# The Hobbit movie(s) anticipation thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 22, 2010, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hobbit-movie-s-anticipation-thread/557969 "2010-10-22T02:44:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 31
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hobbit-movie-s-anticipation-thread/557969/601 "2013-10-05T21:12:59Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Legolas surfing on the shield didn’t help, either… Dear lord, the shield-surfing. And indeed the whole Legolas-as-a-war-god thing, too. He’s an archer of phenomenal skill, granted, but able to take down _mumakil_ single-handed? (Mind you, that whole scene was silly.) ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hobbit-movie-s-anticipation-thread/557969/602 "2013-10-05T21:40:24Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Legolas surfing on the shield didn’t help, either… Fortunately, I do not recall that. I beg you, Sir, do not remind me. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2013, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hobbit-movie-s-anticipation-thread/557969/603 "2013-10-05T23:25:30Z")
Oy. I had to see my ophthalmologist after rolling my eyes so hard at the shield-surfing scene. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hobbit-movie-s-anticipation-thread/557969/604 "2013-10-06T03:07:52Z")
I asked you not to tell me that! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hobbit-movie-s-anticipation-thread/557969/605 "2013-10-06T16:18:43Z")
Tell you what? ---
**Author:** ![Anduinel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Anduinel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anduinel)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hobbit-movie-s-anticipation-thread/557969/606 "2013-10-06T17:36:49Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > This new trailer makes me feel even less interested in following the series any further, which makes me very sad. All the love-interest crap between Legolas and what-her-ears is totally yawn-worthy predictable pablum. I’m fine with Tauriel’s presence, but who thought it was a good idea to make Legolas the love interest? Let me rephrase: who thought it was a good idea to out Orlando Bloom in a position where he’s going to have to portray any emotion beyond “slightly petulant”. ---
**Author:** ![Airk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2013, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hobbit-movie-s-anticipation-thread/557969/607 "2013-10-07T14:39:26Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > Elrond didn’t object to getting Narsil reforged into Anduril Hey now! It was ARAGORN, not Agent Elrond, who objected to reforging Narsil. Uncredit where Uncredit is due. 😛 Buh. Yeah. Movie Aragorn needed a “character arc” =\_= ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2013, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hobbit-movie-s-anticipation-thread/557969/608 "2013-10-07T14:52:40Z")
> [@Anduinel](#): > > I’m fine with Tauriel’s presence, but who thought it was a good idea to make Legolas the love interest? Let me rephrase: who thought it was a good idea to out Orlando Bloom in a position where he’s going to have to portray any emotion beyond “slightly petulant”. Well… he’s by no means my favorite actor, but I thought he did fine in the LOTR movies. He seemed genuinely moved to see Boromir die, showed the bonds of his long friendship with Aragorn, and had a good comic rapport with Gimli. Bloom played a psychologically-troubled young physician in _The Good Doctor_ and a soldier in _Black Hawk Down_, and I thought he was pretty good in both roles. ---
**Author:** ![Airk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2013, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hobbit-movie-s-anticipation-thread/557969/609 "2013-10-07T16:45:15Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Well… he’s by no means my favorite actor, but I thought he did fine in the LOTR movies. He seemed genuinely moved to see Boromir die, showed the bonds of his long friendship with Aragorn, and had a good comic rapport with Gimli. > > Bloom played a psychologically-troubled young physician in _The Good Doctor_ and a soldier in _Black Hawk Down_, and I thought he was pretty good in both roles. I dunno; On the one hand, he has to deliver some lines which are…difficult to make work. (Particularly in Two Towers, he has several lines that are supposed to sound ominous or foreboding, and which come out kinda…goofy.) On the other hand, a really good actor could have made those lines work, and Orly sticks out as one of if not THE weakest link in the Fellowship, acting wise. Though he does a good job of looking the part, which does help, and avoids what I think of as Haldir-syndrome. (I just don’t know what they were on that made them pick that guy. He’s just too…rounded. He has a big nose, and a weak chin, and what about him made them think ‘this guy would be a great choice for one of the small number of speaking elven parts in this movie’). So yeah. I don’t really think Orly was up to being Legolas, and his post-LotR career seems to bear out that assertion. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2013, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hobbit-movie-s-anticipation-thread/557969/610 "2013-10-07T19:46:04Z")
> [@Airk](#): > > Hey now! It was ARAGORN, not Agent Elrond, who objected to reforging Narsil. Uncredit where Uncredit is due. 😛 What? No. Elrond chooses (in the m\*vie) to be stupid and obstructive over getting the sword fixed, and then in Film 3 Sauron puts a curse on Arwen :smack: so that Elrond can decide “Okay, Sauron was going to conquer all the Free Peoples and tear down both Lothlorien and Rivendell to the last foundation stone and twig, and I was cool with that, but now it’s personal so I need to hurry off and give Aragorn a proper weapon before the entire war goes pear shaped”. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2013, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hobbit-movie-s-anticipation-thread/557969/611 "2013-10-07T23:40:59Z")
> [@Airk](#): > > …Though he does a good job of looking the part, which does help, and avoids what I think of as Haldir-syndrome. (I just don’t know what they were on that made them pick that guy. He’s just too…rounded. He has a big nose, and a weak chin, and what about him made them think ‘this guy would be a great choice for one of the small number of speaking elven parts in this movie’)… I’m definitely with you on Haldir. That actor was too plump and weak-looking for the part, I thought. ---
**Author:** ![Airk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2013, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hobbit-movie-s-anticipation-thread/557969/612 "2013-10-08T13:28:10Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > What? No. Elrond chooses (in the m\*vie) to be stupid and obstructive over getting the sword fixed, and then in Film 3 Sauron puts a curse on Arwen :smack: so that Elrond can decide “Okay, Sauron was going to conquer all the Free Peoples and tear down both Lothlorien and Rivendell to the last foundation stone and twig, and I was cool with that, but now it’s personal so I need to hurry off and give Aragorn a proper weapon before the entire war goes pear shaped”. :smack: Uhm. No? Maybe I’m basing this strictly on Extended Edition stuff, because I haven’t seen the theatrical in many years, but in general the two editions don’t contradict. The EXACT dialogue on this topic is: Elrond: The skill of the elves can reforge the Sword of Kings, but only you have the power to wield it. Aragorn: I do not want that power. I have never wanted it. Which part of that is Elrond being obstuctive? Yes, it’s true he doesn’t want Aragorn to marry his daughter, and is constantly obstructive THERE, but for things that directly concern the fate of Middle Earth? Nope. He’s not stalling. Eventually, he gets fed up with Aragorn pussyfooting around about his heritage and basically shows up and says “Take the damn sword, you’re going to need it on the Paths of the Dead.” So unless there’s a serious difference between the two editions here… ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hobbit-movie-s-anticipation-thread/557969/613 "2013-10-20T01:52:18Z")
[Rumor is that the second one is 156 minutes long, including credits.](http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/10/18/80866-the-hobbit-the-desolation-of-smaug-runtime-is-156-minutes/) Seems reasonable considering the series was split into three. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hobbit-movie-s-anticipation-thread/557969/614 "2013-10-20T07:00:44Z")
> [@Airk](#): > > Uhm. No? > > Maybe I’m basing this strictly on Extended Edition stuff, because I haven’t seen the theatrical in many years, but in general the two editions don’t contradict. > > The EXACT dialogue on this topic is: > > Elrond: The skill of the elves can reforge the Sword of Kings, but only you have the power to wield it. > Aragorn: I do not want that power. I have never wanted it. > > Which part of that is Elrond being obstuctive? Yes, it’s true he doesn’t want Aragorn to marry his daughter, and is constantly obstructive THERE, but for things that directly concern the fate of Middle Earth? Nope. He’s not stalling. > > Eventually, he gets fed up with Aragorn pussyfooting around about his heritage and basically shows up and says “Take the damn sword, you’re going to need it on the Paths of the Dead.” > > So unless there’s a serious difference between the two editions here… Uhm. You may be right. I haven’t seen the Extended edition at all, nor the theatrical release since it came out. It’s possible that we’re both remembering correctly and the TR includes extra dialogue that I have never seen; it’s also possible that I’ve remembered all of this wrong. The upshot however is that it would mean that PJ made Aragorn into an idiot instead of Elrond, because there is never any doubt in book-Aragorn’s mind that the sword is going to be reforged very soon (he mentions this to the hobbits before they have even left Bree) and he looks forward to it rather than shies away from it. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hobbit-movie-s-anticipation-thread/557969/615 "2013-10-20T18:57:59Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > [Rumor is that the second one is 156 minutes long, including credits.](http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/10/18/80866-the-hobbit-the-desolation-of-smaug-runtime-is-156-minutes/) > > Seems reasonable considering the series was split into three. Holy freakin’ hell. Do all the movie critics have the word “bloated” primed for their reviews? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hobbit-movie-s-anticipation-thread/557969/616 "2013-10-22T02:32:24Z")
[Garth Franklin got to visit the set last July(I think July 2012) and conducted interviews with Ian McKellan, Martin Freeman, Luke Evans(Bard), and Evangeline Lilly.](http://www.darkhorizons.com/news/29278/visiting-the-set-of-the-desolation-of-smaug) I’ve only read Ian McKellan so far, but it was well done. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hobbit-movie-s-anticipation-thread/557969/617 "2013-10-22T02:34:26Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Holy freakin’ hell. Do all the movie critics have the word “bloated” primed for their reviews? Really? It’s the shortest movie so far of the LOTR series. Credits must be, no kidding, 12-15 minutes. It’s only 2 hours 20 minutes tops, I’d imagine. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hobbit-movie-s-anticipation-thread/557969/618 "2013-10-23T00:06:57Z")
[Here are some stills of Benedict Cumberbatch motion-capturing Smaug.](http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/10/22/81061-check-out-new-pictures-of-benedict-cumbersmaugs-motion-capture-for-the-hobbit/) ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hobbit-movie-s-anticipation-thread/557969/619 "2013-10-23T01:44:41Z")
> [@mahaloth](#): > > [here are some stills of benedict cumberbatch motion-capturing smaug.](http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/10/22/81061-check-out-new-pictures-of-benedict-cumbersmaugs-motion-capture-for-the-hobbit/) ssssssmmmmmaaaaauuuuugggggg!!! ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hobbit-movie-s-anticipation-thread/557969/620 "2013-11-05T14:10:37Z")
So, the extended addition is out. I’ve seen it once and liked it quite a bit more, but have a question. \*\*Does anyone know if the Hobbit Extended edition comes with a free movie ticket for the next one? \*\*The Lord of the Rings ones did and it really made a great deal since I am already planning to see the next movies. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hobbit-movie-s-anticipation-thread/557969.md?page=30) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hobbit-movie-s-anticipation-thread/557969.md?page=32)