Editor Note: Our second staff review comes from staffer and author, Kili – Yes, half of the Happy Hobbit team. The Happy Hobbits were TheOneRing.net official representatives at the ‘black’ carpet premiere of ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ this past Monday in Hollywood, CA. (You can see the unedited video coverage in our uStream archive)
As a word of warning, Kili’s review is filled with SPOILERS from the very beginning. If you are avoiding spoilers of any type, please know — you have been warned!
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I have never been in more denial of a black screen than I was when Bilbo’s distraught face smashed to darkness. The seconds seemed to crawl by long enough for me to think it was a trick and that more footage was coming, but then the words “Directed by Peter Jackson” appeared on the screen, and the heart-wrenching truth was evident: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug had ended. I am still appalled that I have to wait a year to find out what happens next. None of the Lord of the Rings films ever came close to this type of cliff hanger. It’s like going on a roller coaster then when you reach the top of the biggest hill, you don’t get to go down, and I mean that in the best way possible.
[Editor’s Note: Fear not, dear readers, TORn staffer Quickbeam presents our first official review of DOS *spoiler-free* until loudly noted in the later section (with plenty of buffer space) where inquisitive minds may read further with spoiler-iffic abandon.]
The Great Schism: Splendid Smaug Splits Fandom?
or
Hobbit Version 2.0: Jackson Does it Differently
I know it’s been a long year to wait. Ringer fans are going into ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ with high hopes for another thrilling chapter in the ongoing saga adapted by our fellow fan, Peter Jackson. Indeed it is thrilling. And indeed it bears all the hallmarks of a P.J. film, replete with energetic action set pieces and gorgeously realized creatures and places that only cinema can properly provide to our senses.
Be forewarned Book Fans, because of the extent DOS deviates from J.R.R. Tolkien’s original, you can bet your bottom dollar there will be a very vocal fan reaction, if not an outright scream of frustration from one or two up in the balcony. The filmmakers have certainly delivered the goods; it is a very enjoyable movie that pretty much blows the audience away with well-crafted storytelling. It is by turns breathlessly paced and frightening and funny and gorgeous (Smaug especially has much of his “muchness”). But by the end credits, it no longer resembles the book you read as a kid, not by a long shot.
Which is something I must mention up front because of the laborious efforts towards fidelity in ‘An Unexpected Journey.’ In fact, much of the LOTR Trilogy was a concentrated effort to (mostly) honor the source material. True, there were odd bits that didn’t ring true to Tolkien; like Faramir dragging the hobbits to Osgiliath and Frodo sending Sam home (piffle) but what happens in DOS is just completely off the rails, especially in the third act.
LOS ANGELES — TheOneRing.net covered all kinds of events this week surrounding the World Premiere of “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.” None was more exciting than the film’s red (black) carpet experience where the stars can greet fans and walk the press line to talk about the film.
Many clips end up on news and entertainment websites but we bring you an edited version with our own Happy Hobbits behind the microphones and in front of the stars including Martin Freeman, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans, William Kircher, Dean O’Gorman, Aidan Turner, Philippa Boyens, Manu Bennett, Ryan Gage, Sean Astin, Ed Sheeran and the already-famous pinch from Benedict Cumberbatch.
Regal Cinemas invited TheOneRing’s Cliff Broadway to host the first-ever Super Ticket Hobbit Fan Event at Meltdown Comics in Hollywood a little over a week ago. Los Angeles fans assembled to geek out and win Super Tickets that would make them among the very first to download The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug once it’s released to home video.
As part of our fundraiser a few months back, Sir Peter Jackson and 3Foot7 kindly showed their support for TheOneRing.net by very generously donating to the website a poster, signed by pretty much ALL the cast from the three Hobbit movies! This is an extraordinary item, and a true one-of-a-kind. The regular movie sized poster shows Bilbo outside the front door to Bag End, and has simply, ‘There … and Back Again’ as text. It’s a beautiful image, and not one which was available to buy. But then it gets even better! Here’s a list of the cast members who have signed the poster – 31 in total:
Regal Cinemas invited TheOneRing’s Cliff Broadway to host the first-ever Super Ticket Hobbit Fan Event at Meltdown Comics in Hollywood a little over a week ago. Los Angeles fans assembled to geek out and win Super Tickets that would make them among the very first to download The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug once it’s released to home video. 
As part of our fundraiser a few months back, Sir Peter Jackson and 3Foot7 kindly showed their support for TheOneRing.net by very generously donating to the website a poster, signed by pretty much ALL the cast from the three Hobbit movies! This is an extraordinary item, and a true one-of-a-kind. The regular movie sized poster shows Bilbo outside the front door to Bag End, and has simply, ‘There … and Back Again’ as text. It’s a beautiful image, and not one which was available to buy. But then it gets even better! Here’s a list of the cast members who have signed the poster – 31 in total: