Beleg Cúthalion on 22/12/2012 at 21:17
Just saw it (24 fps, though, but my first 3D movie) and despite my low expectations caused by reading this thread, I found it really enjoyable. I read the book for refreshing things about a week ago (OK, not yet finished but all the movie-covered parts) and didn't notice any painful difference in atmosphere or content. Yes, little things here and there (like a bit too much drama at the end), but in general not badly interpreted.
I tend to agree on the violence issue, though. The book contains it, too, but one cannot call it entertainment there (what most media violence is nowadays unfortunately). The one scene where Glamdring turns out to be extra sharp was a bit too much, and all the kids round me laughed at it (but also at Gollum crying, which probably took too much background knowledge to understand), so it was indeed a bit questionable. But then one could talk about the race elements and war in general, too. :erg:
Bakerman on 1/1/2013 at 14:11
I'm with the naysayers, unfortunately. And what's more unfortunate is that I am sure as hell going to see the next two films. Hhh.
I didn't like the film as an adaptation of The Hobbit - for all the reasons put forth above. I could deal with that, if I found the film to be enjoyable in its own right... but I just
didn't. Maybe my tastes have changed since I watched LotR, or maybe it was Jackson's attempt to capture the more lighthearted feel of The Hobbit (and juggle it with epic scale and violence). I just found the action scenes boring, the character development boring, the effects completely fake (I felt the visual design and style would be more appropriate for a World of Warcraft movie than what Jackson achieved in LotR - and this was in 24FPS, 2D). Definitely lamenting the CGI goblins.
I was pretty disappointed by the creative additions from Jackson and his team, which didn't make me feel any better about the whole affair.
Mostly Radagast and that bloody Pale Orc. I felt the one was spectacularly misjudged ("Sebastian!") while the other was just dumb as manure. Like The Avengers. But The Avengers was entertaining. I understand their need to have an antagonist for the film, but couldn't we have a better one? The White Council wasn't too bad, and I'm glad they did find a way to fit one woman into the film, but I'm still waiting for the payoff on that storyline. It all seemed like padding, which was weird given how long the film was.
But, like I said, sign me up for Part 2. Despite myself, I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do with Mirkwood.
Lee Pace!Quote:
I really really really want to see nature documentaries in this kind of 3D and 48FPS. Water looked fucking amazing and the movement of the grass and the trees is just mindblowing.
I did want to see the film in 48FPS, but I always have terrible experiences with 3D. You're tempting me to see it again, though I think I might just wait in hope for your suggestion to catch on. I'm also told IMAX is a thing.
EDIT:
Funny story: I saw the film in Belgium with English audio, which meant subtitles in French and Dutch. And that meant there was no room for the Pale Orc's English subtitles, which I assume existed in other locations. So, idly interested in what he might have to say, I tried reading the French whenever he turned up. This has resulted in me remembering the character as L'Orc Pale, terrible French-speaking scourge of the plains. Which may have slightly undermined the atmosphere they were trying to create.Stitch on 4/1/2013 at 23:04
Saw it. Looking forward to the inevitable fan edit that minimizes Radagast and the council at Rivendell, and shaves some serious time off the first forty minutes (see also: fewer Dwarven dinner party antics). Hack this baby down to two hours and you've got a near-perfect film, but as is the frequent bloat causes viewing fatigue that undercuts the otherwise incredible last hour.
The huge Hobbit fan in me had trouble adjusting to Jackson's now-familiar method of adapting the source material--he keeps the same overall shape but injects motive changes, restructures things to grant the protagonists more agency, and just generally makes nobody ever agree to anything so their eventual change of heart can be a point of resolving conflict that establishes personal growth. Luckily, these changes generally worked well and should play better once I can watch the film for what it is without constantly comparing it to the book.
And I had no trouble with the also-by-now-customary superorc villain :cool:
Renault on 5/1/2013 at 06:56
Planning on seeing this over the weekend, but I'm not sure which version should get the nod. 3D is a given, but I normally like to embrace new tech, so I feel like I should see the 48 fps version just for the sake of it. Trouble is, I've heard so many bad things about it, I can't decide if it's just stubborn people who can't handle something new, or if it will legitimately taint the cinema experience. I don't plan on seeing it twice after some of the mediocre opinions that seem to be the norm, so it's one or the other. :confused: Probably will end up taking the plunge with the HFR.
nicked on 5/1/2013 at 19:23
I went and saw it in HFR and 3D, and for me, it clicked wonderfully. The HFR made the 3D not only bearable, but good, because the lack of constant flickering allows you to actually focus on the depth. It's worth checking out, even just for the novelty.
Mr.Duck on 14/1/2013 at 07:35
Finally saw it some days ago. No 48 fps, alas.
Had lots of fun, certainly a lot of filler, which was still entertaining.
I'm still questioning the decision to make it a trilogy, but lets see what happens, w00t!
:D
Renault on 16/1/2013 at 18:35
Finally got into the theater to see this last night. It was a fun ride, but doesn't come close to the previous LOTR movies. It was great to get back into the world of Gandalf and Hobbits, but the CGI was just so over the top, it got to the point of ridiculousness and unbelievability, and it was jarring enough to break the immersion. Sounds weird for a movie featuring Orcs and Elves, but when you have 14 people falling 10 stories without a scratch, it's pretty silly. The rock giant scene too was also just too unbelievable to accept. It definitely had some moments (the eagles rescue was awesome), but overall was too slow for the most part. I think this series would have been much better off if they had stuck to the original idea of 2 movies. What else... Seeing Gollum again was awesome. The new Bilbo did a very good job. In a few select parts (mainly Rivendell), it seemed like they tried to hard to bring back familiar characters, it's been years but I don't remember many of those scenes from the book.
I didn't even notice anything strange with the 48 FPS, to the point where I think the theater may have not been using it even though they said they were. I've seen the "soap opera" effect before on a TV, and it didn't look anything like that to me. The 3D effect was good and not overdone, I thought.
gunsmoke on 17/1/2013 at 09:53
You still have Denny's? The only place they exist here are miles out of town inside truckstops.
gigagooga on 17/1/2013 at 21:48
[video=youtube;JrKXH1CeXck]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrKXH1CeXck[/video]
^_^
