I know some people are not happy with The Desolation of Smaug. I’ll start my review by saying that I have read The Hobbit yearly since 1973. I’ve read The Lord of the Rings yearly since 1971. I love the books and the stories. I also love Peter Jackson’s telling of those tales. So when I went to see a double-feature of The Hobbit to include AUJ and a midnight, first-time viewing of DOS, I went without the book as my expectation and eager for the adventure into Middle-earth as only Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh can serve. I was not disappointed!
Continue reading “grammaboodawg’s Review of ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’”
Editor Note: Our next review comes from long time collaborator and friend of TheOneRing.net, David Baxter. David has been involved in some manner with TheOneRing.net since the early 2000s, and is a staple at events in California. Being that he is 6’8″ – he makes a really impressive Gandalf too!
Let me get this out of the way, I did not go into the screening of The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug expecting to see all or even many of the events I’d pictured in my head after reading JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit and seeing the Rankin & Bass animated version in 1977 (dating myself here). It was impossible after seeing Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Too much of that film had been devoted to setting up or showing events that were never shown in Tolkien’s work and were only mentioned in the appendices of The Return of the King.
Continue reading “Review of Peter Jackson’s ‘The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug’”
Dan Hennah, Academy Award winner and nominee just last year, talked about Middle-earth movies and “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” with TheOneRing.net last week while he stood inside the re-creation of Beorn’s house! Hennah and his wife Chris run the Art Department of Peter Jackson’s Hobbit movies and from concept to shoot day, makes the items and sets happen. He is a pretty incredible guy, right up there with Peter Jackson and Richard Taylor as one of New Zealand’s most amazing individuals. Part of our series of video interviews to get you ready for the World Premiere of the newest Middle-earth film!
See also: An interview with Martin Freeman
And: An interview with Richard Armitage
BEVERLY HILLS — On the same day that fans and journalists lined the streets of Hollywood to celebrate the World Premiere of “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” Martin Freeman chatted with TheOneRing.net about what it was like to play opposite a dragon. He also discussed the work of other fine actors on set including Sir Ian McKellen and Morgan Freeman! The video is part of a series today to usher in the midnight release of the film (more or less) around the world.
See also: An interview with Richard Armitage
Editor Note: Our latest staff review comes from staffer Arwen.
As a word of warning, Arwen’s review has SPOILERS from the very beginning. If you are avoiding spoilers of any type, please know — you have been warned!
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Continue reading “Arwen’s Review of ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’”
Editor Note: Our latest staff review comes from staffer and second half of the Happy Hobbit team, Fili. The Happy Hobbits were TheOneRing.net official representatives at the ‘black’ carpet premiere of ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ this past Monday in Hollywood, CA. (You can see the unedited video coverage in our uStream archive)
As a word of warning, Fili’s review is filled with SPOILERS from the very beginning. If you are avoiding spoilers of any type, please know — you have been warned!
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Continue reading “Fili’s Review of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”
