MeatBoy1994 wrote:
-PJ mentions the film concludes with a definitive confrontation between the Dwarves and Smaug, with 'bombs, infernal artillery and one mightily [word deleted] off dragon'. PJ also notes he is 'enjoying deviating from the book'.
I think this is a great idea, one of the (many) problems with a direct translation of the books is that the dwarves never actually have a showdown with Smaug. They walk all this way and then sit on the side of a mountain whilst someone else sorts out their problems for them. It's yet another example of the dwarves being incredibly passive and having very little impact on the plot. It sounds to me like they've changed the story so that the dwarves will actually have a fight/encounter with Smaug that gives some form of satisfying climax to the movie before he flies off in a rage and the events at laketown play out as they do in the book. Who knows, perhaps the dwarves are actually able to drive Smaug out of the mountain and reclaim Erebor, that would certainly be a more satisfying narrative than what happens in the book and would give them more of a sense of reclaiming their homeland.
As for PJ deviating for the book - Good. However much people might not like Azog and Radagast the changes that he's made to the dwarves alone entirely justify his actions, transformed as they are from a bumbling group of moody cowards into a heroic band of warriors. IMO PJ and his team have done a damn fine job so far and I trust them to continue to do so in the next movie.
Well said.