Sunday, June 30, 2013

Smaug Awakens

The Movie: The thrush flies to the ruins of the Lonely Mountain, and picks up a snail to crack against the stone wall. The sound can be heard inside, echoing in the vast chambers of Erebor where the halls are completely filled with gold. Smaug, buried in the mountains of treasure, shifts enough for us to see the side of his face. His eye opens; he is awake.

Here's hoping that Thror's treasure had a Keurig or something.

The Book: No such scene occurs.

What difference does it make? Showing Smaug's eye has no impact on the rest of the plot. It stands to reason that, at some point in the novel, the dragon opened his eyes.

My Opinion: I remember being a little surprised at how much gold, exactly, Smaug had in this scene. The book is never explicit with any solid number, but it's enough for the massive dragon to comfortably lay on. Tolkien's own drawing of Smaug has a much smaller pile of gold, but it's hardly fair to say that Peter Jackson's interpretation is wrong. The fact of the matter is, Smaug has a lot of money - a nearly unassessable amount.

This scene is awesome, and Smaug's eye looks amazing. Anybody who disagrees with this sentiment is objectively incorrect.

4 comments:

  1. Ha ha! Well i have to agree with you - it does look awesome ;)

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  2. I finally finish reading all your posts. I wanted to congratulate you for such a great comparison between the movie an the book. I´ve seen the first and read the second, but I must admit I didn´t pick up half of the difference you have pointed out. Perhaps I dont necesarily share your opinion for every scene (I keep most of that for myself thoug), but I must recognize your efforts. I´ll be waiting for your review of the next movie.

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    1. Thank you! It will be a few months. I would like to get Desolation of Smaug on DVD, so I can take screenshots and rewatch particular scenes for comparison. I've seen it in theaters, though, and I know I will have plenty to write about!

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