The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
#176
DVD Talk Legend
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
For The Hobbit, you're getting nearly everything in the book, and more. They're able to expand the story and include things mentioned in the LOTR appendices that happened during the same time as The Hobbit, but Tolkien didn't conceive of until after the book. Expanding a story for a movie is something that happens all the time with short story adaptations.
I think more than just doing a simple a-to-b comparison between The Hobbit and LOTR book lengths, it's more important to consider the trilogies on their own merits. If a film feels well paced, it doesn't matter if it expanded on the source material, and if it feels padded and slow, it doesn't matter if it trimmed down the source material. The end results matter more than the means.
#177
DVD Talk Legend & 2021 TOTY Winner
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
#178
DVD Talk Hero
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
He may have taken a deep breath, relaxed and realized it wasn't that long after all?
#180
DVD Talk Hero
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
Warner Bros. and Google have joined forces and made a map of Middle Earth:
http://www.avclub.com/article/explor...review:1efault
http://middle-earth.thehobbit.com/map
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/BVvMGD8LNL0?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
http://www.avclub.com/article/explor...review:1efault
http://middle-earth.thehobbit.com/map
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/BVvMGD8LNL0?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
#182
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
Warner Bros. and Google have joined forces and made a map of Middle Earth:
http://www.avclub.com/article/explor...review:1efault
http://middle-earth.thehobbit.com/map
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/BVvMGD8LNL0?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
http://www.avclub.com/article/explor...review:1efault
http://middle-earth.thehobbit.com/map
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/BVvMGD8LNL0?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
crap/10...would not bang
#185
DVD Talk Hero
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
#187
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Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
They should do a full body shot of Smaug on an airplane, and make the background sky blue instead of white to blend in with the sky. Then when its up in the air, it will really look a dragon.
#188
DVD Talk Hero
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
It would look pretty badass going down in a fiery crash!
#189
DVD Talk Hero
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
I expected Smaug to be red. He sorta looked reddish in the first movie and even in the first trailer for the second movie. I'm surprised by how little red there actually is on him.
#190
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
When I was a kid I imagined him as green because that was the stereotype of dragons I had in my head, doesn't Tolkien actually describe him in the book as being red or brown?
#191
DVD Talk Legend
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smaug
#192
DVD Talk Hero
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
From An Unexpected Journey, I got the impression he was colored similar to an oil slick. Depending on the light and the angle he looked anywhere from red to green to bluish.
#193
DVD Talk Hero
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
I don't know about the description in the book, but Tolkien actually created a watercolor where Smaug is red. See the picture on the Wikipedia page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smaug
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smaug
#194
DVD Talk Legend
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
Also there's this key art promo image from August:
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013...ey-art-poster/
It's possible the airplane image is off, or that it's the interior light reflecting off all the gold that gives Smaug the reddish hue.
They did deviate from the Tolkien illustration in terms of scale though, both the dragon and the hoard of gold.
#195
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
This was the thought process on the color of a previous cinematic dragon:
In addition, the ILM crew also designed Vermithrax’s color scheme, which made the creature blend in its own environment. Tippett recalled: “the issue of the Dragon’s color wasn’t really addressed until I got to England. Amidst a hectic shooting schedule and hiring puppeteers for Ken and Jon to work with, I was lucky to pull Matt away from the set for a minute or two to confer on what colors should be used to integrate the Dragon into the cave sets. I felt it was important to make the Dragon look as though it was part of its world; so I would walk to the stages, pick up handfuls of slate and rock, and then go back to the painting area and derive some similar colors.”
An enlightening read on the struggles and triumphs of bringing Vermithrax Pejorative to life on the big screen.
In addition, the ILM crew also designed Vermithrax’s color scheme, which made the creature blend in its own environment. Tippett recalled: “the issue of the Dragon’s color wasn’t really addressed until I got to England. Amidst a hectic shooting schedule and hiring puppeteers for Ken and Jon to work with, I was lucky to pull Matt away from the set for a minute or two to confer on what colors should be used to integrate the Dragon into the cave sets. I felt it was important to make the Dragon look as though it was part of its world; so I would walk to the stages, pick up handfuls of slate and rock, and then go back to the painting area and derive some similar colors.”
#196
DVD Talk Hero
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
Yes, the poster does show it with red. I was looking at the sneak peak trailer and a shot of his eye doesn't show red (but it is very brief) there's a fleeting shot of part of his body (I think) and I can see red.
#197
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
This was the thought process on the color of a previous cinematic dragon:
An enlightening read on the struggles and triumphs of bringing Vermithrax Pejorative to life on the big screen.
An enlightening read on the struggles and triumphs of bringing Vermithrax Pejorative to life on the big screen.
We're only looking at promo images and very brief shots in the trailer, my assumption was that the major reason we didn't see him in An Unexpected Journey was because the CG wasn't finished. Once upon a time, the trailers wouldn't have revealed him at all, and even in this case, they seem to be trying to show him as little as possible. I'm sure under the various conditions we'll seem him in the movie, he'll look different.
#198
DVD Talk Legend
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Pl18A-Me_0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHJ-gZUqD2o
#199
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
I think they based Smaug's appearance on an Alan Lee painting.
Sidenote: Tolkien goes into more detail about his vision for dragons in "Children of Hurin" (which is, IMO, the most moving, adult and affecting thing he ever wrote). The dragon Glaurung is one of the primary antagonists in that book. Glaurung is one of Morgoth's chief Captains, he's very wise and truly evil. (Morgoth is Tolkien's ultimate bad guy, Sauron's boss and basically the Devil). Glaurung is Sauron-like in his wisdom, ability to foresee, maze-like deceptions and ability to incite chaos. He is easily a match for an Istari like Gandalf, extremely powerful magically and in command of a vast army. Physically, he can easily destroy an entire city many times the size of the Lonely Mountain himself. He's nothing like the animal-like Fell Beasts that the Nazgul ride. Smaug likely isn't as powerful as Glaurung, but he's in the ballpark. In short, dragons are a really, really big deal in Tolkien's legendarium.
Last edited by Hiro11; 12-04-13 at 05:05 PM.
#200
DVD Talk Hero
Re: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
Sidenote: Tolkien goes into more detail about his vision for dragons in "Children of Hurin" (which is, IMO, the most moving, adult and affecting thing he ever wrote). The dragon Glaurung is one of the primary antagonists in that book. Glaurung is one of Morgoth's chief Captains, he's very wise and truly evil. (Morgoth is Tolkien's ultimate bad guy, Sauron's boss and basically the Devil). Glaurung is Sauron-like in his wisdom, ability to foresee, maze-like deceptions and ability to incite chaos. He is easily a match for an Istari like Gandalf, extremely powerful magically and in command of a vast army. Physically, he can easily destroy an entire city many times the size of the Lonely Mountain himself. He's nothing like the animal-like Fell Beasts that the Nazgul ride. Smaug likely isn't as powerful as Glaurung, but he's in the ballpark. In short, dragons are a really, really big deal in Tolkien's legendarium.
Spoiler: