The fans are agape at their 1st full-frontal view of Smaug the Terrible, not to mention the ladies seem to be universally trembling over Thranduil’s eyebrows — and of course this kind of ephemera makes for a juicy fun live webcast! Join us TODAY as we pick apart all the details we can see, hear, or smell in this newest piece of marketing for THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG.
We launch TORn TUESDAY every week at 5:00PM Pacific: brought to you by host Clifford “Quickbeam” Broadway and producer Justin “I Promised Royd I Would Read It” Sewell — we will even have special guest Larry Curtis (“MrCere” on TheOneRing.net) join us, the man who was stationed on the New Zealand sets with Peter Jackson, WETA, and all the creative forces behind the camera! Our innovative live show includes worldwide fans who join us on the Live Event page with a built-in IRC chat (affectionately known as Barliman’s Chat room). Be part of the fun and mischief every week as we broadcast *live* from Meltdown Comics in the heart of Hollywood, U.S.A.!
After the show has completed broadcast you can always watch the archive later at TheOneRing.net’s official YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePUq7nOnUxw
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Follow Cliff ‘Quickbeam’ Broadway on Twitter: @quickbeam2000
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The Desolation of Smaug trailer is here. And if you haven’t caught it already, head here right now to see all two minutes and nine seconds full of elves, dwarves, wizards, goblins and, of course, one pesky dragon. What do we think? Well, read on to find out what our staff think of this first trailer for Desolation of Smaug — the good, the bad and the dragon-y.
Click the image to check out a few quick screencaps
Deej
I was amazed they showed as much of Smaug as they did; was thinking we might just see a shadow or an eye again. The line “Was that an earthquake?” “That, my lad, was a dragon.” gave me CHILLS. I loved seeing Lake Town, although was hoping we’d see the Mayor. In short: Loved, loved, LOVED this trailer. I think I’m actually more excited for this film than I was for the first, if that’s possible!
Magpie
I loved the butterflies, I was hoping we’d see them. I loved the scale, especially that shot where they’re climbing up a huge statue. I loved Balin’s line, ‘that, my lad, is a dragon’.
Like many trailers, this was was cut into awfully fast edits and I have trouble tracking and processing the visuals. At a few points, things looked a little on the cartoonish side of CG animation. That might be ironed out by time the film hits the theaters.
I’m not hating Tauriel. I like a kick ass, opinionated woman and I think I can bump out a spot in my brain for her character. I *am* having a hard time not seeing her as Kate Austen from LOST and I got pretty annoyed with LOST so I have to fight that tendency to associate her with the tv show. I’ll work on it.
Garfeimao
We see the Dwarves rolled out of the Elven hall in barrels (tops off, landing sideways in the water, yipes) and head down the river, and then we see several Elves chasing them from the treetops. So it seems their escape is not quote so mysterious. Ginormous bear (Beorn?) trying to get into the wooden hall belonging to Beorn was cool.
What on Earth is Bilbo doing walking around on clinking gold coins while Smaug is still at home? While we see him, I’m wondering if that is a dramatic device so we know where he is, with the understanding he is invisible to Smaug. Either way, loose gold coins are noisy, so he loses the advantage there. Tis a mystery to me. BTW, Smaug’s head searching for him is rather cool, and very unexpected.
Entmaiden
I love the feeling of dread at the beginning. Bilbo’s adventure is about to get a lot darker, and Thorin will realize that he’s taken on a huge task, one that affects not just the dwarves but the people of Laketown. Love the butterflies, and the barrels. Was that Beorn???? Smaug is going to be AMAZING.
Justin
UGH. they showed the dragon. Now we get to judge it. Looks like a raptor. No thrill in its reveal. It’s Gandalf the White’s reveal all over again.
Elessar
It looks like Azog and his Orcs attack the same place Tauriel is at in one sequence. I wonder if we will see one of them take the other one out?
Sarumann
First of all, I loved that we got to see such a clear shot of Smaug (well, his head at least). It does feel like a lot of gravity is being put on the dwarves’ quest, and that other characters are reading a lot more into returning to Erebor than was ever said in the book. I love the look of Mirkwood, and Bilbo poking his head out of the trees is beautiful. I’m more curious than ever to see Gandalf and Radagast investigating the Necromancer and Dol Guldur. Can’t wait for December!
ImladrisRose
I loved the trailer except for the fact that we saw SMAUG. I agree with Justin, Smaug looks like a raptor and now everyone can pick it apart. I LOVED seeing Bard! Although I have been annoyed with the idea of Legolas being in these movies I got all sorts of excited seeing his character in the trailer and am now really looking forward to seeing some elven/dwarven friction on the big screen again in the form of some Legolas/Gimli-esque banter. Loved Balin’s line at the end!! I cringed at the sight of the Pale Orc.. Hopefully they end his story line early on because he annoys me so… Barrels out of Bond!! Loved seeing a few clips of that, as well as Bilbo with the butterflies!!
Happy dancing all day now after this!
Elessar
I loved the trailer! It gave me goosebumps for sure. I loved seeing Mirkwood and Thranduil halls that was some great looking stuff. I was curious to see some action of Legolas and Tauriel. You get plenty of that here in this and I think both are going to be excellent additions to the movie. I loved the scene of Tauriel urging Legolas that they need to get involved in things. I think helps make why Legolas ends up in The Fellowship even more powerful and as Deej mentioned its a bit like the Merry/Pipping moment. Balin’s line about it being a dragon and not an earthquake was great. I actually was glad to see a bit more of Smaug to be honest. His head looks great but what I want to know is Bilbo wearing the ring or not.
Demosthenes
Dear Peter
Trailer very underwhelming. What was that awful lizard at the end? Think John Howe may have been ripping off his old Glaurung sketches (not his best work, tbh) a bit much. Some nice bits, mostly the scenery. Still, if I wanted scenery porn I’d go watch Samsara.
Also, WTH with massive extended close-up of Lee Pace’s eyebrows? I didn’t realise this was a fetish film. Now understand I was analysing everything wrongly and respectfully request more lingering closeups on the redhead.
Regards and etc.
The resident crank.
Quickbeam
This teaser has a HEAVY emphasis on Elves, Elves, Elves! True, we had nothing but wall-to-wall Dwarves in the first film; and now the filmmakers are seemingly delighted to show us a rich, rewarding glimpse into another culture. Lee Pace’s Elvenking delivers fantastic narration (perhaps another reason we don’t hear Benedict Cumberbatch’s voice as the fire-drake) and his son Legolas brings all the Orly fans back into full Bloom.
Quite EXCITING to see all those grand purple butterflies, the snout of Beorn bursting through, the barrel-riding escape on white-water rapids (with Elves chasing & shooting!), Dol Guldur revisited, and a last, lingering shot of *Smaug* turning that corner just like the Cave Troll did in the Chamber of Mazarbul…. Bard has an ominous line but I was also expecting at least one ominous line from no-show Galadriel. Overall a very successful teaser!
Much too hasty, Quickbeam
ButtonLady
I loved seeing the dragon, yet I still wonder if I *should* have seen it. Sooo glad the bit with the butterflies is in there, but a little sad about NOT seeing the thrush – which signifies so much. When Legolas gets the drop of the spider-webbed dwarves, doesn’t Mirkwood look a little…bright? Didn’t recognize Beorn the Bear at first – thought he was a dog. I think Tauriel will be the words of wisdom in Legolas’s head that will help him GROW into a person who can disagree with his father.
At 1:25 – why is Thorin so mad at the camerman?
Linuxelf
The trailer is awesome. Regarding the the white knives, Legolas had those in LOTR too. Interesting to see Legolas and Tauriel together and alone. Trailer is definitely focused on the elves this time around. Seeing Smaug was cool thankfully not too much of a reveal.
The dwarves must be at the hidden door because they are walking on the statues outside Erebor. Not happy seeing the pale orc again this time attacking the elves. The hand which we’ve seen holding family portrait previously could be Legolas.
No necromancer footage, could the pale orc be the main bad guy again? Also we don’t see Smaug attacking Lake-town. Fighting orcs while in barrels is interesting, could the orcs and the elves be hunting them?
Grammaboodawg
I love how they ended the DOS trailer the same way they ended the AUJ trailer. AUG with Bilbo looking up at Gollum hovering overhead, and here with Smaug moving in on him. I think they’ve left Smaug’s full appearance for the film’s release. Here we have a shadow of him… like we had when Gollum was first spotted in the FotR trailer in Moria 12 years ago!
AinuLaire
Who’s that speaking, who is that speaking– oh hey, that’s Thranduil, he sounds pretty cool… oh hey look, Elves, elves, more elves… oh, Tauriel, she’s not kissing anyone, that’s good… are the Elves shooting at the Dwarves? SPIDER. Oh hey Bard sounds a bit like Legolas… oh my goodness that’s a dragon’s head, I cannot believe that’s a dragon’s head.
Calisuri
Enjoyed it a lot – and very much looking forward to a scene stealing performance from Lee Pace! Smaug looks insanely large and love the line from Balin at the secret door. I very much like how BIG Beorn in Bear form is as well. That will be critical in the final film. Let’s just hope his human counterpart is done as well!
Kili and Fili
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Welcome to our weekly live webcast — TORn TUESDAY — concluding our popular two month long specials on the History of the Dwarves who undertake the Quest of Erebor. Today we wrap up with the big bang theory of Dwarven tragedy and honor: it’s all about THORIN OAKENSHIELD (played with great swagger by our very own Richard Armitage). Bring your questions and join us LIVE for a fascinating chat about how this major character brought the story of THE HOBBIT to where it is in the Tolkien universe.
Join us for TORn TUESDAY every week at 5:00PM Pacific: brought to you by host Clifford “Quickbeam” Broadway and producer Justin “I Love Ham” Sewell — as we learn how this magnificent Dwarf suffered and struggled to change his family’s future — and what Peter Jackson & WETA did to help us distinguish his rough and tumble companions from each other (using more than just colored hoods). Our innovative live show includes worldwide fans who join us on the Live Event page with a built-in IRC chat (affectionately known as Barliman’s Chat room). Be part of the fun and mischief every week as we broadcast *live* from Meltdown Comics in the heart of Hollywood, U.S.A.!
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Follow Cliff ‘Quickbeam’ Broadway on Twitter: @quickbeam2000
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In his third article for our worldwide community, Tedoras, long-time audience participant on our TORn TUESDAY webcast, shares unique insights on the strange demarcation found in The Hobbit but not mentioned in LOTR: the “Edge of the Wild.” Wondering as we often do what exactly Professor Tolkien meant by this invisible line that other characters refer to in the story, Tedoras has a fresh take on cartography influenced by imagination. Take it away, Tedoras….
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Beyond the “Edge of the Wild”
By Tedoras — special to TheOneRing.net
One of the most interesting aspects of the Map of Wilderland included in The Hobbit is that very odd, rather portentous demarcation denoting the “Edge of the Wild.” Perhaps many of us, as kids, did not really note the significance of this line: it remained, to us, an added piece of mystery and awe. Certainly, the line retains those qualities today. However, now that I am older, the real meaning of this line is clearer (and, yes, although the Professor may not have wanted us to search for any “meaning” in this line—but to take at its “face value,” rather—there is yet merit in analyzing it. It was drawn for a reason on the map, mind you). Well, perhaps it is not “meaning” for which we look in this line, but rather its purpose to us, the readers, as we follow Bilbo into the Wild.
My interest in the Edge of the Wild peaked when I discovered a fantastic article by Patrick Brückner. In “Until the Dragon Comes,” Brückner focuses on the “real” and “fantastic,” and the reader’s perception of each, in Tolkien’s works; he notes that the mythopoeic role of dragons adds a “world-view that refers to an epic historic quality far beyond and different from the fairy tale elements of [Tolkien’s] texts” (Brückner 101). In the vernacular, Brückner merely posits that the concept of a dragon inherently adds realism to the text because of the historic properties we prescribe to dragons. I am not going to go on much more about archetypal dragons and their roles in mythopoeic fantasy; rather, I would like to focus on how Brückner applies this principle to uncover the true nature of the “Edge of the Wild” line.
Brückner notes, wisely, that it was Tolkien himself who, by virtue of adding this demarcation to the map, declared the point of transition from the “real” to the “fantastic” in The Hobbit. While it may seem a daunting task to argue against the Professor’s ostensible intent, Brückner provides a good case against this line being the actual point of transition. There are two reasons why this line does not mark a shift: first, because Rivendell (i.e., “the boundary of the perilous realm”) is clearly to the right of the line and, second, because the incident with the trolls occurs to the line’s left (109). Brückner’s thesis is, therefore, that we can assign the right side of the Edge of the Wild to the realistic sphere, and that we can do so because of the role of a dragon, Smaug (118). As a dragon, Brückner says, Smaug adds a “relevant epic-historical context that grounds The Hobbit“—the concept of the dragon inherently makes The Hobbit “a text that refers to older texts and traditions… that possess historical significance” (117). Thus, because Smaug exists to the right of the Edge of the Wild—and because his existence as a dragon carries with it the realistic sphere—this demarcation cannot be a point of transition from “real” to “fantastic.”
While I agree with Brückner’s conclusion, I cannot say it is only the dragon that adds realism to the story. Just as Smaug brings with him the “epic-historical” notions of dragons which ground him in the “real” sphere (think of dragons throughout Western literature, from Beowulf on), so too do the other “mythological” creatures in the text. Because of our now long exposure to Orcs, Elves, Wargs, and other rather fantastical inhabitants of Middle-earth, we attribute to them, too, the very same historical context as Brückner says we do to Smaug. One of the reasons we attribute such realism to the dragon is, as Brückner notes, that it references other texts. Well, with the wealth of literature written by Tolkien himself or about his works, the same references are possible with Orcs or any other creature. To fans of Tolkien’s works, Orcs and Dwarves are as “real” as Smaug; we simply use Tolkien’s legendarium as the historiographic source. Thus, to a fan to whom the question of Smaug’s existence is not an issue, neither is the assumption that the other ostensibly “fantastic” creatures to the right of the Edge of the Wild are actually real. It is, in my opinion, the collective picture painted by the inclusion of all these now familiar “fantastic” aspects (to which we ourselves assign historic—albeit not explicitly “real” historic—weight), that result in our placing the right side of the line in the sphere of realism.
The most common sense case can be made for a demarcation placed East of Rivendell. The Misty Mountains mark the Western border of Rhovanion (Wilderland), so in that sense, such a line would really be the Edge of the Wild. However, that is of course not the case. So why, then, is the line placed where it is? The best scenario would be to ask the Professor himself (certainly this is one of those rather puzzling Middle-earth conundrums). Yet, I think I can fathom a guess, or at least one hypothesis. If you look at the Map of Wilderland, you’ll note that to the left of the demarcation, at the top, is written “Western Lands”, with an arrow naturally pointing West. If we hold Tolkien’s views on direction as canonical, then it makes sense for the East to be characterized as the “wild”, and altogether less fair than the West. Looking at a map of Eriador, such a conclusion seems plausible for, certainly, Wilderland lies far to the East.
Though simple, such a hypothesis is sound; anyone familiar with Middle-earth knows that to the East lies danger. And the aforementioned simplicity is also key. When deciding to draw this now infamous line, Tolkien would probably not have been debating the convoluted significance of such an action—rather, he would have been thinking of geography, as any cartographer is wont to do. Unfortunately, we may never know.
(All references to the text from: Brückner, Patrick. ” ‘…Until the Dragon Comes’: Tolkien’s Dragon-Motif as a Poetological Concept.” Tolkien’s Shorter Works: Essays of the Jena Conference 2007 (2008): 101-35. Walking Tree Publishers. Print.)
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Hot on the heels of the poster release and trailer news, we’ve received word via Stuff.co.nz that Wellington will not host the premiere of the second Hobbit movie.