Saw this last night. People in my theatre weren't quite so vocally upset but I think a few were stunned that the film ended the way it did. I was expecting it since I've read the books and throught the film it seemed obvious that they wouldn't quite get that far. Overall, it was quite good but just...unsatisfying.

I think I missed parts of the books too much. Like how they meet Beorn in the novel is really funny and enjoyable and I'd have much rather seen Gandalf doing that than being thrown around by the Smoke Monster from Lost. And other parts that were similar felt unneccessarily changed. I mean if they are planning on having Bard take down the dragon anyway like they seem to be setting up, why have him use a special dwarven bow to shoot the special arrow into a hole an ancestor made years ago rather than just shooting the arrow using a normal bow into his unbejazzeled underbelly? It just seems needlessly complicated. Also, I thought bard was a poet, not a barge man?

I agree that the Kili/Tauriel parts were messy. The conversation in the cell was nice but if she ends up curing him of that poison and he dies like he is supposed to at the end of the book then that is going to feel like a massive waste of time.

For the most part, I did enjoy the film but, as I said, I just came out of the cinema feeling rather unfulfilled by the experience.

Yeah, on a pure story-telling level, that was BS. Two Towers wasn't like that. Should've ended it with getting the dwarves out of Elftownrather than do it that way, and just expanded on Mirkwood.

I can accept the ending just fine, I mean, not that it was great or anything... but if they removed the Tauriel deal (which was a bit forced) they would have had more time to expand the ending beyond an unnecessary cliffhanger.

Also, here is an honest question...

How much of a writers corner did they drive themselves into by having Gandalf indentifying Sauron in this movie... if in the LoTR trilogy he is all "Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaybe Sauron is back... we must confirm it"? Or am i remembering this wrong...?

I haven't seen the original trilogy in ages, but I think the real question was how quickly is Sauron regrouping, especially since the One Ring has been confirmed found. His shit does end up wrecked by the end of the period described in the Hobbit. That could be a consequence of the ten years lag between that story and now though.

So that Smaug art contest thingy I entered is closed and the winner's supposed to be announced January 10th. Fingers crossed.

so many fingers crossed i can't even put on socks right now!

Movie was mediocre at best. I'm increasingly confusing Peter Jackson with George Lucas, though I hope it never gets that bad.

Probably the best movie dragon ever, but even that's only more of a technical achievement, only to be surpassed given time. I loved the very beginning of the Smaug-Bilbo encounter, and my hopes rose, but then they turned it into an over-long action sequence with Smaug kind of bumbling around as far as elder dragons are concerned in order to make it long enough to resolve a Legolas Boss Fight and a poisoning that existed possibly to just make some Kings Foil references and a ham-fisted romance.

Overall a very enjoyable mindless romp, but I guess I was expecting some mind.

I did like your entry.
 

Good luck!

Deadline came and passed with nothing like an email and the page hasn't updated to show the winners either.