This.

Half the scenes in The Hobbit movie where just mentioned in passing. They fleshed it out so they could make three movies out of it, and explain passing references in full detail.

I don't think there's a reviewer I'm more apt to ignore than devin faraci. He's basically just a smarmy film snob who can't get enough of the sound of his own voice.

Having Azog in both of these movies is not 'mining the appendices'.. its changing the lore.

They must send pronunciation guides to all the sportscasters and annoucers who have to promote this movie during their telecasts - they have all been very consistent in how they say "Smaug" rhyming with "ow".

When I read it as a kid, I thought 'Smaug' sounded like "smog", with the 'au' sounding like it does in "augment".

Azog is a good addition. Get ****ed.

Yeha, getting to see Beorn was one of the first things I thought about when I heard they were making this to begin with.

His review is just complaining how there isn't enough Bilbo and too much Legolas. Valid arguments I'll give him that, but reviewers tend to get too wrapped up in one or two minor things and turn them into huge things. It sounds like a butthurt fanboy who is still complaining about it not following the books 100%. Get over it or don't go see the movies, but you're the same person who would vote this as a 0 user score on Metacritic thus showing how much of a jackass you are and how flawed a site like Metacritic is for allowing users like you to control the ratings.

Just saw it, and honestly, I think I liked this 1 the most of the 5 that have been released so far.

I didn't have any real expectations, and actually thought The Unexpected Journey was pretty weak.

This one is a lot of action, but I'm sure that there will be mixed reviews since it strays by far the most from the source material from what I've heard by those that are more of an authority on the subject than I am.

Also, I thought they did a great job with creating Smaug, and the 3D and higher frame rate on the Navy Pier *real* IMAX was beautifully done and used well I think!

Just got home from seeing it in the HFR 3D...I actually liked the HFR better this time round. The picture was not overwhelmingly sharp like the last one, I think Peter Jackson may have dialed down the sharpness, and it worked beautifully. Smaug was awesome. Not going to say too much more, but it is certainly an excellent piece of work.

Cumberbatch (Smaug) made this movie it gave me chills listening to him depict Smaug.

I didn't really read the last few posts because im scared of spoilers, but Im going to 3d tonight with about 20 of my friends. I AM EXCITE~

Yeah, I'm fine with expanding the movies to include not only the book but the stuff that we know happens, but is off-screen in the book, as well as the appendices.

I honestly thought the meeting of the White Council at Rivendell in the first movie was an excellent scene. None of that happens in the book, but you know it DOES happen (though it wouldn't likely have been when the Dwarves and Bilbo were also at Rivendell.

At this point, all that can really be said is that I **TRUST** Jackson. He knows the story, he is a fan, he understands what the hardcore fans want and don't want, and what is necessary to appeal to those new to the stories, and is doing a very good job, generally, of balancing it all.

But yeah, I'd prefer to avoid gravity defying trees that are 95% ripped up by their trunks and have hundreds of pounds of dead weight on the end of them hanging over a cliff but somehow, miraculously don't topple over.

The line I hated the most in the first three movies -- Aragorn: "lean forward!" to Frodo while they're atop a pile of rock that is swaying in the breeze. That would be like suggesting that the way a mosquito on the top of your head leans would remotely affect the direction in which you would fall. In fact, having the rocks sway at all was completely unnecessary and utterly stupid.

The Witch King blowing Gandalf off Shadowfax and breaking his staff, in the third movie, was the scene i hated most (extended edition only). I thought he truly didn't understand the material and deserted the fan base with that one. No idea WTF he was thinking on that.

But that crap is minor compared to the epic awesomeness of having the stories told in well-acted, well-directed and a visually spectacular way.

Legolas is probably there in part to help attract chicks. I can tell you my wife won't be at all unhappy to have more Legolas...

http://i.imgur.com/36VNXQT.jpg[/Mrs.Amnorix]

Thankfully she's far more attractive than that.