THE HOBBIT TRAILER IS…

Clicked with me, but maybe I'm just excited to have Jackson playing within this world once more. The "spoofy" tone you mention to me I attribute to the book's lighter, child-friendly demeanor.

Is the board software glitching again? Someone's throwaway board post seems to have been posted as a leading article on the main page.

I found I had an inability to suspend disbelief when I first saw Fellowship.  I was a fan of the books, and in "going to" Middle Earth, a place I had so often pictured, there was an element of the artificial I couldn't shake.  Now, going back to the series, those feelings are cropping up again.  Only it's a reaction to the earlier films, rather than the books.  Because it's the same, but different, because the movie was so long in limbo, because I really want it to be good, it's almost as if I am not able to just watch it on its own terms.  I am aware of myself sitting here watching footage from the movie version of The Hobbit, instead of just forgetting myself and watching it... if that makes sense.

Anyway, I fully expect that feeling to go away at some point, just as it did with the trilogy.

Loved it.

Anyway.............and this isn't aimed at you or your article, Nick (as I understand your concerns)..................what the hell is up with the massive LOTR backlash flooding the 'net with the debut of this trailer?

It felt like coming home. A wonderful tease.

Pitch fucking perfect. Now we wait 12 months.

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Originally Posted by S.D. Bob Plissken 

what the hell is up with the massive LOTR backlash flooding the 'net with the debut of this trailer?

Pffft, Mordor in our midst...

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Originally Posted by Bluelouboyle 

Wow. I'm stoked. I expected a one minute tease. Weta must have been working overtime. Loved the new score.

I wonder how much of that IS the new score..

The song at the very least has to be. And I love so very much that they actually did the whole song. I kind of hope they keep the goblin song, too (after the party escapes the goblins in the Misty Mountains).

Looks good, but I wanted to see me some Smaug!

I got to see this in a nice large movie theater tonight.  I didn't really get goosebumps (I wasn't even expecting to see the teaser!), but I really loved what I saw.  I admire its relatively unconventional structure as far as trailers go.  The use of the dwarves singing felt really gutsy.  

I loved the song and the tone of the whole thing, it looks like fun!

So I'm probably the only person on the internet that doesn't know this, but is this going to be a 2 or 3 parter?

I loved it completely. I didn't notice a spoofier tone. Only thing I could say that could be perceived negatively at all is that Freeman isn't an especially attractive Hobbit, but that doesn't bother me at all.

With the exception of some awful prosthetics, it's looking great.

I like it and I got the goosebumpage from the dwarf song.

But I think the less than epic feel is partly due to the preponderance of interior shots and also because of the shots of Gandalf out-and-about overpowering the shots of the group out-and-about. The scenery for those group shots looks appropriately Middle Earth Spectacular but a few close ups of the group striding/climbing across that landscape to go with the wide shots would epic things up a little. Wouldn't hurt to have a couple more wide shots of battle scenes too.

But then again this is a first taste and by the time the second trailer hits they'll have more footage to cut from to up the epic.

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Originally Posted by Arjen Rudd 

Only thing I could say that could be perceived negatively at all is that Freeman isn't an especially attractive Hobbit, but that doesn't bother me at all.

Yeah, considering how pretty his nephew is we might have expected a more fuckable Bilbo but I reckon Freeman is the goods.

Is it just me or does Nesbitt's Bofur look a little like George Harrison?

I've seen Nesbitt's dwarf compared to Spinal Tap's Derrick Smalls...

re: the lack of 'epicness', wasn't turning The Hobbit into an LOTR style epic an idea half the fans have been bitching about since they announced it would be two movies? You can never please everyone I guess.

No Blue Lou, I knew a couple of folks who worked on LOTR but not this time round.

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Originally Posted by Paul C 

 

re: the lack of 'epicness', wasn't turning The Hobbit into an LOTR style epic an idea half the fans have been bitching about since they announced it would be two movies? You can never please everyone I guess.

Isn't The Hobbit already an epic without having to be "turned into" one? I mean, there's a dragon and everything.

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Originally Posted by Bucho 

Isn't The Hobbit already an epic without having to be "turned into" one? I mean, there's a dragon and everything.

There's also talking little birds and animals serving food, and songs, some comedy moments and a far more whimsical sense of adventure, insetad of an epic showdown between good and evil with everything at stake.

That said, i need to see Beorn tear through a orc/goblin army in his bear form; there is no way that moment from the book wont be badass onscreen.

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Originally Posted by Ratty 

Looks good, but I wanted to see me some Smaug!

I have to wonder if we'll even see Smaug in this first movie, beyond maybe a Gollum-esque glimpse.  While Smaug's presence is a big deal, he doesn't really appear much until the latter half of the book, as I recall.

I think it's a mostly effective teaser...introduces the characters, (re)introduces the setting, but didn't do so hot a job with storyline beyond "there's an adventure and Bilbo is somewhat reluctant to go."  I didn't come away much more excited for the movie than I already am...but I was already considerably excited so that's probably to be expected.

For those with a more complete LotR/Hobbit knowledge of such things...why the heck did Gandalf think it'd be a good idea to send Bilbo along, anyway?  I remember that he was supporting Thorin Oakenshield's quest because he thought it'd be a good idea to take Smaug off the table (so that he couldn't team up with Sauron), but...why Bilbo?

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Originally Posted by Jmacq1 

For those with a more complete LotR/Hobbit knowledge of such things...why the heck did Gandalf think it'd be a good idea to send Bilbo along, anyway?  I remember that he was supporting Thorin Oakenshield's quest because he thought it'd be a good idea to take Smaug off the table (so that he couldn't team up with Sauron), but...why Bilbo?

Gandalf had always had a pretty high opinion of hobbits in general, and Bilbo had some ancestry that broke out of the hobbit norm and was known for its adventurousness and non-hobbitness.  I also think he may have been trying to nudge the Shire out of its isolation -- at this time, they were fairly sheltered and removed from the world, and I think Gandalf suspected there was an innate goodness in them that would be needed later.

I'm not getting some of the complaints that the trailer was epic or weighty enough.  That dwarf song and Shore's orchestrated version of it sure seemed to set an epic tone to me.

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Originally Posted by Jmacq1 

For those with a more complete LotR/Hobbit knowledge of such things...why the heck did Gandalf think it'd be a good idea to send Bilbo along, anyway?  I remember that he was supporting Thorin Oakenshield's quest because he thought it'd be a good idea to take Smaug off the table (so that he couldn't team up with Sauron), but...why Bilbo?

The exact reasons are never stated, but he was basically chosen because of his stature, the fact that he was one of the only hobbits who would dare go along, they basically needed a spy/burglar to sneak into Smaug's lair, although no one is really sure why, lets just say Gandalf knew he was the "man for the job" so to speak.

FREAKIN' AWESOME !!!!!!!!!

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Originally Posted by Jmacq1 

For those with a more complete LotR/Hobbit knowledge of such things...why the heck did Gandalf think it'd be a good idea to send Bilbo along, anyway?  I remember that he was supporting Thorin Oakenshield's quest because he thought it'd be a good idea to take Smaug off the table (so that he couldn't team up with Sauron), but...why Bilbo?

Hobbits were exceptionally good at hiding, sneaking into places and moving silently. Also uncannily accurate at throwing rocks. A hobbit was their best chance at sneaking past Smaug.

Remember Gandalf having Pippin sneak past the guards to light the beacon? Or Merry and Pippin riding on Treebeard's shoulders and headshoting orcs with rocks during the Ent attack on Isengard?

The best thing about this trailer: The return of Gandalf the Grey. (Bless you, Ian McKellen. Bless you.)

The second best thing: Howard Shore.

The third best thing: Everything else.

Yeah, I got goose pimply. This was better than TDKR trailer.

I just hope we'll be able to get our hands on a 1080p 48fps version sometime. I'd love to see how it will move.

Excited about Martin Freeman in this. He looks great.

Dwarf song: Do not want.

Boooooo!

I don't think I like you any more.

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Originally Posted by stelios 

Remember Gandalf having Pippin sneak past the guards to light the beacon?

Not in the books.  There, Gandalf and Pippin see the beacons being lit as they ride to Gondor.

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Originally Posted by Richard Dickson 

Not in the books.  There, Gandalf and Pippin see the beacons being lit as they ride to Gondor.

I know. I was using examples of the abilities of Hobbits taken from the movies. 

I haven't read it in ages, but wasn't it heavily implied that Gandalf bringing out unlikely people's adventurous side by sending them off on quests was kind of a personal hobby of his?

What stuck out to me from the trailer was that it looked too artificial. Maybe it's PJ's style or his way of doings things these days, but FOTR aimed for a bit more naturalism which had gone out the window by the time we got to TTT and ROTK. I was hoping for a more intimate feel that recalled the first film. Here, it's all obvious prosthetic makeup and scenery that looks like sets and CGI matte paintings.

Didn't strike me as a trailer in the traditional sense, ie building excitement. Felt more like the kind of footage they bring to conventions. Almost like a demo reel. I liked it though. I didn't catch make up flaws but I watched at in 480p so...

Goal for 2012:  re-read The Hobbit for the first time since I was 10.  

I loved this, not just as a trailer for The Hobbit, but as a trailer in general, with all the lighter goofy stuff upfront, the singing, the way the singing segues into the booming score, ending with the sinister Smeagol / Ring reveal.  Wonderful trailer.  The worst thing I can say about it is it's going to make waiting a whole year that much harder. 

Both this trailer and the one for TDKR rely way too much on our fondness for what came before. I'm sure the films will be great but as far as holy shit! trailers go, neither one is even close.

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Originally Posted by Ratty 

Goal for 2012:  re-read The Hobbit for the first time since I was 10.  

Honestly, it will take you a few hours.

I'm sure we'll have a scene with Gandalf getting an inkling or a vision (or whatever) that he needs Bilbo on this adventure to kickstart the ring on its journey to the fires of Mordor, even if he doesn't have full knowledge of the ring. That only Bilbo (and then Frodo) can carry the ring without being to corrupted. In Bilbo's case, only for awhile.

I think the trailer's messily cut, but the movie underneath it looks perfect. Hate those clumsy subtitles, though -- what's the matter with just calling them Part 1 and 2?

I'm wondering how much material they actually had to work with beyond what was shown.  Most production reports seem to point towards Jackson shooting as much footage on location as humanly possible on this.

It really is mesmerizing how much Martin Freeman recalls Ian Holm in his performance while still bringing his own charm to the role.  The mannerisms, the voice...all exactly as I imagined them to be.  Also, the outfit that we first see him wearing while he's smoking his weed is pretty damn hot if I do say so myself.

My only complaint is that, yes, some of the shots have the slightly oversaturated sheen that irked me when it came to Lesnie's cinematography in the original trilogy, but the scenery and some of the more atmospheric lighting is still as gorgeous as ever.  Jackson does know how to experiment with some unique, oddly cinematic angles.

This is the single. Nerdiest. Thing. Ever. In the history of things.

I'm not on board, sorry. Every nook and cranny of Middle Earth was onscreen through the billions of hours of the Lord of the Rings films already. This looks like a fan-film. A great looking, handsomely mounted fan film, but still. The music and the singing and the naming of the elves/dwarfs and all the callbacks? The original films might as well have starred Miles Davis, Richard Roundtree, Julius Erving, Slick Rick and Pam Grier, because I don't remember them being half as insular and dorky as this.

I feel like, even after all these years, the Lord of the Rings movies were like a ridiculously huge Thanksgiving dinner. This just feels like OPEN YOUR FUCKING MOUTH, THERE'S MORE PIE, YOU ASSHOLE. And it SINGS.

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Originally Posted by stelios 

I just hope we'll be able to get our hands on a 1080p 48fps version sometime. I'd love to see how it will move.

YEAH!  I want to see that!

The Hobbit is a legitimate story, and it does introduce plenty of new characters and locations that were unexplored in the original trilogy.  You could argue that it's not necessary, I suppose, but if you're already fascinated by the characters, then I don't see the harm in visiting Bilbo's iconic adventure.  It may not work exactly as it does with the books, but I really did appreciate The Hobbit and Tolkien's extended writing in terms of them deepening my knowledge of the themes, characters and ancestry in Middle Earth.

What?

I'm not sure why the singing makes it look like a "fan film" in addition to the numerous callbacks, since they are, just like in Tolkien's extended writings, unquestionably part of the fabric of the universe.  It's a great song and it's directly tied to the history of the dwarves.

You think the tone makes the film look divorced from the original trilogy and thus renders The Hobbit an unnecessary callback for no apparent reason.  I think that's a legitimate complaint, and it's not unreasonable for you to want the film to justify itself beyond being just another adventure that has no distinct relation to the already-great trilogy.  I do think that the story has some legitimate things to offer, though, and whether or not they translate as well to the screen as they do in the books, The Hobbit does deepen Middle Earth.

I concede up front that this does not make it less nerdy, but they were dwarfs, not orcs.

My mind conflated "dwarfs" and "elves" into orcs. Also, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.