Movie Review: Hobbit, The Desolation of Smaug & Gravity

[Adak]

Hobbit, The Desolation of Smaug
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The sweeping vistas of the mountains in New Zealand, are still fantastic, and the monsters of Middle Earth, still quite scarey, in this latest film by Peter Jackson.

Good: cinematography, all the creatures, and great and plentiful smaller scale fight scenes. The fighting skills of the elves has definitely been enhanced!

Bad: the endearing script that was so much a part of the Trilogy, is gone. Most of the same characters and actors from the Trilogy of the Ring are there, but there's no one you really care about as much.

The large scale, sweeping excitement of the Trilogy is definitely down a few notches.

Neutral: The movie has to move the story forward, but the ending leaves so much unsettled.

Overall: 7 out of 10.

Gravity
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When the Russians blow up a malfunctioning spy satellite of theirs, the debris is a definite menace to the space shuttle and the International Space Station. Whatever can go wrong - does.

The cinematography of the earth spinning below George Clooney and Sandra Bollock, are simply stunning. Both grab your interest immediately, with the interpretation of their character.

Good: Weightless scenes, views of the the earth rotating beneath them. Metal shards of the destroyed satellite, zooming past. The script and acting from Clooney and Bollock, just captivate you in record time.

Loved the little "Wall-e" propulsion mode!

Bad: Defies reason that both Houston and Clooney get into stories and Western music, during an extended and complex space walk by three astronauts.

Clooney would have no weight in space (obviously), so there would be no need for him to detach himself, to save Sandra. That is one lame bit of script writing!

For some unknown reason, they added VERY deep and loud bass audio, to the soundtrack during the space emergency scene. This, just minutes after telling us in space, there is no sound. It was hard to hear the speech, over the loud and deep rumbling noise. Your theater's sound system may handle it better.

Overall: 7 out of 10.

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by Adak

but the ending leaves so much unsettled.

Well, there is the sixth installment to think about...

I left halfway through "The Hobbit".

[lumberjim]

Was there more 'Necromancer' nonsense?

[DanaC]

I watched about the first 20 mins of The Hobbit. But never went back to it. Might give it another go.

[Spexxvet]

Here's a good, short read

http://www.denofgeek.us/movies/22204...the-appendices

[xoxoxoBruce]

That certainly sound like they've enough material for several more films, especially if they do a Star Wars thing by doing the past after the present.

[orthodoc]

I saw the second Hobbit movie last weekend. I read the book when I was ten and loved it (hated the end, don't know if spoilers are okay or if everyone knows what happens at the end). I was a Lord of the Rings geek in university, able to find random quotes in seconds anywhere in the trilogy (please don't laugh too hard). I loved Tolkien's writing, I loved his lofty poetry/prose and themes.

But this movie was ... boring. I hate to say it, but I was ready to leave halfway through. I didn't particularly enjoy the insertion of an entirely new character/romance/romantic triangle just to make the movie go better. I stayed mostly so that I could hear what Benedict Cumberbatch did with Smaug. I wished that Bilbo's encounters with Smaug hadn't been condensed into one scene. And the character arc for Thorin has been turned into a 2x4 that bludgeons you repeatedly. The book was more subtle, more interesting. Maybe some books, like this one, should simply translate into one movie. There and back again.