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[Xazo-Tak]

Movie-rendition Smaug is now my all time favourite character.

[Sheb]

I don't get what you guys like so much about Smaug.

[SalmonGod]

From what my family described, they made Smaug out to be an idiot.  They had him chase the dwarves all over the mountain (and long chase scenes are themselves undignified presentation for the character doing the chasing), failing to take a bunch of opportunities where it should have been really easy for him to kill them... *puff* dead like Sankis.

Of course, that was one of my complaints with LotR, especially with the Nazgul.  They wanted to write in more direct confrontation with the Nazgul because *action movie*, so they put in a bunch of situations where the protagonists would have unquestionably died if they had been that way in the book.  In the process, they turned the Nazgul into a joke and deflated Gandalf as well.

[Digital Hellhound]

For all the movie's faults, Smaug was brilliant. I dunno about 'failing to take opportunities' - that part of the movie was needlessly extended, but the design, the voice acting, the everything, was really, really good. He was wonderfully brought to life, if that makes sense.

[WillowLuman]

From what my family described, they made Smaug out to be an idiot.  They had him chase the dwarves all over the mountain (and long chase scenes are themselves undignified presentation for the character doing the chasing), failing to take a bunch of opportunities where it should have been really easy for him to kill them... *puff* dead like Sankis.

Actually, they made him even smarter than in the book. He was fooled for approximately 1 second by Bilbo's riddling, then correctly guessed why he was there and who sent him. The Dwarves never actually had a chance to kill him, everything they hit him with was ineffectual. Dropping a cavein on him, firework powder, hitting him with minecarts, and even covering him in motlen lava gold. Not a scratch.

For all the movie's faults, it's worth seeing in theaters for Smaug alone. He's just that awesome.

[andrea]

by the way, why did they think that submerging a dragon in molten gold would harm it? his body temperature is higher than the melting point of gold... considering the quantity of gold and the size of Smaug, it probably didn't have much more effect than throwing a big bucket of water on a person. or shoving them in a bath tub. sure, they are going to be a bit shoked for half a minute,, but it is hardly lethal.
Sure, had smaug decided to stay in the golden bath until it solidified, things may have been different. but on the other hand, his breath is hot enough to melt gold, so results would most likely be the same.

[Zanzetkuken The Great]

by the way, why did they think that submerging a dragon in molten good would harm it?

It could get into his lungs?

[WillowLuman]

He seems to constantly be inhaling treasure as he sleeps, though.

[Bauglir]

Today I learned dragons respire with gold instead of oxygen, because inert metals will probably work for that.

[WillowLuman]

All I'm saying, he's snoring while his whole head is buried under treasure.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Alright, finally saw it, really did not like. It's not exactly bad, but the divergences ruin things.

Main objections:

Elves: For fucks sake Jackson, don't you at all get the idea of the Elves being jolly pagan revelers? They sing and party in the book! Multiple times! Bilbo only escapes because the guards got drunk on the King's wine! This image of the elves as ethereal and refined beings isn't entirely out of picture, but it is definitely wrong as portrayed in the film.

Romance: Ugh, fucking Hollywood. The Hobbit is a deconstructive adventure tale, there is no romance. Nothing else to say on that.

Smaug: The entire idea and purpose of Smaug is ruined by the film. You do not fight Smaug. Smaug completely destroyed two of the most powerful kingdoms in the world in one day, on a whim, because he wanted gold that he has absolutely no use for. The only survivors were the people who ran and didn't look back. Bilbo survives an encounter with Smaug, and this is because, and only because, he possesses the One Ring. Even then, he's still in great danger of being found the entire time. Bilbo should have been roasted the moment he removed the Ring, and the Dwarfs should have been roasted the moment they entered Erebor with Smaug present. Smaug is not a dragon that gets slain by adventurers. He is vastly old, vastly evil, and vastly powerful. He dies as a result of pridefully displaying his only weakness.

I did like the acting, though. Had it only been more like Riddles In The Dark and less like an extended battle scene, it would have been great. I will say I appreciated the visual pun of the company temporally literally making him Smaug the Golden, as stupid as the setup was. "Scales like tenfold shields" being turned to "scales like iron" irked me, as well as generally splitting up the lines of his speech over ten minutes of fighting.

Beorn: This is partially my father's bias rubbing off on me (Beorn is his favorite character in any book, period), but Beorn was horrifically wrong. Beorn's demeanor is "jovial and wild", not "racist jackass". He is supposed to be someone who is rough and unpredictable, but mostly benevolent- i.e., an analogue of the natural world he is immersed in. And to make it even worse, Jackson missed out on one of the few opportunities for a fully justified action scene. Why no Beorn v. Warg pack, Jackson? That happened in the Hobbit, even if it was unseen.

[WillowLuman]

Oh yes, they butchered Beorn quite completely. The two things I actually hate in this movie are the portrayal of Beorn and the fucking barrel scene.

[LeoLeonardoIII]

I bet the Google search results are heavily weighted toward "fucking barrel scene" compared to "loved the barrel scene".

[Bauglir]

I bet the Google search results are heavily weighted toward "fucking barrel scene" compared to "loved the barrel scene".

Quite possibly even after you account for the barrel fetishists.

[LeoLeonardoIII]

I bet the Google search results are heavily weighted toward "fucking barrel scene" compared to "loved the barrel scene".

Quite possibly even after you account for the barrel fetishists.

Oh baby, those hoops! Dem staves! ;P