When your focus isn’t just on hobbits but dwarves, you generally don’t expect them to be having a barrel of fun. Well, unless that barrel happens to be full of something alcoholic to drink. Sadly for the dwarves in this new promo image, it doesn’t look to be too fun for what’s actually happening to them. On a river, stuck in barrels, arrows coming out the side. This is clearly just not a good day to be a dwarf!

For those who are fans of the novel, you’ll probably remember the “Barrels Out of Bond” chapter that this promo image eludes to which shows the dwarves in an escape sequence. Things look a little more intense, though, as there weren’t arrows sticking out of any of the barrels in the book. Also in the novel, they were sealed inside of the barrels which could have been shown to give quite a claustrophobic feeling on screen as they quietly flowed with the river during their escape. Instead, it seems they will be suffering from it a little bit more directly in the adaptation.

Personally I love the idea of the change. I feel without it the scene wouldn’t fit too well on screen, at least from an entertainment standpoint. While I may not agree with all of Peter Jackson’s changes, the vast majority really have made the story flow better from a visual standpoint. From the first trailer, I’ve been hooked and really can’t wait to see it. I’m sure it helped with how much I loved ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey‘ and the LOTR films before that.

The promo poster itself just teases Bilbo reflected in Smaug’s eye which is perfectly fitting in my opinion.

What do you think? Is this a change that you are OK With or are you a believer that the source material would have been fine?

Synopsis:

The second in a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” continues the adventure of the title character Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) as he journeys with the Wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and thirteen Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) on an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor.

‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ will open in theaters on December 11, 2013.

Source: Bleeding Cool.