13 
It’s been a cold, wintry weekend here in Blighty; I’d hazard a guess that more than a few of you have beaten the cold by spending a good few hours sampling the video delights of The Hobbit. What did you think? Did 48FPS delight your eyes or terrorize your traditional movie-going brain?
I saw it in 24 2D, and it was gooooood.
Yeah same with the 2D/24. Really liked it but it suffers from just feeling like it is setting up for the next one. The Gollum scenes are awesome though!
Sawit on Friday in 3D and 48fps. The high framerate made everything look sped up at first but I soon got used to it. Everything was very smooth and the 3D experience was much better than standard 24fps 3D. My biggest gripe was that CG elements stood out a lot and the film did lose that film like look.
The movie itself, I’d give it an 8/10. Very enjoyable. It certainly didn’t feel like 2 hours 49 minutes.
I’m heading back to see it in 2D and 24fps to compare.
I saw it on Thursday in 2D (24fps). I enjoyed how much the CG blended with everything else.
Interesting…
Just saw it again in 2D, looked more film like (guess that’s more to do with what we’re used to seeing in film) and the CG seemed to blend in a bit more.
The ghosting and juddering was awful though, couldn’t make out half of what was clear and visible in the HFR version. I think I’m a convert.
Thanks for the doing the leg work Irononverse.
i am so poor i had to watch this instead
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2456594/
(its ok its not porn, although a porn version off the hobbit might be err umm interesting)
They’ve done one for LOTR so maybe…
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0412063/
probably be a bdsm movie called..
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wait for it
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The bobbitt
Saw it in 2D/24fps (glasses make 3D viewing a pain in the ass) and absolutely loved it. I was a bit worried about the run time and how much filler they’d have in, but I really enjoyed the fleshing out of the back story and (SPOILER) the inclusion of the pale orc as a baddie, especially since Smaug doesn’t really feature much in this one! Really can’t wait for the next film!
IMAX 3D in 11 days and counting. Next time I watch the movie alone and tell the idiots with crap schedules to watch it themselves. Jerkoffs.
Man, that is a long time to wait…
Oh I almost forgot, and it seemed a bit incongruous, but I have to say the scene with the elves at Helms Deep in this movie was pretty spectacular.
Please tell me they had frickin’ “lasers”……
Yes, I loved the fact that they have elves in Helms Deep, really added to the experience.
Yeah it was shit.
Fell asleep within an hour, nothing happened.
My mates musta been bored too because they then took pictures of me seeing how much they could place on my face before waking up. Ended up with straws and popcorn all over me, didn’t wake up until the end and they were like it’s over and it was near 12am…….. frigging swear we went in at like 8pm lol.
I would have just left you asleep in the cinema..
How do you know it was shit? You were asleep for well over half.
Any film that makes you fall asleep in the first hour and then apparently drags on for nearly twice that again is shit. They didn’t even leave the house, why do I need to be introduced to every single one of these characters? Surely lets get a move on and talk on the way, I’m sure there will be plenty of walking to be done. Not only that but the Dwarves looked shit, I swear two of them were CGI, they just looks so fake. I’m not sure if that Gollum scene was in this movie as I was asleep by then but geez I can only imagine how long that scene in the Cave will drag out for.
I don’t like the over use of CGI either, everything was so bright, looked so fake like The Star Wars Prequels and that is what happens when you use so much CGI. I know the LOTR trilogy used it but not as much as this film, I swear there were lots of CGI characters when they would have all been actors in costume in LOTR.
The only good thing was that guy who played Bilbo. The rest were dumb, didn’t like any of the characters, they just don’t make you love them instantly like the Hobbits in LOTR did.
“Any film that makes you fall asleep in the first hour and then apparently drags on for nearly twice that again is shit”.
Maybe: depends. How much had you smoked? How much sleep did you have? Do you have the emotional maturity of a donkey? I don’t know the answers to these questions, so I don’t know how good the test is. Also depends on what happens in the next two hours: maybe a bad 45 minutes is followed by a great 2 hours. You don’t know.
Then cut the first hour out, I’m not the only one complaining about it, my friends were mixed, people at the cinema were mixed and the Critics seem to hate it too.
Hopefully someone will do The Phantom Edit on it. I don’t really wanna spend nearly 3 hours in a cinema either, that isn’t enjoyable, 2 hours is a good length.
I got to say I haven’t gone to see The Hobbit as I’ve had a similar effect with all Jackson films, post ‘The Frighteners’ – within 30 mins my head is bobbing and then sleep. And I never do that watching films? Must be sometime with underlying sound and image editing that makes this happy, or the total mainstream banality of it all.
The odd thing is before Jackson made LOTR he was one of my favourite film director’s, I’d watched all his films and followed his work closely, in my eyes he couldn’t make a bad film, he had an amazing body of work with a deeply progressive natural that I have rarely seen from any creative cinematic force. I recall hearing that is was going to make LOTR and thinking it was going to blow me away.
Since LOTR I haven’t liked a film he has made, and can’t stay awake during them!
Even a back to old school style film theme like ‘Lovely Bones’ was corrupted by this new mainstream banality that he now focuses on.
For me personally, he is the biggest let down in cinematic history. I just hope once he has made is money he can find that amazing creative thread that he lost. Jackson is the only director I felt had the ability to be a Kubrick, but for some reason (money) he became a blank squib of a Spielberg clone – I cried at the loss during ‘King Kong’.
‘Hot Fuzz’ was the last film he was involved in that had half a set of balls.
But he was only in it as a man dressed as Father Christmas
Exactly – needs to get his set back. He really was the king of black humour before becoming another cinematic whore.
You take that back! The Tolkien films are great!
I ain’t saying they are rubbish films, I get the appeal I personally find them sleep inducing – but let no one say that any of the tolkien stuff is better than Brain Dead. Considering Tolkien was a fan of LOTR, as he was with King Kong, I think Jackson could be a good example on why a fan shouldn’t be given a blank cheque to pay homage, it never works, fans can’t filter, they don’t know if it is working or not.
* – “Considering Jackson was a fan of LOTR”
Well they’re written by a triptych of fans. Peter Jackson,Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, and as we all know, fans will always differ in opinions.
Maybe the intros are a bit too talky for you?
Not sure triptych was the word you were after, but I agree with your sentiments. I thought The Hobbit was excellent and the Lord of the Rings was a triptych (see what I did there
) which will be in film history for eternity. That pretty much speaks for itself I reckon…
I really enjoyed it, watched it in Imax. Probably my favourite film of the year. Andy Serkis pulled out another stellar performance as Gollum and I thought Martin Freeman did a pretty good job as well.
The only problem I have with Martin Freeman is it feels like he is just playing Martin Freeman (with hairy feet)
I had that impression too. A few too many Martin Freemanisms.
Agreed, but I think it works for the role so I’m ok with it.
Went for the IMAX 3D version (including the Star Trek preview, which was awesome).
It’s every bit as epic as the first 3 films, and the first hour is really great, but it’s basically just too long. You’re in the cinema for more than 3 hours, and after the second hour, you’re thinking they could’ve spent a bit longer in editing.
Gollum : I’d have chopped him up within minutes of meeting him, frankly. The single most irritating character in the whole set, so you can imagine how overjoyed I was with the whole “riddles scene”.
saw it in 3D HFR, great film but right off the batt the HFR looked un natural, people moved to fast it almost looked super sped up, and the lighting was slightly weird took me a good 40 min to get used to it, would have prefured to see it at 24fps, … also the quality was so good the details almost looked a little unnatueral
Was too busy watching ‘Life of Pi’ in 3D with Dolby Atmos…
Whut, it’s not out in my cinema until the 20th.
Empire Leicester Square. Had a couple of week’s exclusivity I believe…
Saw it in 3D, liked it better than any of the Ring trilogy.
Won’t be watching it on account of http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/nov/20/the-hobbit-animal-deaths-farm
Some animals died during the 3 years filming? They used dozens of animals, and many of them have lifespans less than 20 years. You would expect some deaths (I’m not sang there wasn’t a problem; I’m saying that the stories I’ve seen don’t show there was a problem).
Seriously, while children live in poverty, you’re worried about a couple of horses, sheep and chickens. Your priorities are, IMHO, pretty messed up.
Animals don’t have a choice in the matter, Humans do, your kids are your responsibility.
By that logic I can do anything so long as there’s something worse going on somewhere in the world.
I think his point is that if you’re going to take a stand against something, there are bigger concerns. I agree. Fight for big corps to pay tax or something. For the record, there are tonnes of movies with stuntmen and people dying during filming, I bet you’ve watched one of those and probably not even realised it…
While I’m not accusing them of animal cruelty as I wasn’t there to witness the facts, why is the well being of animals second fiddle to you? What you could more important than protecting the wildlife of this planet? Us humans aren’t any more important than any other animal, in fact get rid of us and the world would probably be a better place.
Again those stuntmen had a choice, animals do not, we control them.
I expect I have, the difference is they chose that profession, they had the choice to take that risk.
I will be watching it, again and again, to make up for you not watching it, and also because it may be one of the last films Christopher Lee will star in.
Ah, the Maddox rebuttal; http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=sponsor
Well I’ve already seen it twice, HFR 3D and 2D 24fps. I might go back for another HFR showing.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/nov/23/hobbit-animal-abuse-warner-bros
A company accused of something has said they didn’t do it, well that’s put my mind at ease…
And yet you’re happy to believe people who were fired by that company when they make, as of yet, totally unsubstantiated claims?
I don’t know either way, no one but those involved do, but given that the film was accredited by both the US and kiwi animal associations, and lots of witnesses including actors & animal handlers, animal owners etc all refute the claims, I think I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt until the accusers bring forth some evidence.
Saw it in 24FPS in 3D. Gonna get IMAX tickets in 48FPS in the new year.
It was awesome. Actually awesome. As a Tolkien fan there were many moments that has me smiling like a big kid. It had such wonderful references, and I like how Jackson borrowed from wider lore, shifted it about a bit, and gave us something new and enjoyable as a result.
Freeman was a delight, as was Armtage, both excelleled in their roles, and whilst I wish I could have had more of all the dwarves I accept that there are later films where they can all be fleshed out more.
Some of the best moments for me? The trolls. Fucking amazing. So well realised. Doing the washing up, riddles in the dark and “THERE’S A MOTH!!”
Well done Jackson. I have never worried that you are making a trilogy out of this. The wealth and depth of story in The Hobbit is all there and I have every faith that you will give is another astounding trilogy. From the opening credits it felt like a nice, warm blanket wrapping me back up in Jackson’s Middle Earth again, and damn it felt good.
I saw it in 3D 48fps and really enjoyed the film, i think it did mean you noticed the CG a bit more but i think it made the 3d viewing experience a lot better, i don’t usually bother watching 3d films because i don’t like paying more for a bit of eye strain and blurred motion, but the 48 fps made it way easier to watch so you could just sit back and enjoy the film. The film itself i enjoyed but my mate fell asleep so i guess it’s down to opinion.
I’ve seen it on 2D and quite frankly, the best movie of this year, having said that the Avangers came pretty close, so did DREDD!