Return to Middle-Earth

The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug (2013)
Wins: Pending
Nominations: Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Visual Effects

Why I watched it:
1) Most nominations of the films I have yet to see - 3
2) So much better to watch this type of movie while it's still in theaters
3) It's the fucking Hobbit! I really wanted to see it

Get ready for some good old-fashioned nerding out

I'm a nerd. Plain and simple. They would have to royally fuck up a movie like this up for me not to enjoy it. I had a great time. It's always a pleasure to return to Tolkien's rich world and see parts of Middle-Earth that are only mentioned in The Lord of the Rings, like Mirkwood or Dol Guldur. I've read The Hobbit a few times, but I'm kind of glad that it's been a few years since my last read. It's one of the reasons I find that I am enjoying these movies so much: I remember the gist of a lot of it, but there are still moments that surprise me or that I only remember right before they happen on screen. Also, the differences that come about when adapting the film matter even less to me than usual. I can just sit back and enjoy the story. (Note: adaptation from one artistic medium to another is something I can rant about for a while - maybe in an upcoming post - but in general I find HUGE issue with people who deem a movie "bad" because it changed details from the book)

The Hobbit movies are a wholly different beast to me than The Lord of the Rings. One, they're coming out backwards. The Hobbit was written first, it was not a prequel, it was a stand alone novel set in the same world as The Lord of the Rings. So the prequel aspects of the movie are necessary, give the movies much more drive, and set the stakes higher. The book is a fabulous journey of discovery for Bilbo, but the movie shows it as a piece of the larger story of Sauron's resurgence and the forces of good recognizing the return of the enemy. I loved seeing Gandalf's journey separate from the company of the dwarves to the graves of the Ringwraiths and to battle with the Necromancer. When I first heard that they were releasing The Hobbit as a trilogy, I was confused as to how/why, but it's been really enjoyable to see all that they've included that is alluded to in the books, or left out of The Lord of the Rings and included here.

This movie is so much fun. The dwarves get so much individuality that I was never aware of in the book. Almost every dwarf has their "thing" and moment to shine. Fili and Kili are the young ones who have only heard stories of Erebor, plus the crazy plot of Tauriel and Kili's mutual attraction. Interested to see where that goes, and how the presence of some dwarves in Laketown and some in the Lonely Mountain affects the upcoming epic battles of the next movie. My favorite fight scene shot by far was Bombur's shining moment in the barrels going down the river - EPIC! I found myself laughing through many of the fights - they were creative and surprising, which helped keep them fresh, since there are a few of them. Smaug was amazing! Like everything about him: the dialogue, the creature design, the effects, and especially that he is voiced by BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH. Great villain. Glad to see Lee Pace and Evangeline Lilly again after their runs on Pushing Daisies and Lost, respectively (two of my favorite TV shows ever).

The nominations received make total sense. It deserves a nod for Visual Effects for Smaug alone, much less all the other awesomeness, like Gandalf's confrontation with the Necromancer. Also, I couldn't really tell if the orcs well totally CGI or not, which I guess is a good thing. I'm not great at judging sound design, but there were moments when I really noticed the intricacy of what they were able to achieve. During the magic battle with Gandalf and the Necromancer, the differences in the sound between when the audience was experiencing the inside of Gandalf's sphere of protection versus on the outside were really distinct and constantly switching.

Surprise appearances: I had no idea Stephen Fry was going to be in this - wonderfully pleasant surprise. Also, I personally love that the first person you see on screen is Peter Jackson himself biting a carrot (which he is seen doing in Bree in the original movie trilogy)

Did I cry?: Hell no. But there were some great moments of surprise that made me jump. I even went to dodge something once - and I saw the movie in 2-D.