The Hobbit EE in theatres: one last one last time

I suspect he just didn't have much extra footage to choose from to put in- most of BOFA was either from the final hasty shooting block with the actors or created in cgi afterwards. So most of what they shot for BOFA or had to create in the computer ended up in the theatrical release as it was specifically shot for BOFA (well the final draft of it- if they even finished filming with a finished script, which I doubt).

davidjoneshoward wrote:It seems he even put less of an effort this time to give the story a proper resolution given that there are less time constraints. Even with An Unexpected Journey, which was bloated and unevenly paced, felt like it had a proper beginning, middle and end, and scenes that were supposed to have weight had weight (if not too much).

But here, he so many opportunities to fix the problems the movie had (and THIS one had most flaws, while the problems in the other two felt like the directorial style), and threw that to the wind. I am thoroughly disappointed.

I was expecting very little from BOFA-EE, but that's the only reason why I wasn't really disappointed by the viewing experience. I wouldn't be surprised if Petty is right and there was much less in the way of character moments that they could add back in, but whether that's the case or they had stuff but chose not to include it, I think it speaks to PJ's sensibilities at this stage of his career. I'm not sure if its evidence that those sensibilities have changed even since AUJ or if he always intended the third film to be an action-packed, light-on-story affair.

Fake edit: derp, just remembered he didn't intend for there to be a third film period when they started, so I guess I just answered my own question.

Found some clips of the extended edition, which unsurprising enough, could 5 be summed in 5 minutes (at least plot wise). I actually liked the somber feeling that the funeral had (was it a funeral? funerals are where people talk about how the deceased's relationship with us impacted us, not just staring at the bodies last I heard.) all in all the scene was effective, but could have been longer.

However, I thought when they all broke out with "the king is dead, long live the king" sort of ruined it. They could have at least expanded the scene a little more to make the line seem more appropriate.




here's another source if the first one gets banned

What a load of goat dung.
I especially disliked seeing that orc go under the cart's wheels. There's a huge spurt of blood and his head snaps off while he's under there. Gross!

Actually scratch that goat dung comparison. Goat dung breaks down into manure and then into fertilizer and helps grow delicious vegetables. This crap just gives you a headache.

On the goods news side of things- I've almost no extra editing to do.

Physically cringed during the chariot scene. Also, what does Thranduil say about Gondor? I appreciated in the TE that the elves, men, and dwarves did not fight each other (like in the book). PJ's wont to add big spectacle ruins it.

I agree with Forest, what the %$*£ did I just witness ! Utter, utter SHAT, pukable, regurgitated SHAT, My cat has done a better poo in its litter tray ! Peejers must take us all for gullible fools, his hallucinations are enough to worry a psychiatric doctor. The dream has become the nightmare !

Richard Armitage wrote:Well I know there’s a couple of scenes that never made it into the final film – like there’s a funeral scene and one of the things I’m excited about seeing is there’s a great chariot race, or a chariot chase should I say, that couldn’t make it into the film and also a performance by Antony Sher as Thrain which again got cut and I’m really looking forward to seeing.

Richard Armitage wrote:We’re going to see a big funeral scene at the end with some pretty emotional speeches by Gandalf. That’s something I’m looking forward to.  I know that when the decision was made to take that out of the final movie was made there was a little scene added where you see the dwarves on the waterfall and they kneel around the dead body. That was an addition because the funeral was cut. I imagine in the Extended Edition they’ll both be in.

Well I think we just got cheated, cause the scene was neither big, or had any 'emotional speeches' in it. Furthermore, was it my imagination, or was Thrain not even in the last one? No one is saying he was in the EE either, so Antony Sher is getting real shat on now.

The speeches one is interesting because Amritage speaks as if he was there -presumably playing the corpse (though not necessarily, corpse Boromir is a model) and knows there were speeches shot and implies the scene was finished before being taken out.

Unless the speeches were really terribly written (quite possibly) its hard to imagine if you have some emotional Gandalf stuff, and you have Ian McKellan delivering it, why PJ would leave it out the EE?
Cant be for pacing reasons the film doesnt have any fucking pacing, its all over the shop.

He could have been there, given that all the big bucks went to the cgi, and that his only presence in the scene was only for 10 seconds. I find it even more interesting that this time around, Fili is again dissed by not even having his own wide shot of his body.

Anyways, I think Armitage even said on one of the world tours of the hobbit that the extended edition was possibly 4 hours long. I presume that some of it must be one of those scenes that are summed up with a few montage shots (the return journey, bilbo sneaking into dale, gandalf and radagast escaping dol guldor), and the Beorn stuff that got cut (like him being taken prisoner, carrying thorins body, EVEN more battle scenes with him, him and radagast getting to the battle, etc).

Well...at least it's finally over now!

Out of intrest did the Morgul Blade subplot from AUJ lead anywhere in the end? Because Jackson talks about it as being significant for Film 3 on the AUJ EE commentary, and I haven't seen anyone mention it anywhere... probably just one more casualty of these 'writing on the fly, fix it in post production with some shiny CGI' messy films...

no actually it wasn't, but I seriously doubt it would brought up in a subtle way later on. It would stick out like a sore thumb, much like everything regarding the necromancer

davidjoneshoward wrote:no actually it wasn't

Not surprised, not only did Jackson expand 2 films to 3 halfway through production, it's starting to feel like he jettisoned the equivalent of a fourth film's worth of abandoned or rewritten material...

It would stick out like a sore thumb, much like everything regarding the necromancer]

As I've said before I never cared much about the Dol Guldor stuff either way (mainly because the source material for it is practically non-existent), so I could have got onboard with Jackson's invented subplots for the Nercromancer if he did something interesting with it, unfortunately what we ended up with was anything but exciting, somehow managing to be both overblown and oddly muted in scope at the same time,  and not particularly well integrated into the films to boot

I can just imagine the conversations in the office:

'Hey remember that cool bit in the appendices where Galadriel leads an army into Mirkwood to cast out the Necromancer?'

'Yeah?'

'Well, I've got something better...how about she conviniently appears barefoot and unarmed, with the Leaders of Rivendell and The Istari at just the right moment and does battle with a a gaint Smoky Vagina and a handful of Gh-Gh-Ghosts! for a couple of minutes!'

'Um...sure...why not...'

   

i.m.o it didn't stick out like a sore thumb, as tonally Doggle Door was all over the place...much like the rest of the trilogy.

davidjoneshoward wrote:

After listening to it a couple more times I think Thranduil says: "Ecthelion of Gondor will give you a good price for it."

I'm assuming they're talking about Ecthelion II who ruled TA 2953-2984. Oh, but wait. The Quest of Erebor was in 2941, which would make the current Steward Turgon. But wait, are we still going by PJ's completely fucked up timeline? So if we skip the 17 years that pass at the beginning of FOTR, does that mean we are 17 years behind or ahead at the start of FOTR? Or are we just saying those years don't exist?

Okay, so at the start of FOTR Bilbo says "year 1400 by Shire Reckoning," which is really TA 3000. But Bilbo is born in TA 2890. That's only 110 years old.

But wait. Bilbo's big B-day bash is actually TA 3001 in the books (1401 SR). So PJ was off by a year to begin with. So according to PJ, Bilbo was born in TA 2889.

All of this is really beside the point and a stream of consciousness trying to wrap my tiny little brain around PJ's fucked up ideas. The real point to all this is that Ecthelion would not have been Steward, Turgon would have been Steward in 2941.

Yet again, all of that is inevitably besides the point as well because I'm assuming he's talking about the Arkenstone. But what would the Steward of Gondor want with the Arkenstone? According to the movie the person who has it can summon all the dwarf families. So the Steward of Gondor wants a giant dwarf army?

bungobaggins wrote:

davidjoneshoward wrote:

After listening to it a couple more...

To be totally honest Bungo...I'm past caring personally

Though I'm pretty sure in the ROTK film Gandalf comments 'So passes Denethor son of Ecthelion' after Denethor does his firey leap of stupidity, they probably flicked through the appendices quickly and worked it in as a fun nod for fans to pick up on and argue about (it seems to have worked Laughing )...or maybe, together with the Aragorn, Gundbad and Ringwraith name drops it's an easter egg hinting towards a prequel/bridge film about Aragorn pale

Viggo Mortenson wouldn't be in it though, because he refused to be in the hobbit (and was reluctant about being aragorn in the first place; it's his son that pushed him to do it at all)

In regards to the Ecthelion thing, it was just another bone to throw to movie fans. Gandalf does say "so passes Denethor, son of Ecthelion," so that's 100% why that's who Thranduil mentions.

ALSO,

This bit bugged me. I'll try to find the clip (or maybe someone else has it) but it's with Dain. He calls Thranduil a pointy-eared elvish princess as an intended insult.
And being an Elvish Princess my self all I have to say is FUCK YOU BOYENS! Fuck you and your self proclaimed feminine energy you add in that damn line but you can't add in something from the book? Feminine energy my ass. That pissed me off because I'm sorry didn't you just show an elvish princess kicking ass? Who the fuck is Tauriel then? Sure, chalk it up to Dain's character to make you sleep at night, but that was such a stupid line. SO DAMN STUPID.

Sorry for the swearing but I'm very livid

Now calm yourself Yer Maj with a Rasberry buckie- and tell us if you found any of the fouler criminal inducing RL buckfast whilst in England? Youre killing us with anticipation here!!!

I've asked about buckfast. I was told it was mainly an Irish thing, but that's obviously wrong. I haven't found it yet no, but when I head to Scotland later in November I'll look!

An Irish thing?!! Bloody English!

But the Queen of Forumshire is coming to Scotshobbitland? In November (you are taking a risk there weather-wise ).
But Queen Tin in Scotland on her Royal Tour!

Where you visiting? You have to go to the west coast, its the best bit

And not to worry about the buckie- once you get to Scotland finding it will not be a problem.

The exciting big build up to the final battle.....( I know, stretch of the imagination ! ) & they let Billy Connelly say any old shit ? did they give him artistic license because of his health problems ? All the fucked up dumb arse things he said totally ruined what was intended to be a serious head on clash. The throw away remark of Thrandy being a pointy eared princess was utter bollocks ! it brought the tone down ( as if it could get any lower ! ) to a Hollywood Robin Hood rom-com. My God has peejers lost it !!! He must be near a nervous breakdown surely, what with The Covern being the voices in his head, whispering, whispering,
" The awards Peter, the awards, profits Peter, profits "........ er right !

I STILL cant get over what they did to Galadriel.

You know what, I don't even care anymore. I'm not going to bother watching the EE.

I have a big problem full stop with Dain and in fact all the occasions where they just slap a bad offensive Scots stereotype onto the culture of Tolkiens dwarves.
It was fine Gimli sounding a bit Scottish but there is a huge difference from a character having an accent and the race being superimposed with stereotypical traits of that accents people.
From all the 'glasgow-kissing' to the way Dain speaks, the attitude, the manner of delivery.
To try to convey just how awful and cringe worthy it is had Dain been black, and Pj got a white actor in Black and White Minstrel to play him and his first lines of dialogue upon seeing the elves was to widen his eyes as much as possible and say "Oh Lordy Master!" it would not be more offensive or more completely out of place.