Though many fans are still getting over the CG disappointment that was the Hobbit Trilogy, a recent announcement concerning the BluRay/ DVD release might just bring some back into the fold. The extended version of the epic finale, will include a R rated version of The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies.
The third and final chapter of the The Hobbit trilogy may not garner an applause from all fanboys, but the final trailer shows Middle Earth in the throes of war – and it is glorious. If there’s any element this film touches on, is the logic of cause and effect, and truly what consequences one must accept when ushering forth a serious “change.”
Almost exactly a year since the release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the follow-up is set to debut. Once again directed by Peter Jackson, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug picks up immediately after its predecessor, continuing the journey of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, who reluctantly teams up with a group of Dwarves and the great wizard Gandalf to retrieve their gold from the vicious dragon Smaug.
The majority of the cast from the first film returns, Martin Freeman (Sherlock), Ian McKellen (X-Men), and Hugo Weaving (The Matrix) to name a few, but the more exciting news is the additions to the cast that include Benedict Cumberbatch (Star Trek Into Darkness, Sherlock), returning LOTR’s star Orlando Bloom, and Fast & Furious 6 villain Luke Evans. The trailer’s a bit long, coming in around 3 minutes, but it does a pretty stellar job of showcasing the scale of this film. While I wasn’t that excited before, this trailer’s finally convinced me. Check it out:
This trailer is pretty awesome, but what scares me is the trailer for the first Hobbit was pretty damn good too. Going into that knowing this series was set up for a trilogy, I found I was able to simply enjoy it and have fun, without looking for an actually fulfilling story. That worked cause it was simply setting up the characters, but at the same time, it led on that it’d be this epic journey, when in actuality it was a small adventure. This again looks to be an epic journey, and hopefully it can skip the exposition of teaching us the characters, and move past seceding the story to preserve for the third film. Also, the addition of Cumberbatch is always welcomed. Even in voice alone, he is a force to reckon with, and makes me that much more excited for the film.
Lastly, it’ll be interesting to see the ticket sales this time around for the HFR (48 Frames per a second) because last year people were selecting to see it that way to check out this “new form of cinema”, but this time they most likely have an opinion on it (and most likely negative). To me, I didn’t mind it too much, I thought the scenes of character’s faces and of the landscape were beautiful, but the special effects stood out like a sour thumb, and the majority of people I’ve talked to really disliked it.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is due out December 13th.
Finally the teaser trailer for The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug is out! Set to run before Man of Steel in theaters this week, the next chapter of the Hobbit trilogy is available now online. The story continues as the company of Thorin Oakenshield continues their quest to reclaim their homeland of Erabor from the menace of Smaug the dragon. Along the way the company will encounter not only the wood elves who Thorin believes betrayed him during the fall of Erabor but the men of Laketown as well as they near the Lonely Mountain. And lets not forget the pale Orc Azog is still hot on their trail. Check out all of the action in the trailer below
Lots of exciting stuff going on, whether it’s from the book itself or added in for the movie. The movie looks just as gorgeous and eye popping as the first one, which also featured a good amount added to the film. We get to see more Elves, including Evangeline Lilly as Tauriel and the return of everyone’s favorite pointy-eared archer, Legolas! There’s also a quick glimpse of Luke Evans as Bard the Bowman and more of Bilbo and company, but honestly, let’s get to the elephant in the room… or dragon, as it were.
“I… Am…. Kahn! Err… Smaug!”
Smaug the Terrible doesn’t look very terrible, visually. He actually looks breathtakingly awesome in the last seconds of the trailer as he finds our lead Hobbit in his treasure horde. I was surprised they show Smaug in his full glory onscreen instead of saving it as a surprise for when the movie is released. At this point the extra bonus will be hearing Smaug speak in the voice of actor Benedict Cumberbatch. I doubt they really could have hired a better actor for the role of the ancient and angry dragon. Cumberbatch has a very baritone and intimidating voice more than equipped for the likes of Smaug. Did you hear this guy in Star Trek: Into Darkness? I’ll walk over your cold corpses?! Can’t wait till December!
“Who you calling pointy-eared?”
What did everyone think of the trailer, and Smaug in particular? Sound off in the comments section below!
Our friends at Geek Exchange report that before moviegoers return to the Shire in the upcoming The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, they’ll get a glimpse into darkness, as in a 9 minute preview of Star Trek: Into Darkness. This is only available, however, during the IMAX viewing of The Hobbit releasing December 14th. The rest of the world will have to wait the official release, or for someone to bootleg it onto YouTube later that day. If you’re not springing for the IMAX show (which, based on preliminary speculation, will probably be amazing) you can still catch a glimpse of Kirk, Spock and crew in the trailer attached to the movie.
As a fan of nearly all things Trek (except for IV, that was really bad…and Voyager was hit or miss at best) and virtually everything JJ Abrams touches, I’m extremely excited to see his latest foray into the Trek-verse. Let’s just hope he cuts down on the lens flares a bit this time around.
Personally, I liked Abrams treatment of the reboot and the tweaks on the original storyline. Though there were clearly some divergences from the Trek that many of us know and love, it was a refreshing take on the saga. Spock and Uhura hooking up were an especially unexpected (but pleasant) surprise, as it was nice to see Kirk out of sorts when it came to the ladies. I’m hoping that the relationship, as well as the rivalry/camaraderie between Kirk and Spock will be explored in greater detail, giving us some insight into how they became such incredible friends over the years.
Also, let’s hope that the villains this time are more calculating and conniving, as Nero seemed to be a bit less of a formidable foe than I would have hoped. Will we see Klingons? Or maybe a young Khan Noonien Singh in this version? Rumors abound, but nothing is set in stone. Keep your eyes on the G-Bomb and we’ll update as we learn more.
CLICK TO ENLARGE KLINGON
Are you excited for the new “Trek”? What do you want to see in the next iteration of Trek? Sound off in the comments below!