The Hobbit

[the white drew carey]

Thorin looks waaay too young. Balin, who is 17 years younger than Thorin is show with almost completely white hair and bald.

That is one character decision I really don't care for.

[derex3592]

I'm SOOOOOOOOO there!

[Reïvaj]

Cool! Can't wait to see it!

[Marzan]

The moustaches and beards look a bit attached but who cares! Wanna see it now.

[Vile]

Thorin looks waaay too young. Balin, who is 17 years younger than Thorin is show with almost completely white hair and bald.

That's just the way the genes tumbled in the family. And diet, but mainly the genes.

[Arthurius]

i am so exited about this and Batman (and maybe the avengers), but this the most, trailer is absolute awsomeness.

[the white drew carey]

That's just the way the genes tumbled in the family. And diet, but mainly the genes.

Riiiiight...

[azrael]

SDCC preview issue is in store this week:

This Week's Cover: 'The Hobbit' -- plus our annual Comic-Con preview

And new pics here.

[Lobizon]

Comic-Con Poster For The Hobbit

[azrael]

Comic-Con banner

Article link:here

SDCC starts on July 12th.

[PetarB]

Banner looks great. I particularly like:

- Gandalf having chat to Beorn (I thought they might skip that plotline entirely!)

- Dwarves in barrels - although I do NOT remember this scene, from memory they were washed up on the bank and pulled out, they never all floated down the river with the 'lids off'. But it makes for a great scene!

[azrael]

Oh for the love of....

THE HOBBIT Will Now Be A Trilogy

Could he at least make each part shorter so I don't have to block out an entire day for each flick? Not sure I want to sit through 3 hours/movie AGAIN.

[Omegablue]

I wonder if the giant eagles will finally play an important role here?

[Lobizon]

[Uxi]

Outside of the Balin age deal, my main beef with all the dwarves is the beards, especially Thorin. Their beards are just too short (if not missing entirely like Bomber). Fili and Kili could be explained as their youth, but not Thorin or Bomber or Ori. There was more room for use of braids, etc. For the background of the other 11, it probably could be dismissed as irrelevent but Thorin is too important for that. I'm pretending I never heard the quote that Dain II would have a mohawk and head tattoos, though. :scared:

These are, of course, minor issues, compared to Tauriel.

I don't think I have a problem with trilogy in concept though fear it's going to be too much made up artificial connections to the LOTR trilogy instead of portrayals/setup for the situation at Erebor like the Battle of Azanulbizar, etc.

[Roy Focker]

You're complaining about their facial hair? I don't think the millions of people that are going to see these films will even notice or care about that.

[azrael]

According to TheOneRing.net, these are the changes in this trailer (dubbed ver. 1.1 by them):

0:23 — Bilbo's reaction to Gandalf's arrival

1:57 — Bilbo hiding behind a tree in Mirkwood

1:59 — Gandalf, the dwarves, and Bilbo running through a forest

[Einherjar]

Oh for the love of....

THE HOBBIT Will Now Be A Trilogy

I get the distinct feeling some cosmic force in the world is trying to get me to stop procrastinating in general and finish reading the book, among other things.

Edited August 5, 2012 by Einherjar

[CoryHolmes]

I had no desire at all to watch any of these movies. The trailer might just have sold me...

[derex3592]

3 parts....GOOD! Better to have three 2-2.5 hr movies than two 4-4.5 hour freakin Jackson fests!

[Valkyrie addict]

Not to offend anyone, just a question.

Why is everyone so excited about this movie in particular aside from its Lord of Rings connection?

[David Hingtgen]

Because it's a movie of a treasured childhood story. IMHO The Hobbit is better than LOTR in many ways. I *loved* reading The Hobbit and read it many times in my school years. The LOTR trilogy--I've read it, but the stories never really grabbed me like The Hobbit did. (the first time, I actually never finished the first LOTR book---I got bored. It wasn't until years later that I tried again and read the whole series)

Considering that THE LOTR MOVIES ARE BETTER THAN THE BOOKS, I can only imagine how good the better-to-start-with Hobbit story will be on the big screen.

[sketchley]

Lessee, to add to David Hingtgen's post:

The Hobbit = page turner (= awesome).

Despite their flaws (most unnoticeable to all but the most devout LotR fans), Peter Jackson et al have a passion for the quality material that they produced. As the same team is at work for the Hobbit, the resultant movies should also have the same passion and quality.

I'm also looking forward to revisiting some of the places and characters that appeared in LotR - and this is where having the same production staff is a definite bonus.

[Graham]

Loved the Hobbit as a kid. First read it when I was 9 and re-read it a few times since. Probably about due for another re-read.

Dunno why, but I'm just not at all pumped up about this movie, probably beacuse the LotR movies didn't really do much for me.

Maybe my tastes have changed over the years, but I'm far more excited about seeing the upcoming Expendables 2 and Dredd movies.

Graham

[Uxi]

You're complaining about their facial hair? I don't think the millions of people that are going to see these films will even notice or care about that.

Appeal to popularity fallacy?

No doubt I'll be one of the people seeing the films. Given the huge amount of nitpicking over LOTR and the EE's there will be a lot for these, too, but such is the way when adapting beloved material that's decades old in it's nth edition/reprinting. It will probably remain nitpicking, for me included, but whether it's popular or not is a non sequitur. Very many adaptations stray in ways both big and small and can be popular (or not) independently.

I do think they got the mood of the dwarves right, at least from what's seen in the trailer, both with their somber song and the comical cleanup. I do hope they give Thorin at least a little (relative) levity and have him blowing smoke rings with Gandalf, though.

[Dynaman]

Considering that THE LOTR MOVIES ARE BETTER THAN THE BOOKS, I can only imagine how good the better-to-start-with Hobbit story will be on the big screen.

You may have been joking but I'm not, the movies where much more entertaining then the books. I stopped reading LOTR when I found myself reading an entire paragraph about a knot on a tree, for the third time (you know - you read something so boring you lose track and have to start over). I've never skipped pages like I have with LOTR either, all of the poems were real snoozers. The Hobbit on the other hand, read it from cover to cover and it flowed very well, sure it was a children's book, but it was a very well done one.

[Dobber]

Because it's a movie of a treasured childhood story. IMHO The Hobbit is better than LOTR in many ways. I *loved* reading The Hobbit and read it many times in my school years. The LOTR trilogy--I've read it, but the stories never really grabbed me like The Hobbit did. (the first time, I actually never finished the first LOTR book---I got bored. It wasn't until years later that I tried again and read the whole series) Considering that THE LOTR MOVIES ARE BETTER THAN THE BOOKS, I can only imagine how good the better-to-start-with Hobbit story will be on the big screen.

The Hobbit = page turner (= awesome)

What David and Sketchley said.

Chris

Edited August 7, 2012 by Dobber

[Uxi]

Partially it's the somewhat archaic language Tolkien uses. Hobbits going "queer" when Gandalf comes around and throwing happy people on the fire and all that. The style is definitely much different in LOTR than Hobbit, as well.

[David Hingtgen]

I've never skipped pages like I have with LOTR either, all of the poems were real snoozers.

I once *really* tried to read LOTR with all the poems and songs----gave up. "I swear, this time I won't skip over them" quickly turns into "ok, so that's the 6th elf with a name that starts with L and ends with M in the past 4 lines, and I forgot who's who"

[Twoducks]

I once *really* tried to read LOTR with all the poems and songs----gave up. "I swear, this time I won't skip over them" quickly turns into "ok, so that's the 6th elf with a name that starts with L and ends with M in the past 4 lines, and I forgot who's who"

Reminds me of my experience with The Silmarillion. Can't think of another book where you spend most of the time checking the name appendix than actually reading it. Name after name after name and some even had three or four different ones. I did have a kick reading it. Felt like a challenge finishing it (on the second try) and the stories were cool.

The epicness of the huge stories there make the battles of TLOTR sound like kids play. Half of them were against Sauron’s fully powered boss. Now that would make for a great series of movies; wish the Tolkiens would let Jackson have the rights.

[PetarB]

The Silmarillion is really hard going, no doubt about it.

I enjoyed The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings - and I read them again every few years - but after ploughing through The Silmarillion once... never again!

[Marzan]

Reminds me of my experience with The Silmarillion. Can't think of another book where you spend most of the time checking the name appendix than actually reading it. Name after name after name and some even had three or four different ones. I did have a kick reading it. Felt like a challenge finishing it (on the second try) and the stories were cool.

The epicness of the huge stories there make the battles of TLOTR sound like kids play. Half of them were against Sauron’s fully powered boss. Now that would make for a great series of movies; wish the Tolkiens would let Jackson have the rights.

I always though that it might make for an awesome animated series. There are some great stories in there and some amazing characters too. Fëanor in a particular is such an marvelously over the top character: immensely powerful and talented yet also deeply flawed.

[pfunk]

Not to offend anyone, just a question.

Why is everyone so excited about this movie in particular aside from its Lord of Rings connection?

To be the forth or fifth to chime in, they really should have started with the Hobbit, it is such a better story then LOTR. One of the only books that could wrangle in this ADD type kid

[Uxi]

I was re-reading the Hobbit and it does describe Balin as looking unusually old so that one isn't too far off the mark apparently. I still don't like most of the differentiation decisions they made (and most of the beards are way too short). Fili and Kili are definitely both supposed to be blonde. Looks like they're skipping the whole hood detail, too).

[anime52k8]

So as someone who's read the hobbit maybe twice, didn't pay attention to character descriptions at the time and have zero recollection of them now; Why should I care?