There and Back Again Anticipation thread [SPOILERS]

[Elentári]

Pickups...Also known as "when PJ adds a bunch of horrible stuff because he has the budget for it."

We'll be lucky if there is much finished to be shown at Comic-Con at this rate with so much relying on CGI post-production...

[Voronwë the Faithful]

We'll be lucky if there is much finished to be shown at Comic-Con at this rate with so much relying on CGI post-production...

Has there been any indication that there is a planned presentation at Comic-con this year?

(For the record, I don't share the doom and gloom of the three of you and others about pick-ups, and believe that it can be as much a force for good as bad.)

[kzer_za]

(For the record, I don't share the doom and gloom of the three of you and others about pick-ups, and believe that it can be as much a force for good as bad.)

"Go home Sam", for example, was worse before pickups. Yes, it's still not good, but at least Frodo isn't screaming at him.

And I'm not completely sure about this (it might have been changed earlier), but I think the Crack of Doom got a major change for the better in pickups. It went from "Frodo pushes Gollum over the edge" to "Frodo tries to take the Ring back and they both fall over."

[Passdagas the Brown]

I'm sure there can be improvements in pickups, and I think the LOTR examples are strong ones in favor. But with the Hobbit, it seems as if PJ is using pickups to really amp up the bloat.

I didn't mind that bloat in DoS as much as others did, but I can't help but fear that PJ is going to fall over the edge of acceptability with TABA. He's probably the least disciplined director in movie-making today. That can either lead to a lot of fun at the movies (as it did with DoS, IMO) or a disaster.

[Smaug's voice]

I agree with PtB (except for a few bits, as always! ).
With LotR - PJ's hands were tied with budget, time and technological restrictions.
With the hobbit however, not only has he time to include more bloated stuff, he can literally remove complete characters or scenes and make them into something different thanks to the cheap technology.

[Elentári]

Has there been any indication that there is a planned presentation at Comic-con this year?

Nothing mentioned as yet, but there was a lot of criticism of them missing SDCC last year with DoS, and the belief that promotion of the movie suffered due to the non-appearance. I would think PJ would want to get something viewable for it this time round. He did manage a few brief clips of new scenes for CinemaCon recently, didn't he?

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Elen, the material shown at Cinema-con from TABA was reportedly very, very limited. It was mostly a compilation of material from the past five films.

Regarding pick-ups, for the most part, we don't really know what was done in the past, except for a few isolated reports that people take and blow out of proportion. For myself, I'm glad that they moved the release date of TABA so that Jackson has sufficient time to complete the movie that he wants to make, and I am predicting here and now (and for the first time) that TABA will be the best of the six Middle-earth films.

There. How's that for going out on a limb.

[Smaug's voice]

Not best of the six, but I certainly think it has a very big chance to be the best of the TH films.

And I will also predict that PtB will like it less - probably much less - than DOS. Though, I really hope I am wrong here.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I agree with the latter prediction. And with the hope.

[Elentári]

Elen, the material shown at Cinema-con from TABA was reportedly very, very limited. It was mostly a compilation of material from the past five films.

Yes, I knew that, but I also thought there was a couple of shots that were new? Perhaps I was mistaken but I thought there was mention of dialogue between Bard and Legolas?

The fact that he has so little to show (if he does actually want to reveal anything) so far, to my mind reinforces the point about being so heavily reliant on CGI.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Yes, the report said:

Peter Jackson, who is in post-production on the move in Wellington, sent a taped message to cinema exhibitors at the convention, introducing a look back at his entire Middle-earth journey, with just a few precious seconds of footage from There and Back Again revealed at the end.

In the new footage, Bard the Bowman (Luke Evans) was seen asking Legolas (Orlando Bloom), “What is it you know?” To which the elf replied, “Nothing for certain. It’s what I fear may come.”

After that flashed brief scenes of battle, heroism from the likes of Bard and elf Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly), dwarf leader Thorin (Richard Armitage) wandering through what appeared to be thick strands of golden rope and a gold-clad Elrond (Hugo Weaving) drawing his sword and charging, while a voiceover from Gandalf warned: “The time is upon us, we all must choose what side we’re on.”

[Passdagas the Brown]

Expectations: low
Chance of being pleasantly surprised: medium

[Voronwë the Faithful]

PtB, this is going to be the worst film ever. The worst of the worst. Bilbo won't be making more than a cameo. And there will be 8 separate ten minute long slow motion death scenes. Don't even bother going to see it.

[Smaug's voice]

Ahem...let me try.

The things that will happen in TABA to put off PtB.

1) no still cameras. The camera will be constsntly moving. Swooping in, zooming out, rotating around the battle scenes or Smaug's destruction or Dol Guldur.
2) Legolas will bring down a bat and surf him. He has surfed in every film he has been. No reason to believe he wont in this one.
3) Tauriel will die in Kili's arms. Extremely sloppy scene full of cringe and melodramatism.
4) As with the battle scenes, the film will have full on blaring music.
5) Melodramatic death of Thorin. Who knows, PJ might not even include Thorin's final words.
6) I also hear Fran Walsh won't be contributing in the script due to personal life. So that leaves PJ and Boyens!
7) And to finish off we have the Enya song to complete the nastiness.

So I believe there is ABSOLUTELY no reason for you to await TABA, PtB.

[Passdagas the Brown]

I've already put up my review of TABA on IMDB. "Hated it!"

[kzer_za]

You forgot the Necromancer creating Undead Smaug as the Bo5A!

Hidden text.

Actually, a small part of me is scared that it could happen.

[Dave_LF]

The things that will happen in TABA to put off PtB.
<snip>
Smaug's destruction or Dol Guldur.

First time I read this as "Smaug's destruction of Dol Guldur." That would probably do it.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Has there been any indication that there is a planned presentation at Comic-con this year?

Nothing mentioned as yet, but there was a lot of criticism of them missing SDCC last year with DoS, and the belief that promotion of the movie suffered due to the non-appearance. I would think PJ would want to get something viewable for it this time round. He did manage a few brief clips of new scenes for CinemaCon recently, didn't he?

RA addresses this in his recent interview with TORN's Greendragon:

GD: Are we likely to see you at any conventions this year? I'm hoping we can persuade you to come to DragonCon in Atlanta!

RA: Well I have to find out when they are - I haven't heard of anything in the imminent future. I think we're definitely going to go to [San Diego] ComicCon; we're definitely going to be there this year.

[Elentári]

Has there been any indication that there is a planned presentation at Comic-con this year?

TORn has posted a lengthy interview with Richard Armitage, and he does in fact mention that

I think we're definitely going to go to [San Diego] ComicCon; we're definitely going to be there this year.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Ha! Look above your post.