[stud u like]

Originally Posted by _Venger_

Messed up?

If you read the books,you can see where he seriously ruined the films.

Tom and Goldberry fans were fuming!
What happened at the ford of Bruinen was shown incorrectly.

I can remember being so irritated with the film I kept saying to my mate "that didn't happen in the book".

[Iggyman]

Originally Posted by stud u like

If you read the books,you can see where he seriously ruined the films.

Tom and Goldberry fans were fuming!
What happened at the ford of Bruinen was shown incorrectly.

I can remember being so irritated with the film I kept saying to my mate "that didn't happen in the book".

Besides the amount of hack writing that was present in the films (totally ruining plot lines, characters motivations, etc), Jackson also totally missed the atmosphere of the books. It's almost as if he had never read them, and was writing the script based on what somebody else told him.

[Iggyman]

Originally Posted by snork

However, I think that he might do a good job with the Hobbit as it is a simpler story and less indepth. I'm pleased with the casting too. I guess that puts me in the excited camp.

Unfortunately, it appears that he is turning it into another blockbuster, with massive battles and tons of special f/x AND new characters (and old ones that were never in the book). The chances of Jackson reproducing the atmosphere of the book is less than zero. I suspect it will be as bad as Jackson's LotR trilogy.

[snork]

Originally Posted by Iggyman

Unfortunately, it appears that he is turning it into another blockbuster, with massive battles and tons of special f/x AND new characters (and old ones that were never in the book). The chances of Jackson reproducing the atmosphere of the book is less than zero. I suspect it will be as bad as Jackson's LotR trilogy.

Yes, I agree there. I don't see the need for new characters. Especially the much discussed woodland elf romance they have brewing.

[Iggyman]

Originally Posted by snork

Yes, I agree there. I don't see the need for new characters. Especially the much discussed woodland elf romance they have brewing.

Oh boy. Jackson, just eff off with the changes will you? What a ****.

[ManUtdFan-92]

Lord of the Rings are pretty much my favourite movies ever, they're absolutely perfect imo, and I've also read the books many times - I guess I just didn't mind the changes as much as some.

At any rate, I've been following Peter Jackson's facebook, he has 2 vlogs up about the filming on there if you guys want to check it out.

[nethwen]

Originally Posted by Iggyman

Bombur, Bofur and Bifur - see if you can spot James Nesbitt.

http://moviesmedia.ign.com/movies/im...3111341600.jpg

LOL they all look hilarious.

[Chris1964]

Originally Posted by Assa2

I'd respectfully suggest you sit down and watch the films again, because in essence that's exactly what happens for Frodo. I know what you are trying to say, and I agree. But that's what makes the films so excellent, so near to perfect as is humanly possible. Acurrately respresenting what happens in the books at the end would have been a huge mistake. You cannot bring the events to a massive crescendo and conclusion only to then embark on a new and ultimately worthless adventure when the 4 hobbits return home and find the Shire destroyed. It just about works in the books as a way to demonstrate how the hobbits have changed aftet their adventures and as a metaphor for the evils of industrialisation. In the films it would have failed. But what the end of the films do show is that through saving Middle Earth Frodo has changed so much that The Shire no longer exists for him, in that The Shire is a metaphor for innocence and youth and Frodo has grown up. Frodo knowingly sacrificed himself in body and mind to destroy the ring and in so doing sacrificed a part of himself. When you watch the films back you can see that process happening and see Frodo is aware of that from quite early on.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings. As a fan of the LotR books and all things Tolkien and a fan of films I can safely say that the films were a worthy respresentation of the books in film form and were among the greatest films ever made. The Hobbit will be every bit as good but very different in fell and look and I for one cannot wait.

I certainly agree here. LOTR 3 is the third highest grossing film ever and achieved 11 Oscars, which is quite an achievment. I never thought the book would ever be brought to the screen given the only other attempt was an animation which did not cover the whole story. In the end it was a total triumph.
The only reservation I have about The Hobbit is that it surely cannot have the grandness of its sequels-its a first course after the main and i wonder if it will have the same impact.

[Margo Channing]

Originally Posted by Chris1964

I certainly agree here. LOTR 3 is the third highest grossing film ever and achieved 11 Oscars, which is quite an achievment. I never thought the book would ever be brought to the screen given the only other attempt was an animation which did not cover the whole story. In the end it was a total triumph.
The only reservation I have about The Hobbit is that it surely cannot have the grandness of its sequels-its a first course after the main and i wonder if it will have the same impact.

Didn't the animation run out of money half way through the production?

[Assa2]

People talking about the LotR films totally missing the 'atmosphere' of the books - surely the 'atmosphere' is something very personal and self-generated. I've read and re-read books and felt totally different about them depending upon how I'm feeling, where I am etc... so while you can certainly say that for you the films didn't match your personal expectaiopn because perhaps it missed a section you hold very dear or it changed a plot element or character you had a personal attachement to, I don't think it's justifiable to claim the films missed the 'atmosphere' as if that's something definite. Also in making the films PJ has not erased the books from existence. You can always read them again and never watch the films.

I personally have concerns that The Hobbit films will niot be anything like the book. For me the Hobbit was a very good childrens book - quite innocent and full of fun. the filoms most likely will be much darker and adult. I'll enjoy the films I'm sure and the fact they are different won't detract value form the book.

[Chris1964]

Originally Posted by Margo Channing

Didn't the animation run out of money half way through the production?

Come to thing of it, I reckon you are right. I can remember a screening years ago on Channel Four and at the end somebody gave a brief description of the ending with various stills of the characters.

[BcUhTrTyEeRdCUP]

Bumping sort of
Moreish info about another film locaton not sure where in nelson as i live there

[Nuallain]

One thing to bear in mind when talking about changes in the films is that Tolkien himself was a great reviser and changer of things. I mean, hell, he completely 'did a Lucas' and re-wrote the entire chapter Riddles in the Dark - and had the original version of the Hobbit put out of print where it could no longer be bought - in order to make it fit better with his later decisions about Lord of the Rings.

He even commenced work on an entire, from scratch, re-write of the Hobbit that was intended to replace the original text and would replaced the whimsy and childishness (which I don't mean at all pejoratively) with the same voice and style he used for LotR, while including additional locations from the later book, like Bree, and dropping in 'guest appearances' by characters from LotR.

He never finished it beyond a few chapters, having being persuaded against it by friends but the point is that - like the fact he said of LotR itself he'd have never finished re-writing and re-editing and generally meddling with it if he'd had the energy and time to keep at it - a film script written by Tolkien HIMSELF would probably be at as much, or greater, variance from the original books as anything Jackson did!


Another thing that strikes me is that the changes Jackson is making to The Hobbit seem pretty much directly Tolkien-inspired. Tolkien put a lot of additional information in the appendices of LotR and in other, minor, works and stories and Jackson's The Hobbit seems to draw on some of them.

For instance, The Quest of Erebor is a short framing sequence for The Hobbit that Tolkien devised in which Gandalf tells Frodo - recuperating around the time of Aragon's coronation - the 'secret history' of Bilbo's original adventure. In The Hobbit, some might recall, Gandalf says he found the map while investigating the activities of "the Necromancer" in the southeastern lands and when Thorin boggles at what Gandalf was doing there he's told, very bluntly, to mind his own business.

Spoiler

Quest of Erebor explains these southeastern lands are Mordor and that, in investigating who this "Necromancer" is, and what he's up to, Gandalf is horrified to uncover he is, in fact, a living corpse inhabited by the spirit of Sauron - who is slowly beginning to regain his powers but is still too weak to reveal himself to the world. Discovering/fearing that Sauron intends to forge an alliance with Smaug Gandalf decides killing the dragon is now a priority and sets on using Thorin and the dwarves as his weapon to do so without tipping his hand to Sauron that he is suspected.

Considering that "The Necromancer" (played by Sherlock's Benedict Cumberbatch) and Frodo are on the cast list and that the sequence would set The Hobbit so powerfully in place as a LotR prequel (which was, after all, Tolkien's apparent intent when writing Erebor) I'd say it's very likely to be in the film.

Similarly, Jackson has said the White Council appears in the film and, certainly, Galadriel, Radagast, Celeborn, Saruman etc are on the cast list when - going by the original book - they wouldn't be expected to be. It looks to me that Jackson is doing a bit of a fudge - but an artistically justifiable one and moving into the timeframe of the Hobbit a particular meeting of the White Council that Tolkien detailed. Very likely, I think, the meeting will be revealed to be the 'pressing business' Gandalf must attend to when he leaves the dwarves and Bilbo at the entrance to Mirkwood.

Spoiler

The meeting I'm thinking of is the one which Tolkien describes in which Gandalf delivers news of his discovery of the Necromancer's true identity and presses for plans to be made for an immediate attack on Mordor before the still weak Sauron can rebuild it's defences and armies. Saruman argues against him and carries the debate with the decision on a policy of containment, rather than regime change, being taken.

Meanwhile, off Gandalf's fears that Sauron will be looking for the One Ring and that it may already be abroad again in the world, Saruman claims to have made a special study of the Ring's path through history up to the point in fell in the river, and has concluded it was swept out to sea. In reality, Saruman has already traced the One Ring as far as its coming into Smeagol's possession and it secretly trying to locate where it went to after that. Gandalf suspects Saruman is lying and this begins their mutual secrecy and distrust.

I can appreciate there are those who'll think including these other bits and pieces into The Hobbit 'ruin it' or 'mess it up' (and who knows, it might well prove unwieldy) but, if I'm right about how these elements are included, it seems to me a worthy reflection of the Tolkien canon made by a true fan of it.

[Edmond-Dantès]

The trailer is expected on Tuesday on the anniversary of the release of The Fellowship of the Ring in New Zealand ten long years ago. There are some descriptions of what to expect from the trailer out there, if you know where to look.

USA Today link

[Edmond-Dantès]

Connolly cast as Dáin II Ironfoot

Scottish comedian Billy Connolly is joining the cast of Sir Peter Jackson's The Hobbit.

Connolly will play Dain Ironfoot, a great dwarf warrior and cousin of Thorin Oakenshield.

"We could not think of a more fitting actor to play Dain Ironfoot, the staunchest and toughest of dwarves, than Billy Connolly, the Big Yin himself," said Sir Peter.

"With Billy stepping into this role, the cast of The Hobbit is now complete. We can't wait to see him on the battlefield."

Connolly, 69, starred in The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise and spent several weeks filming the movie in Taranaki in 2003.

He has performed his standup comedy shows in New Zealand several times over the years and is married to New Zealander Pamela Stephenson.

Source

That rounds out the casting for The Hobbit, I do wonder if the likes of Tom, Bert, and William and Roäc will be voiced by actors already cast or whether Peter will omit the talking aspect of the animals and trolls.

[Delboy219]

I might be thinking of the wrong comedian, but didn't Billy do a huge bit about hating LotR a few years back?

[Edmond-Dantès]

New video blog is up.

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=87644

Pretty much confirms where the first film will end; Bilbo's barrel ride, with Lonely Mountain looming in the distance.

[Edmond-Dantès]

7th Production Diary is up - Studio Tour

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=...type=2&theater

[peon]

Originally Posted by stud u like

If you read the books,you can see where he seriously ruined the films.

Tom and Goldberry fans were fuming!
What happened at the ford of Bruinen was shown incorrectly.

I can remember being so irritated with the film I kept saying to my mate "that didn't happen in the book".

as a fan of both the books and the films, i think the adaptation was very good. it's impossible to fit every detail of a book into the movie version as it was written, because of time constraints, pacing, the need to retain interest, size of cast and characters that have to be introduced etc

you have the luxury of doing this with novels because they can be picked up and put down at leisure, but a two, two and a half hour movie is a different animal entirely.

[JMan22]

I'm really looking forward to it now. I've only been watching the trilogy of films for the first time recently and I've been blown away with the quality of the first two so far. To see a lot of the original cast been reprised is a positive sign, and of course Peter Jackson directing as well can only mean good things. It really could be brilliant. Asking for it to match up to the trilogy is a lot, but I think it's possible if they do it right.

Anyway, once I've seen Return of the King over the next couple of days then I'll soon get started on reading the Hobbit.

[Edmond-Dantès]

Originally Posted by JMan22

I'm really looking forward to it now. I've only been watching the trilogy of films for the first time recently and I've been blown away with the quality of the first two so far. To see a lot of the original cast been reprised is a positive sign, and of course Peter Jackson directing as well can only mean good things. It really could be brilliant. Asking for it to match up to the trilogy is a lot, but I think it's possible if they do it right.

Anyway, once I've seen Return of the King over the next couple of days then I'll soon get started on reading the Hobbit.

You're in for a treat. There are many who prefer the rapid pace of the narrative and the light-heartedness that shines through at times. Not to mention Bilbo himself who is quite the character.

[Edmond-Dantès]

New pics:

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,2048...608420,00.html

Gollum looks suitably younger. More hair, less haggard looking, just generally more youthful because of the power One Ring

[Jenzen]

Originally Posted by Edmond-Dantès

New pics:

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,2048...608420,00.html

Gollum looks suitably younger. More hair, less haggard looking, just generally more youthful because of the power One Ring

Oo thank you, Im very excited for this!

[Craigywageybaby]

Originally Posted by CJWALKER

Anyone else immensley excited about the new Hobbit films!

When i heard that they were doing it but Del Torro was directing i wasnt as excited as i would have been!

But now virtually the entire crew from the original trilogy is back

Peter jackson
Phillipa Boyens
Fran walsh
Ian Mckellen
Andy serkis
Cate Blanchett
Elijah wood

I am beyond excited that Jackson is directing, its going to feel like a proper sequel!

Prequel you mean.

I read the book in preparation for the film coming out. I literally can't wait!!!

[dmuk]

Can't get excited about a film that's going to look like a soap opera.