Jo, really? I didn't mind those changes, simply because they make the characters that much more relatable. In my opinion, some of the characters in The Lord of the Rings are too perfect and that's not interesting or realistic. Maybe the movie versions doubted a little too much but I don't think it was a large departure from the books. To each his/her own, I guess.

I liked it in general - but there are some scenes that are a bit too scary and which made me uncomfortable. Next time I see it I guess I will be prepared and not worry too much. It will be easier when I know what to expect.

[...]

I still think it's worth seeing, and I'm going to see it again, either in theaters, preferably with friends, or on DVD.

I saw it again with a friend last week (and told her when the spiders were gone so she could open her eyes again ). It must have helped to be prepared for what to expect and to know that it wouldn't be too much, for I enjoyed it a lot more this time!

Granted, there are things I wish had been done differently. But there were also little things that I only noticed during this viewing, and appreciated seeing. And most of the changes I don't mind too much.

Still haven't seen The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug yet. Mean to, still haven't.

However, i popped in to share this fantastic cover of "Into the West" by Peter Hollens. He's also covered I See Fire, Pippin's Song and Misty Mountains (dwarf version). In my opinion, he's an awesome vocal artist, and "Into the West" is one of his best covers.

Thanks for sharing those, Arwenel. I like his cover of "I See Fire" a lot, probably more than the original version. His "Into the West" is good, too, though I think I still prefer Annie Lennox's version. I wish he'd extended Pippin's Song to included some of the other verses from the book, though. Tolkien's songs aren't as well-used in the films as they maybe could have been (though I realize there's only so much anyone can do with a film).

Came across an interesting news item of a more scholarly nature today. Tolkien's translation of Beowulf is finally going to be published this year! http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/mar/19/jrr-tolkien-beowulf-translation-published

I already have three different translations of Beowulf, but I'm tempted to buy it anyway.

Far Over the Misty Mountains EE

For those who want to hear all the verses (though I have not verified that myself) from the book sung to the movie tune...

Hello? Just popping by! So, who's buying the Hobbit when it comes out and who's waiting for Extended Edition? I'm going to wait since I was extremely disappointed with Desolation of Smaug.

Yes, that is very cool, indeed, Dot!

Mel, that song brings so many goosebumps (thanks for the link!), but I must admit that after so many verses, the repetitive music got a bit monotonous after awhile.

Hi Catmint! *high fives* I will not be buying The Desolation of Smaug. I have not even yet bought An Unexpected Journey, although I will in time, I think, but only when I see a great price. And then I will probably only watch the first hour of it over and over and over. Oh, and "Riddles in the Dark". But as for TDoS , I doubt we will ever have it in our collection, I was so disappointed.

I longed to love these movies, but I just ... can't.

Good to see you popping by, Catmint!

I'm going to wait, too - I think.
I wasn't too disappointed, and I liked it better at second viewing - but I'm in no hurry to watch it again, and the EE may be worth waiting for.

I'm torn . It would be really nice to see more of Thranduil's halls and Beorn, but the EE is nearly half a year away and more expensive (and who knows what is in it? It might be something I won't like), while it would be so easy to just walk in the shop and buy the original version... Life is full of difficult decisions. I think I'll settle for the shorter film in the end.

Hey, guys!
I could rant forever about it but I don't like focusing on negative things. Smaug was awesome. ^_^

DoS did some things better than AUJ but not many. It certainly did some things worse. I'll wait for the Extended Edition. The behind the scenes for AUJ were excellent.

Interesting. The Hobbit 3 has been changed from 'There and Back Again' to 'Battle of Five Armies.' Probably much more appropriate since there isn't much getting 'there' in movie three.

I'm kind of disappointed. There and Back Again was perfect for the last Middle Earth film. It gave a sence of closure but I understand why they changed it. Though it's going to take some time to get used to.

Peter also mentioned that there would be 25+ minutes of new footage (with a new score ) in the EE!

*sigh* Though this is probably my least of complaints from The Hobbit movies, it still irks me. As someone else has said, does this mean we are going to get 3 hours of the battle? Obviously that is an exaggeration, but I still betcha' PJ is going to go to town on this.

I can see the former title did not totally suit, but I still think, as you do Impending Doom, that There and Back Again gave a nice finale, very Tolkien feel to the trilogy.