The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug Debuts Elf-Heavy Trailer

[Earnest Cavalli]

The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug Debuts Elf-Heavy Trailer


A new trailer debuted this morning for the upcoming The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, and those who felt The Hobbit could use more pretty elf dudes are in luck.

If there was any one flaw in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit, it was that the film was an overlong, rambling tale more focused on trivia than actual storytelling. In fairness, that's a pretty apt description of Tolkien's books themselves, but it still made for a ponderous film.

If there were two flaws in The Hobbit however, the second would definitely be a lack of elves with unrealistically angular cheekbones and dreamy eyes. Fortunately the new International Trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug fixes that by shoving Orlando Bloom's Legolas straight at us. Honestly, I was more interested in that huge bear seen briefly in the trailer, but there is something to be said for Bloom's waifish, European aesthetic. If nothing else, it works great for the Tolkienian concept of "elf."

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is currently slated to hit theaters on December 13, 2013. Just in time for the holiday season. Odds are solid we'll be seeing a steady stream of trailers and other info on this film from here on out, so consider this vignette a first salvo.

Source: YouTube [http://youtu.be/Qq3UmifZaqM]

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[knight steel]

The special effect look................really obvious, I mean some of the scenes just took me right out of the moment thinking "that looks so fake" hopefully this gets fixed before it is released.

 

[BehattedWanderer]

Nice to see Lee Pace's Eyebrows getting some oddly prominent screentime. I guess Thranduil's band of racist elves will be playing a bigger role than casually riding away from those that need help on a giant-ass elk. But hey, more Hobbit, that's cool. I'm down with that.

 

[Nurb]

I was kind of hoping it'd have a 48FPS showing without 3D

No no no no no no no!

The the LOTR wasn't all that close to the originals either, and he's throwing in lore from other sources, including more stories in the 3rd film after they defeat smaug in this one.

 

[TheTygre]

The special effect look................really obvious, I mean some of the scenes just took me right out of the moment thinking "that looks so fake" hopefully this gets fixed before it is released.

Eh, I thought the same thing about the first. But then I remembered my cinema studies class; the Hobbit's a blockbuster, and the purpose of a blockbuster is to:

A.)Generate revenue for its studio and
B.)Demonstrate innovations in special effects

The last big innovation in effects was a new level of CG, so I guess that's what we're getting. I don't really care. As long as the writing's good and there are still some good scenes, Jackson can do what he wants.

Also,
DRAGONS!
FUCKING DRAGONS!
WARGARAABLGARBLBLARG

 

[knight steel]

The special effect look................really obvious, I mean some of the scenes just took me right out of the moment thinking "that looks so fake" hopefully this gets fixed before it is released.

Eh, I thought the same thing about the first. But then I remembered my cinema studies class; the Hobbit's a blockbuster, and the purpose of a blockbuster is to:

A.)Generate revenue for its studio and
B.)Demonstrate innovations in special effects

The last big innovation in effects was a new level of CG, so I guess that's what we're getting. I don't really care. As long as the writing's good and there are still some good scenes, Jackson can do what he wants.

Also,
DRAGONS!
FUCKING DRAGONS!
WARGARAABLGARBLBLARG

Yeah I know,I'm not saying it will ruin the experience or anything-I'm still going to see it and probably love it, just struck me as as really odd when I first saw it is all,but I'm sure that I'll grow used to it ^_^

Also:

Spoiler

 

[Bat Vader]

Awesome. I can't wait The Desolation of Smaug. I was hoping that Smaug was going to talk at the end there but sadly he didn't.

 

[mechalynx]

As much as I love the book and the first movie, this just doesn't impress me the way it should. The CGI made my eyes bleed.

 

[Coldsnap]

Doesn't look too bad, though even from the small sample there is already a substantial amount of material changed and created solely for the film.

The only part that made me dislike it were the small parts of the barrel riding. I wouldn't really care if they were just open, but apparently they are also fighting. The expression easy as killing fish in a barrel comes to mind here. It also makes me apprehensive that there will be another drawn out silly fight akin to the goblin mines.

 

[TheProfessor234]

This is still a trilogy, right?

Forgive me, it's been a long time since I read the book, but if Smaug is in the second movie, what is the third going to be about? I figured that the second movie would be all about Murkwood. Then Smaug could have his day in the third film.

I dunno, maybe I missed something.

 

[Fell]

This is still a trilogy, right?

Forgive me, it's been a long time since I read the book, but if Smaug is in the second movie, what is the third going to be about? I figured that the second movie would be all about Murkwood. Then Smaug could have his day in the third film.

I dunno, maybe I missed something.

Most likely about the battle of the five armies.

 

[Nuxxy]

First movie had bridge-falling that felt like a theme park ride. This one seems to have barrel-riding. The Tolkien-fan in me cringes with every change Peter Jackson makes, but his Middle Earth can still be appreciated for being visually sumptuous.

Also, the bear is Beorn.

Also also, SMAUG!

This is still a trilogy, right?

Forgive me, it's been a long time since I read the book, but if Smaug is in the second movie, what is the third going to be about?

Most likely about the battle of the five armies.

I've guessed that since the beginning.

 

[PH3NOmenon]

Is it me or did the Smaug CG look... oddly poorly done?

I dunno, maybe it's because it's not the correct fps or something. To be perfectly fair, it hardly even matters. I'll end up watching it either way.

 

[Absimilliard]

I can't wait to see how Peter Jackson manages to take the horrors of war and fill them with skateboarding elves again.

Yeah, that just about sums it up...

So the trailer shows how awesome the elves are, and features Legolas (who was not in the book[footnote]Yes, I know whose son he was and the potential for him being around...[/footnote]) more than anyone else except possibly Bilbo. (I'm not about to watch this repeatedly with a stopwatch...)
And yet again, it affirms the dwarves as comic relief in Jackson's eyes. Has anyone found out what he has against short guys yet? (Due to a quick Google-ing, I've found out that Jackson is about 1.69 m (5' 6½), is he compensating or something?)

 

[BeeGeenie]

This is still a trilogy, right?

Forgive me, it's been a long time since I read the book, but if Smaug is in the second movie, what is the third going to be about?

Most likely about the battle of the five armies.

I've guessed that since the beginning.

A battle which lasts less than five pages in the original novel, and which the book spent more pages focusing on the horrible aftermath of is going be stretched out for 3 hours? Oh joy.

I can't wait to see how Peter Jackson manages to take the horrors of war and fill them with skateboarding elves again.

^This. I suppose Bilbo could also get into some hilarious hi-jinks on the way back to Hobbiton. At least if it sucks, we can all just mentally declare the third film non-canon, since absolutely nothing important is going to happen in it. -_-

I thought the first one was alright (aside from the ridiculous goblin town roller-coaster, also, the stone giant thing was pretty hilariously over the top), but it looks like they're stretching the rest of it pretty thin. I want to believe they won't be mindless spectacle. I really want to believe that.