Got to watch it yesterday with the kids and have my views of it. Would love to hear from avid Tolkien readers and just plain old movie buffs. My thoughts on it are as follows:
Negatives:
1. Crude crotch inuendo by the dwarf to Tauriel in a children's novel/movie. If you make your movie series around a few simple structures in terms of viewer audience, steer the course. Out of place.
2. Putting orcs in every scene when they have literally no part in the entirety of the book at this point
3. Rooftop tip toe orcs in Lake Town (Lake Town being a VERY well defended location for a reason) but yet in the movie has an open bridge
4. Tombs of the 9. Just those absurd steps up to it even being there. Logic would indicate they would have destroyed that path after the sealing of the tombs
5. Completely changing everything about Beorn and his home (giant bear bum rushing the house).
6. Skipping past the suffering in Mirkwood. That unwinds over a much longer time.
7. The orcs invading the Wood Elves and the whole barrel scene. I love action, but can't stand crap filler like that.
8. Inside the mountain....not one thing other than Bilbo's conversation (let alone that Smaug NEVER sees him in the book) happened in the book
9. Why does Bard look like Legolas? Couldn't vary the look just a smidge....?
10. The battle with the spiders getting blown out and developing into more than just Bilbo STAYING invisible the whole time and being the ONLY hero
Positives:
1. Adding depth by expanding on the battles of Dol Goldur and the fight with the Necromancer
2. Giving a little more creadance to how the orc army forms prior to the battle of the Five Armies
3. Fantastic battle between Gandalf and the Necromancer (even the shadow turned to Sauron turning back into the Eye)
4. A little depth of feeling added by the conversations betwen the Sylvan elf and her dwarf friend
5. Anything that came out of Bilbo's mouth
6. The depth of Beorn's character in human form - Excellent
7. Everything about Smaug's character coming to life
8. The references made to why Sauron is moving armies toward the Lonely Mountain and his efforts to prevent the 7 houses of the dwarves from uniting. Even the implied indication that Smaug is playing a greater role guided by Sauron long before now by being where he is, i.e. to keep the houses of the dwarves devided by guarding the Arkenstone
9. Good usage of tie ins between the current things set into motion that will all play very large parts in the coming war of the One Ring
Negatives:
1. Crude crotch inuendo by the dwarf to Tauriel in a children's novel/movie. If you make your movie series around a few simple structures in terms of viewer audience, steer the course. Out of place.
2. Putting orcs in every scene when they have literally no part in the entirety of the book at this point
3. Rooftop tip toe orcs in Lake Town (Lake Town being a VERY well defended location for a reason) but yet in the movie has an open bridge
4. Tombs of the 9. Just those absurd steps up to it even being there. Logic would indicate they would have destroyed that path after the sealing of the tombs
5. Completely changing everything about Beorn and his home (giant bear bum rushing the house).
6. Skipping past the suffering in Mirkwood. That unwinds over a much longer time.
7. The orcs invading the Wood Elves and the whole barrel scene. I love action, but can't stand crap filler like that.
8. Inside the mountain....not one thing other than Bilbo's conversation (let alone that Smaug NEVER sees him in the book) happened in the book
9. Why does Bard look like Legolas? Couldn't vary the look just a smidge....?
10. The battle with the spiders getting blown out and developing into more than just Bilbo STAYING invisible the whole time and being the ONLY hero
Positives:
1. Adding depth by expanding on the battles of Dol Goldur and the fight with the Necromancer
2. Giving a little more creadance to how the orc army forms prior to the battle of the Five Armies
3. Fantastic battle between Gandalf and the Necromancer (even the shadow turned to Sauron turning back into the Eye)
4. A little depth of feeling added by the conversations betwen the Sylvan elf and her dwarf friend
5. Anything that came out of Bilbo's mouth
6. The depth of Beorn's character in human form - Excellent
7. Everything about Smaug's character coming to life
8. The references made to why Sauron is moving armies toward the Lonely Mountain and his efforts to prevent the 7 houses of the dwarves from uniting. Even the implied indication that Smaug is playing a greater role guided by Sauron long before now by being where he is, i.e. to keep the houses of the dwarves devided by guarding the Arkenstone
9. Good usage of tie ins between the current things set into motion that will all play very large parts in the coming war of the One Ring
