and Gandalf is like "Good, you'll need it." For some reason the inflection in his voice reminded me more of his role as Magneto than Gandalf but it was still cool. As for my anticipation for the movie as a whole, I cannot wait to see it because I am certain it will be better than the first.

JT: By the looks of this trailer, Peter Jackson and crew would rather have us believe Tolkien wrote a story called Elves: The Forgotten Action Heroes (with cameos by New Zealand, A wandering crazy man and a troop of height-challenged guys with beards and huge appetites). But really, kidding aside, this is a very strong trailer for an action epic. If I had no clue what the story was, I would probably go see this movie and like it. However, since I am me and I do know what it's about, I have the usual purist reservations, although to a lesser degree than for the slapstick fumble that was the first one.

Things that are cool: All those random action scenes (basically the whole trailer)! Bilbo! Gandalf! Bard! Beorn! Smaug!

Things that are not cool: Eyebrow shots. Eyebrows that are not the same color as the hair above it; come on, people it's creepy to look at. romance, implied, assumed, imagined, or real. The Hobbit is not the sort of story that likes that kind of thing. Inventing characters, then telling us there would be no romance, then implying that there is, for no reason. Overdone Legolas beatdowns. Yes, it's going to be fun on the big screen, but believe it, shield- and elephant-trunk surfing have denied Orlando Bloom any future credibility as an action star, even in the same role.

JT: There is confusion on whether this Lake-Town, Dale, or Dol Goldur. For my part the question is who's in the boat and I doubt that Dol Goldur has that much water.

James: For some reason I really like Thorin's armor, it looks awesome with the red cape/cloak thing.
JT: I expect a suitably epic Howard Shore theme to accompany this shot.

James: Even more Legolas killing things, did someone forget that he is not the star of the film? Oh wait, he basically is.
JT: That's the problem right there. And no, he will never live down the surfing on the elephant trunk and the shield. Welcome to Legolas Lives: The action movie that should not be.

James: Other than the obvious fact that Tauriel is not mentioned by Legolas in the Lord of Rings, I wonder what dark secret she has that makes it so that Thranduil does not want her to give Legolas false hope.
JT: Can't help you there. The whole being an invented character business is really messing her up. The speculation is that she's simply not worthy to be making googly-eyes at the prince of Mirkwood.

James: Luke Evans as Bard the Bowman looks like he is a cool character, albeit one that still looks like the Pirates of the Caribbean version of Orlando Bloom.
JT: Did I tell you Bard is awesome? Even in his limited role, he's one of my favorite characters.

James: An army of darkness approaches, hopefully the battles in this and third film will be on par with that of the Lord of the Rings because the world needs an epic fantasy battle.
JT: You can have your movie-centric opinion (no offense intended) but actually, making this battle terribly big might just be annoying, since it's primarily just a throw-in to make the move three hours long.

 James: This is literally one of those blink-and-you-will-miss-it type shots with the Eye of Sauron.
JT: What in Middle-Earth is the flaming eyeball doing in the Hobbit movie? Blatant cross-references are not cool. To whom it may concern, the main Hobbit story has nothing whatsoever to do with Sauron, except that Gandalf engineered the quest in order to rob Sauron of the ability to destroy the north with a mind-controlled dragon. 

James: This scene has the type of humor that I like opposed to the slapstick kind that was a little overbearing in the first Hobbit film.
JT: Exactly my thoughts. And if Bilbo's line is "I found it" or words to that effect, this one of those key moments that's dropped in to make the fans cheer. In the story Bilbo claimed he had simply found it w/o mentioning Gollum until much later. But Gandalf knew he was lying and began to suspect that he had the master ring on him.

James: I hope no one has arachnophobia because there are going to be even more creepy spiders in the Hobbit than the Lord of the Rings. Plus, they actually look more anatomically than the Shelob from the Return of the King in that Shelob was more of a wasp hybrid wit the stinger on the tail.
JT: Bilbo is supposed to be invisible! This scene is great b/c of the image you get from imagining a bunch enormous spiders chasing a floating sword.

James: I have no idea what that thing is, but it looks cool.
JT: Well, James, should I explain or not? Most of the readers probably know anyway.

James: The Bard actually has his Bow in this shot. I hope he is as cool as character as he looks.

James: This battle looks like it is going to be epic!
JT: It will also be three minutes or less, because this is a flashback.

JT: Not a great picture of the hoard under the mountain, although it does convey the sense that it's far bigger.

JT: Smaug's head! And he's red. Not what I hoped for but I'm sure it will look great. Is this because he was drawn in red on the map?

James: This is the closet thing we have to a good look at "CumberSmaug," hopefully the future will continue to be this obscure so when he is revealed in the movie in full, it will make for a better effect.

JT: Fear not! The future is only two months long!

What did you think of the trailer? Please comment below.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

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New Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Trailer!

 

The new trailer Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug trailer is here and we finally get to hear Cumberbatch's Smaug! Cumberbatch sounds awesome as Smaug! He may end up playing two of the best villains of the year. My biggest problem with the trailer is that Tauriel is obviously going to be a romantic interest for Legolas, which is an odd move. Plus, there is a lot of Legolas and elves in this trailer, just like the first one. Elves are cool and I am an elf fan, so it is not a big problem for me. Overall, I would say the trailer is cool, action packed, and it makes me excited for the film later this year. Also check out my other post today, the Agents of SHIELD Full Episode 2. 

 

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

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Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Trailer Review.

 

Note: For some reason this was posted twice, must be some kind of glitch.

Before I start the trailer review, sorry everyone for not commenting, replying to e-mails, or posting yesterday, I had unexpected medical problems so I was in the hospital yesterday making sure I did not have to have my appendix removed. Fortunately it was nothing majorly serious, I will just be sick for a few days. Sometime next week I will post the final part to my Top 100 movies, hopefully something will not get in the way again.

If there is one thing that this trailer shows, it is that there are Elves, lots of Elves. Did Peter Jackson forget the film was named "The Hobbit"? Because it appears to a movie mostly about Elves. Obviously this is not going to be true, but that is what the trailer wants you to think. I am not complaining though, Elves are awesome; it is still odd regardless. Maybe Jackson is trying to appeal more to mainstream, since most people like Elves. An Unexpected Journey was fantastic, albeit slightly disappointing considering how perfect The Lord of the Rings trilogy is, but still ranking 8th on my favorite films list. Hopefully Desolation of Smaug will surpass its predecessor, and I hope Peter Jackson is sure not to show the 48fps version to critics so the film can receive the positive reviews it deserves.

Legolas coming back is not a surprise, however I had assumed that he would be in a more cameo role but it appears that his role will be much more akin to Gollum. Adding Tauriel seems like an odd move by Peter Jackson, from what I remember from reading the books, there were no major or even named characters added from the book, or at least from Tolkien's extra writing. The only reason I see is that he wants to add a female character to the mostly male centric cast. Despite this, Tauriel looks like a cool character and Evangeline Lilly  will be a very attractive elf. There are rumors that one of the dwarves might have a romance with an elf, but those are just rumors. One more thing, the trailer music was epic! It was costume track by Audiomachine especially for the trailer; unfortunately it has not been released by itself. Here are JT's thoughts.

JT: I agree with you there James. I was not surprised by other details but there were too many elven shots. For those who don't know, The Desolation of Smaug movie is based on approximately chapters 5-12. It ends right before the clinax but there is a lot packed into the end that will make a third movie. Needless to say, Elves don't figure nearly as much as Jackson would like them too. Dare I say "Sellout to the fangirls!" (apologies to the fangirls. I know you didn't need Tauriel to like this movie.)

JT: The Dwarves have arrived at Lake-town. If you spent time memorizing their harstyles, you know exactly which dwarves you can see.

JT: That is Mirkwood , It is way more heavily detailed than it needed. I think WETA was having too much fun here.

James: Ever since Legolas was said to be from Mirkwood, I have been curious about how different the Elves culture are compared to the others.  

JT: That is not my image of Thranduil at all. I always saw him as an Old king Cole/Robin Hood and his merry men type. Anybody notice that his eyebrows are brown? Fail. Basically everything about him is messed up, even the moose-riding.

James: Well, Thranduil does look like he could be Legolas' father, the resemblance is quite strong, although a wig and makeup are probably the main reason. 

James: Thorin looks like he has fought some spiders and he appears a tad angry, wonder why? It's not like the guy hung-him-out-to-dry when his people needed his help. 

JT: Wait, James what are you trying to say exactly? I can't elaborate because i know all the spoilers.

JT: Barrels out of Bond! Though how in Middle-earth are they going to pull off getting away w/ the top off the barrels? wait and see...

James: This is a much talked about part of the book and where everyone thought the first film would end before it was split into a trilogy.

JT: Best shot!

JT: Is that Azog attacking Tauriel? I predict girl power defeats the zombie orc.

James: Interesting thought about Tauriel killing Azog. It would only seem right that Azog would be offed near the end of the film so that Smaug is the main villain for the final chapter.

James: Legolas seems more angry and maybe slightly more manly. He has some weird expressions in the trailer.

James: Seriously, why so much of the Elves talking, did Bilbo and any dwarf other than Dwalin even have a single line?

James: Tauriel looks like a very cool Mirkwood archer, there certainly seems to be a lot archers in the movies lately.

JT: Two lines: We don't need her, and she's being Lego's girlfriend despite press releases to the contrary. Phooey on you PJ!
James: She may very well be Legolas'

James: Grumpy cat Legolas! I need to ad captions and create a meme! See the rebalance, he looks just like Grumpy cat. 

 

 

JT: The hoard of Smaug! Or Thorin, depending on who's side you're on...:D And this isn't nearly half.

James: According to Ford Smaug is richest character in fiction, so there was to be a several tons of gold!

 

JT: Gandalf at Dol Goldur. He looks scared, but then, you only live twice, and his time hasn't come yet.
James: One of the only frames of Gandalf in the trailer. I know Gandalf leaves the Dwarves company and only Tolkien's extra writing chronicles what happens.

James: The effects for Azog look great, although nothing can match Andy Serkis as Gollum.

James: Finally some Bilbo, the movie is named "The Hobbit" after all.

James: Luke Evens, aka, guy who looks a lot like Orlando Bloom from the Pirates trilogy.
JT: His character is Bard the Bowman, and he shows up in Laketown. He actually looks just how I imagined him.

James: Several scenes of awesome action! Desolation of Smaug appears to have even more action than its predecessor.

JT: O Bloom is the good guy again (or before)!

JT: Smaug is a fail. He looks like a picture transplanted from a poorly drawn 2D version...

James: Hopefully Smaug will look better in the film, the effects should be much better.

What are your thoughts on the trailer? Please comment below. Also Middle Earth fans, check back Friday for The Two Towers: Book Vs. Film final part and tomorrow for my Watchmen review.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

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Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Trailer Review.

 

Before I start the trailer review, sorry everyone for not commenting, replying to e-mails, or posting yesterday, I had unexpected medical problems so I was in the hospital yesterday making sure I did not have to have my appendix removed. Fortunately it was nothing majorly serious, I will just be sick for a few days. Sometime next week I will post the final part to my Top 100 movies, hopefully something will not get in the way again.

If there is one thing that this trailer shows, it is that there are Elves, lots of Elves. Did Peter Jackson forget the film was named "The Hobbit"? Because it appears to a movie mostly about Elves. Obviously this is not going to be true, but that is what the trailer wants you to think. I am not complaining though, Elves are awesome; it is still odd regardless. Maybe Jackson is trying to appeal more to mainstream, since most people like Elves. An Unexpected Journey was fantastic, albeit slightly disappointing considering how perfect The Lord of the Rings trilogy is, but still ranking 8th on my favorite films list. Hopefully Desolation of Smaug will surpass its predecessor, and I hope Peter Jackson is sure not to show the 48fps version to critics so the film can receive the positive reviews it deserves.

Legolas coming back is not a surprise, however I had assumed that he would be in a more cameo role but it appears that his role will be much more akin to Gollum. Adding Tauriel seems like an odd move by Peter Jackson, from what I remember from reading the books, there were no major or even named characters added from the book, or at least from Tolkien's extra writing. The only reason I see is that he wants to add a female character to the mostly male centric cast. Despite this, Tauriel looks like a cool character and Evangeline Lilly  will be a very attractive elf. There are rumors that one of the dwarves might have a romance with an elf, but those are just rumors. One more thing, the trailer music was epic! It was costume track by Audiomachine especially for the trailer; unfortunately it has not been released by itself. Here are JT's thoughts.

JT: I agree with you there James. I was not surprised by other details but there were too many elven shots. For those who don't know, The Desolation of Smaug movie is based on approximately chapters 5-12. It ends right before the clinax but there is a lot packed into the end that will make a third movie. Needless to say, Elves don't figure nearly as much as Jackson would like them too. Dare I say "Sellout to the fangirls!" (apologies to the fangirls. I know you didn't need Tauriel to like this movie.)

JT: The Dwarves have arrived at Lake-town. If you spent time memorizing their harstyles, you know exactly which dwarves you can see.

JT: That is Mirkwood , It is way more heavily detailed than it needed. I think WETA was having too much fun here.

James: Ever since Legolas was said to be from Mirkwood, I have been curious about how different the Elves culture are compared to the others.  

JT: That is not my image of Thranduil at all. I always saw him as an Old king Cole/Robin Hood and his merry men type. Anybody notice that his eyebrows are brown? Fail. Basically everything about him is messed up, even the moose-riding.

James: Well, Thranduil does look like he could be Legolas' father, the resemblance is quite strong, although a wig and makeup are probably the main reason. 

James: Thorin looks like he has fought some spiders and he appears a tad angry, wonder why? It's not like the guy hung-him-out-to-dry when his people needed his help. 

JT: Wait, James what are you trying to say exactly? I can't elaborate because i know all the spoilers.

JT: Barrels out of Bond! Though how in Middle-earth are they going to pull off getting away w/ the top off the barrels? wait and see...

James: This is a much talked about part of the book and where everyone thought the first film would end before it was split into a trilogy.

JT: Best shot!

JT: Is that Azog attacking Tauriel? I predict girl power defeats the zombie orc.

James: Interesting thought about Tauriel killing Azog. It would only seem right that Azog would be offed near the end of the film so that Smaug is the main villain for the final chapter.

James: Legolas seems more angry and maybe slightly more manly. He has some weird expressions in the trailer.

James: Seriously, why so much of the Elves talking, did Bilbo and any dwarf other than Dwalin even have a single line?

James: Tauriel looks like a very cool Mirkwood archer, there certainly seems to be a lot archers in the movies lately.

JT: Two lines: We don't need her, and she's being Lego's girlfriend despite press releases to the contrary. Phooey on you PJ!
James: She may very well be Legolas'

James: Grumpy cat Legolas! I need to ad captions and create a meme! See the rebalance, he looks just like Grumpy cat. 

 

 

JT: The hoard of Smaug! Or Thorin, depending on who's side you're on...:D And this isn't nearly half.

James: According to Ford Smaug is richest character in fiction, so there was to be a several tons of gold!

 

JT: Gandalf at Dol Goldur. He looks scared, but then, you only live twice, and his time hasn't come yet.
James: One of the only frames of Gandalf in the trailer. I know Gandalf leaves the Dwarves company and only Tolkien's extra writing chronicles what happens.

James: The effects for Azog look great, although nothing can match Andy Serkis as Gollum.

James: Finally some Bilbo, the movie is named "The Hobbit" after all.

James: Luke Evens, aka, guy who looks a lot like Orlando Bloom from the Pirates trilogy.
JT: His character is Bard the Bowman, and he shows up in Laketown. He actually looks just how I imagined him.

James: Several scenes of awesome action! Desolation of Smaug appears to have even more action than its predecessor.

JT: O Bloom is the good guy again (or before)!

JT: Smaug is a fail. He looks like a picture transplanted from a poorly drawn 2D version...

James: Hopefully Smaug will look better in the film, the effects should be much better.

What are your thoughts on the trailer? Please comment below. Also Middle Earth fans, check back Friday for The Two Towers: Book Vs. Film final part and tomorrow for my Watchmen review.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

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