Desolation of Smaug trailers (SPOILERS)

[Alatar]

Ooh, sexy! Have to say, I loved my first viewing!

[Alatar]

Trailer is here by the way!

http://www.thehobbit.com/index.html

[Dave_LF]

Liked the overall tone and the weather (which matches). Freeman is fantastic, as can be expected. As always, intercutting is used to deceitful effect (have Hollywood trailer editors been taking lessons from Hollywood accountants?). Didn't care for the artillery (despite being forewarned) or the numerous instances of characters jumping out of the way just before a wall of fire hits. But I suppose that's inevitable.

Smaug sounds like Treebeard.

[Elentári]

A lot to take in....and still hating the massive amount of CGI backgrounds, let alone the action.

But Cumberbatch's Smaug is magnificently malevolent - best part of the trailer for me!

Are they kidding us with that dialogue between Thranduil and Tauriel????
Poor Leggy...he'll be gutted!


Freem and McKellen shine as usual in all their scenes. I see the "Bilbo's courage" conversation which was previewed all that time ago at Comic-Con 2012, is actually now in the second movie - had anticipated it would be on the AUJ EE...

Anyone managed to freeze-frame 1:28-9 and take a look at the "Beorn" who is chasing the Company through the hedge to his house? It seems from my attempt to look like a man/bear hybrid rather than full bear at this point - could it be mid-transformation? Did not look too good to my eyes, anyway...

[Dave_LF]

Anyone managed to freeze-frame 1:28-9 and take a look at the "Beorn" who is chasing the Company through the hedge to his house? It seems from my attempt to look like a man/bear hybrid rather than full bear at this point - could it be mid-transformation? Did not look too good to my eyes, anyway...

Freeze frames are too blurry (and dark! Why is this trailer so dark?) for me to make anything out, but there is definitely something unbearlike about the way he moves.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Love Balin. "His name ... is Bilbo." Lovely.

[Elentári]

Anyone managed to freeze-frame 1:28-9 and take a look at the "Beorn" who is chasing the Company through the hedge to his house? It seems from my attempt to look like a man/bear hybrid rather than full bear at this point - could it be mid-transformation? Did not look too good to my eyes, anyway...

Freeze frames are too blurry (and dark! Why is this trailer so dark?) for me to make anything out, but there is definitely something unbearlike about the way he moves.

I've managed to pause the trailer in the right place a couple of times with luck, and the "beast" is quite clear. It looks like a man in a furry suit - or Big Foot! I don't know how to do screen caps or I'd post one.

[Alatar]

I've managed to pause the trailer in the right place a couple of times with luck, and the "beast" is quite clear. It looks like a man in a furry suit - or Big Foot!

Would you prefer it was more CGI?

[Elentári]

For something like this, yes, Al!


I've done my best, but couldn't get it as big as I'd like...

[Eldy]

I enjoyed the new trailer well enough. I'm glad that it had more Bilbo moments than the first one, those were very nice. And Cumberbatch's voice does not disappoint in the least. His Smaug is now the part of DOS I'm looking forward to the most, no doubt.

Other than that, there are plenty of flaws that appear to be outgrowths of AUJ, but I'm trying to think more positively for now. At least until the movie actually comes out.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I've watched that part over and over, and I don't see anything other than a bear.

[sinister71]

Why are we getting big flaming eyeball Sauron and a whole army of orcs in DolGuldur? i guess Sauron wasn't really in hiding there then. I still don't like anything I have heard or seen out of Tauriel. and its not that she is a made up character her line delivery is horrible with all of it so far.

That said...

Overall I liked the trailer the biggest thing I enjoyed was Smaug's voice. but what is this Smaug the stupendous? where is Smaug the mighty, the tremendous, the wealthy, the chiefest and greatest of calamities? All the flattering names Bilbo called Smaug, just to give Bilbo a line bordering on insulting to the dragon. Other than those few things the trailer wasn't bad, much better than the elf heavy first trailer.

[Elentári]

This is a close-up, thanks to Fleurz on TORn...it does look more bear-like, but I still get that hybrid vibe...

[sinister71]

This is a close-up, thanks to Fleurz on TORn...it does look more bear-like, but I still get that hybrid vibe...

I agree it still has some sort of hybrid vibe which I'm not sure that's a good thing. Whatever happened to using real animals? they could have used a real bear and done digital enhancement on it make it larger. At least then it would have looked like a bear... they do still train them you know

[sinister71]

Love Balin. "His name ... is Bilbo." Lovely.

probably one of my favorite parts of the trailer.

[Dave_LF]

His face definitely has a human influence (position of the eyes and lack of a snout). So does his posture--he has shoulders, for one thing, and when you view him in motion, his hips seem to articulate like a biped's.

His front paws don't look much like a bear's, but they don't look much like hands either...

I could certainly buy that we are seeing him in the middle of transforming from a man on two legs to a bear on four.

[Alatar]

what is this Smaug the stupendous? where is Smaug the mighty, the tremendous, the wealthy, the chiefest and greatest of calamities? All the flattering names Bilbo called Smaug, just to give Bilbo a line bordering on insulting to the dragon.

How is that insulting? Its just another synonym of the words Tolkien used, and arguably more alliterative.

stu·pen·dous
st(y)o͞oˈpendəs/
adjective
informal
adjective: stupendous

1.
extremely impressive.
"a stupendous display of technique"
synonyms: amazing, astounding, astonishing, extraordinary, remarkable, phenomenal, staggering, breathtaking;

[sinister71]

what is this Smaug the stupendous? where is Smaug the mighty, the tremendous, the wealthy, the chiefest and greatest of calamities? All the flattering names Bilbo called Smaug, just to give Bilbo a line bordering on insulting to the dragon.

How is that insulting? Its just another synonym of the words Tolkien used, and arguably more alliterative.

stu·pen·dous
st(y)o͞oˈpendəs/
adjective
informal
adjective: stupendous

1.
extremely impressive.
"a stupendous display of technique"
synonyms: amazing, astounding, astonishing, extraordinary, remarkable, phenomenal, staggering, breathtaking;

well what's wrong with the actual words Tolkien used?

instead of another needless change. for me the word sounds like a play of the word stupid. trying to make Bilbo have some witty dialogue to insult Smaug in a way that he doesn't realize it.

Honestly words from the book like Tremendous, mighty, magnificent, would have worked better IMO. Maybe they will have other praise in the film. But its just another example of needless changes that seems like Jackson just needs to make changes for no good reason. Tremendous is in the book and has the same amount of syllables and flows just as well.

[Passdagas the Brown]

Better than the first trailer, I'd say! I like Cumberbatch's voice.

Some nice character moments - and some great acting from Stott as Balin.

But of course Legolas is sliding down a spider web, and falling in love with Tauriel, so...

We shall see.

[Passdagas the Brown]

Is this the first confirmation that there will be something of a romantic subplot between Legolas and Tauriel? Given what seems to be the continued woodenness of both Bloom's and Lilly's acting, this has to be the most worrying thing about the film.

At least we have Pace's Thranduil, who's excellent. Watching him, I feel like I'm seeing Thingol coming to life (and in fact, it's easy to imagine Thorin as Túrin, as Armitage looks almost exactly as I imagined him.)

Maybe I can take some strange pleasure from making believe some of this film is the Silmarillion coming to life...