MovieChat Forums > The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014) Discussion > Just watched. Thought I would hate it an...

Just watched. Thought I would hate it and didn't.

posted 8 years ago by LivAlex
16 replies | jump to latest

Love Middle Earth. Love Tolkien and loved the movies. I closely followed the production of the Hobbit and made sure to see it opening night, even though I was backpacking in Asia and getting to a theatre was a 12 hour bus ride away. Sadly An Unexpected Journey was beyond disappointing. I mean a real letdown. So bad I didn't bother with the other two. In the years since the trilogy has come out I've had zero interesting in anything else to do with The Hobbit.

Earlier today though my brother told me he recently watched the Extended Editions and said some things that peaked my interest so I decided why not. Skipped the first one, I'll probably never watch it again but I didn't hate DOS or BOFA. There are some additions I LOATHE, mainly the forced and ridiculous triangle but I was surprised that overall I thought Tauriel was entertaining enough. The addition of this non canon character was one of the reasons I skipped out on The Hobbit but eh, she was alright. I didn't hate having Legolas around either because I'm a nostalgic person and having some of the fellowship there was nice, even if he was maybe a tad too nimble and quick. Basically once I began to realize that we were now playing in Jacksons universe and not Tolkiens I was able to sit back and enjoy the movies. Are they anywhere close to the caliber that Lord of the Rings is? Fck no. I really didn't feel like I knew or cared for any of the dwarves (especially Thorin) but I loved every member of the fellowship, including Boromir. Nothing moved me to tears and the music didn't give me goosebumps, but there were some parts I loved - particularly Galadriel, Saruman, Gandalf and Elrond on Dol Guldor. Too much CGI and the prequel lacked the heart of the original trilogy, but overall an enjoyable ride that I will watch again. Better than the Star Wars prequels, that's for sure.

[–] zoellnerdennis 8 years ago

Sadly An Unexpected Journey was beyond disappointing

It's the best of all this mess.

but there were some parts I loved - particularly Galadriel, Saruman, Gandalf and Elrond on Dol Guldor.

The crudest rape of Tolkien I've ever seen. Nothing like what he ever would have written. Just cheap fantasy trash. Too sad.

Tells me a lot about your taste. But hey, if you enjoyed it, congrats! For me it was just crap.

(by the way: it's Dol Guldur)

With each day the number of people on my Ignore list is growing.

[–] LivAlex 8 years ago

I thought the "crudest rape of Tolkien" was the Kili/Tauriel romance. Stupid stupid stupid and also completely demeaning to the friendship of Legolas and Gimli, while feeling like a rip off slash cheap replica of Arwen and Aragorn.

I am not sure why you have to discuss rudely and passive aggressively just because we don't see eye to eye. I'm sorry you're life is so sad and your mind so small. I hope you're more pleasant in the real world.

[–] bn_filmz 8 years ago

I am not sure why you have to discuss rudely and passive aggressively just because we don't see eye to eye.

That's because he and certain other users here can't handle the fact that some people have positive things to say about films that THEY dislike.

Personally I love everything about the three Hobbit movies (extended versions), but I don't expect everyone else to share my opinion. Some think Jackson's trilogy is terrible; some think it's mediocre and others think it's really good or even fantastic, and that's fine with me. I would never suggest that there's something wrong with people just because they have a different opinion and a different taste. But unfortunately that's a strategy several individuals have used in the Hobbit threads since 2013.

I still maintain that there's nothing wrong about disliking the Hobbit trilogy or parts of it. And there is also nothing wrong about loving every bit of the trilogy.

[–] Conan-1982 8 years ago

"Better than the Star Wars prequels, that's for sure."

That we can all agree on.

[–] isabel_pink 8 years ago

You're free to like everything, but there are too many points that you didn't like and flaws you mentioned that make this movie a mediocre movie.

I don't think any moive is flawless, but when they are too many mistakes, well it's just a bad movie.

[–] lookthisway 8 years ago

Tauriel was entertaining enough

I'm curious. How was she entertaining?

And Legolas wasn't just a tad nimble and quick, he was practically walking on water, lol

[–] isabel_pink 8 years ago

I can only think that it would have been entertaining if she was decapitated by Bolg, Azog, or any other orc, but it didn't happened in the movie, so she was as entertaining as watching wet paint going dry.

[–] LivAlex 8 years ago

I just meant that I didn't hate her as much as I thought I would. There were things that bugged me way more than her presence onscreen, although her and Kili together were nauseating and a focus that never should have happened. Her fight scenes were OK and I liked the chemistry between her and Legolas, of which I saw nothing romantic, despite what Thranduil had to say about it. I'm not saying at all that the creation of her character was beneficial to The Hobbit; it's not, and more screen time should have been given to characters who deserved it, such as Beorn or any of the dwarves or goodness, I don't know.. Even BILBO (who was reduced to a supporting character in his own story). But after all that said, I don't hate her. I said she "entertaining enough" and "alright". Hardly a compliment, sort of a moot point for me.

[–] bn_filmz 8 years ago

I said she "entertaining enough" and "alright". Hardly a compliment, sort of a moot point for me.

And if it was in fact a compliment, why should you make any excuse for it??

[–] isabel_pink 8 years ago

more screen time should have been given to characters who deserved it, such as Beorn or any of the dwarves or goodness, I don't know.. Even BILBO (who was reduced to a supporting character in his own story

Thank you very much. Yes, more tiem should have been given to those characters. In the book it was Beorn who save the day along with the eagles, but even when people say that it wasn't told in the book 'cause Bilbo fainted, it wasn't an excuse to shoehorn Tauriel and her silly romance. If they wanted to make up something, I think people would have love to see a made up story about Beorn.

[–] annezuchowicz63 8 years ago

What is it with men and romance, in films. They hate hate hate any type of affectiom between characters. Lol. I really liked the connection between Killi and Teriel (spelling?). Both from separate worlds but he loved her. Whats wrong with that? There was plenty of action, drama and suspense, why not a bit of romance. Sheesh.

[–] isabel_pink 8 years ago

What is wrong with stupid infatuations? They have nothing in common, they only hate orcs and that's it.

I haven't seen any love story but some very shallow characters that fell for the first one that came across them. Kili was flirting with male elves at Rivendel, and Tauriel just seemed to like Kili because he mentioned his trousers.

Love? Where is it?

[–] Conan-1982 8 years ago

"What is it with men and romance, in films."

Basically you have to "trick us" into getting into one : do a great movie first, then we'll see if we like the romance in it or not.

Like The Terminator did : it's a love story that is part of an action sci-fi movie, it's integral to the plot (if those 2 don't fall in love and make a baby the future of the whole world is fuxxed) and it's between the two main characters that we grow to like as the movie goes on.

On the other hand, you get The Hobbit where they just shoehorn a pointless love story between two irrelevant characters we know nothing about and that both have minimal impact on the whole plot of the story.

Does anything change in Middle-Earth if Taurien & Kili do or do not fall in love ? No, no one cares.

Same for me.

[–] Kyos 8 years ago

What is it with men and romance, in films. They hate hate hate any type of affectiom between characters.

Can't speak for men in general, but I don't hate romance in movies. And of course even less do I hate "any type of affection between characters". That's stuff that can make movies great. Buuuuut...

...like with all other elements in a movie it needs to be done well for me to enjoy it. I don't hate or love romance based on that it's romance, just like I don't hate or love action because it's action. It's the execution that matters.

Both from separate worlds but he loved her. Whats wrong with that?

I didn't buy their "love". Not for one minute. That's my main problem with it. Neither of them seems to do much to justify the deep feelings they want us to believe are there.

Now do I believe they are attracted to each other? Probably, although that leads to another problem. They are selling this as the big uniting dwarf/elf romance, but it doesn't work like that for me either. Why? Because Kili barely looks anything like a dwarf. Based on what I've actually seen in the movie Tauriel doesn't fall in love with a dwarf, she's essentially attracted to a handsome, if slightly differently proportioned human.

And that's just purely from the actual things shown to us in the movie. Also I feel like having this elf/"dwarf" bond somewhat takes away from the uniqueness of the extraordinary friendship that developes between Legolas and Gimli later. Here I am now going slightly in the territory of judging the Hobbit movies as a prequel to the LotR trilogy, an adaptation of The Hobbit specifically and Tolkien lore and mythology in general. None of those additional angles improves my opinions on the romance in the slightest.

So to summarize: I don't dislike the Tauriel/Kili romance element because I hate romances in general, but simply because basically nothing at all about it worked for me.

[–] zinabaggins 8 years ago

You don't love Tolkien if you like this abomination.

[–] Otaku-sempai 8 years ago

You don't love Tolkien if you like this abomination.

You are not the arbiter of other peoples' likes and dislikes. You've gotta lotta never, sister!

"Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved." - T. Isabella