I loved all the prologue stuff in the EE, esp. the battle/conflict involving Elrond and Isildur. It explained some things to those who didn’t read the LOTR books (like myself). Rings were given to the elves (including a intricate floral one Galadriel wears), dwarves, and men. Saruman’s fate is tied to the One Ring (also called Isildur’s Bane), so as long as it’s out there, evil threatens Middle Earth. Isildur is Aragorn’s ancestor; his sword is called Narsil. Later on, in Rivendell, we see the shards of Narsil.
Bilbo (Ian Holm) examines the ring
There is more Bilbo-reated stuff in the EE, including a scene (in Lothlorien) where we see the destructive power the ring would have on him. Bilbo gives Frodo a shirt of mithril (given to him by Thorin, we later learn from Gandalf), then freaks out upon seeing the ring on a chain worn around Frodo’s neck. Frodo quickly covers it with his shirt.
Gandalf (Ian McKellan) & Frodo (Elijah Wood)
After Bilbo’s b-day party (including his disappearing trick), he leaves for Rivendell. Frodo finds Gandalf sitting before the fire; we know that the wizard feels the power of the ring. He dare not even come too close to it. (On the other hand, Saruman joins forces w/ Sauron.)
Galdriel feels the evil of the ring.
Later, we see the terrible power it could have upon Galadriel (Cate Blanchett). This was a cool, unexpected bit of acting/CGI! Blanchett and Weaving were very believable as ancient, powerful, wise elves. Arwen (Liv Tyler) did well, but I wished she had more to do in this film. Like Wood, she has that very young/innocent/gentle quality about her. They both have flawless skin (I saw Wood once on the subway in NYC). I loved the exciting horse riding/escape scene (done mainly by a stuntwoman).
Getting ready to fight the cave troll inside Balin’s Tomb
The first time I saw the action sequences inside Balin’s Tomb, I was quite impressed. Everything flowed well from the first instance of the arrow whizzing by Boromir’s (Sean Bean) face.
The balrog inside Moria
After a few views of the EE, I was also very impressed with the balrog (a very advanced bit of CGI work).
Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) realizes that Frodo must go alone to Mordor
Boromir is tempted by the ring (like men before); we’ll learn later the pressures he faced. Perhaps Aragorn won’t be tempted, but Frodo can’t take that chance. He heads off to Moria with Sam (who won’t be left behind). My fave part of the EE set are the interviews with the cast (see disc 4: From Vision to Reality)- a must for any fan of LOTR!
I saw this film during its second week, b/c I wanted to wait until my lil bro was visiting. He said that “the first movie was slow,” an opinion shared by several friends/acquaintances of mine. My mom mainly went to see Richard Armitage (she’s a fan, too). I loved the LOTR films, so I continue to follow these films.
SPOILERS: Don’t read further if you have not yet seen, or don’t want to know, details from this film.
Bilbo (Martin Freeman) fights a giant spider in Mirkwood Forest
Bilbo becomes “a more rounded character” (Freeman’s words) in this film. He uses the ring (several times) to get out of jams, kills an orc (his first kill, I believe), and then faces off against a giant spider. We see how his little sword, later bequeathed to Frodo, got its name- Sting.
The throne of the elven king, Thranduil
Gandalf goes off (again) to see the gathering evil in Dol Guldur. We hear the voice of The Necromancer (later known as Sauron), voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch. Yes, he is everywhere these days, and I’m not complaining!
The dwarves go into Mirkwood Forest, which is not a friendly, cheery place like Rivendell. The king, Thranduil (Lee Pace), is a very interesting character; I wanted to see a bit more of him. He can do and say whatever he pleases in this realm. Thranduil disapproves of his son Legolas’ (Orlando Bloom) “partiality” (perhaps love?) of Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly), the captain of the royal guard.
Thranduil (Lee Pace) talks to Thorin
There is no love lost between Thranduil and Thorin (Armitage), since the elves didn’t come to the dwarves’ aid many years back (when the dragon attacked). I loved the cut-down/insult scene between Thranduil and Thorin; Richard said was his favorite bit of acting in DOS.
Thorin glares at Thranduil
As I said before, great acting is the eyes. We can see the hate/distrust between the two leaders, and their races, displayed here.
Legolas (Orlando Bloom) listens to Tauriel & Kili
On Twitter (and beyond), some book readers commented “Why is Legolas here? He doesn’t add anything. He takes away from Bilbo’s story.” Since I haven’t read any of these books, I can’t comment on that aspect. Legolas gets some cool action moments (as in the LOTR films), but doesn’t make a big mark otherwise. Tauriel, not in the book, is a nicely-developed character. She’s quick to act, a tough fighter, but also caring. Tauriel wants to help the dwarves along on their quest, especially when they are overrun by orcs.
Kili (Aidan Turner)
Some people didn’t like the (potential?) romance between Tauriel and Kili, but I thought their scenes were very well-done. After a while, I got tired of all the action sequences! Aidan Turner (aside from being handsome/likeable) is a good actor, I realized.
The barrel scene (the dwarves escape the dungeon)
The barrel scene was very cool, I have to admit. (I’d seen bits of it before on BTS clips.) Richard said that at one point, he was “dragged under by the current” and had to be pulled out of the “freezing cold water.”
The new characters: Bard (Luke Evans) & Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly)
The human, Bard the Bowman, was a highlight in this film (even more that Tauriel). Luke Evans has a very strong voice and lovely (Welsh) accent. I loved his scene with Thorin at the foot of the mayor’s house. Both men have fallen from what they were born to, we learn.
Bard’s kids are very cute/sweet, don’t you think? The two girls are not professional actors; they are daughters of James Nesbitt (who plays Bofur). When orcs attack, they are very stunned, but Tauriel and Legolas come to the rescue. Tauriel applies an herb, found by Bofur, to Kili’s leg wound and says an elvish prayer.
At the door to Erebor (The Lonely Mountain)
Bilbo figures out another riddle, allowing the company to see the door to Erebor. Hmmm… why did Thorin give up before Bilbo? Some viewers wondered this. Armitage shines in the (quiet) scene that follows- he’s feeling like more of a king.
Sidenote: Some viewers enjoyed the fact that Thorin’s voice was not as gruff/deep as in AUJ; it was more natural. Since Richard has such a wonderful voice, why change it?
Bilbo meets Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch)
Yes, Smaug is very big/impressive, as I heard! Cumberbatch worked two weeks on the voice (which is fabulous) and the motion capture (as Andy Serkis did with Gollum). In effect, the dragon’s expressions resemble his (to some extent). Bilbo is scared, so he stays calm and flatters the dragon, while the dwarves go about their plans. However, the molten gold doesn’t kill Smaug, and he flies off to attack Laketown. Awww man, we have to wait another year!
Knightleyemma 