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Review- THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
13 years ago
General
So... I'm not really supposed to talk about it yet, but fuck it- I didn't have to sign a non-disclosure agreement so....
I have more than a little bias toward this one, but from both a positive & a negative spin, so it kinda balances out a bit. On a positive note, I visited the set earlier in the year & met PJ, Joe Letteri, Andy Serkis, etc- one of the sets I went on featured in this first film & that was pretty cool to see the part we watched being filmed. It was also the World Premiere at which I watched the film, so I got to do the red carpet & all the trimmings- was pretty cool, once in a lifetime kinda stuff. Plus I'm Kiwi. Plus it's one of my babies (theatres) that the premiere was at, so yeah- bias lol.
The negative bias comes from the fact that this film has caused me more arguments & stress than anything else all year long, & it was pretty close to being all over with The Hobbit as far as I was concerned- I got pretty filthy about it the last few weeks.
Anyway- the film itself- High Frame Rate (HFR) is not going to be for everyone. Personally I love new things- new technology, exciting advancements- it keeps things fresh & interesting. The 3D is very deep, & carries with it the mark of an excellent 3D usage- you forget about it after about an hour. As with Avatar, it's so incredibly immersive (especially in HFR), that it eventually just becomes your world, your vision for the almost 3 hour running time. I was lucky enough to see it in HFR 3D on one of only two commercial screens in the world using the dual-stack 6K Christie digital technology- it was like staring into a holographic projection you could have fallen into. Also the only Dolby Atmos ("3D sound") in the Southern Hemisphere, so it was quite a surreal experience all around.
It's consistent with the LOTR trilogy despite advancements in technology- similar colour pallet & character design. Any fan of the LOTR trilogy will instantly be a fan of The Hobbit, or so I believe. :) There is substantially less interest for females in this one I noted- Cate Blanchett appears on screen in the first film for about 5 minutes total, & she would be the only female in sight. No Viggo, no Orlando- so there's not really the same "hot guy" thing going on for chicks either- I would suppose that all the medieval chicks are gonna dig it no matter what, cos... they're prolly more manly than me anyway. :P
It's fun, it's funny, cheesy, self-indulgent, looks fantastic for the most part, incredibly long but still completely enjoyable- AND you get new technology, great 3D, great sound (even without Dolby Atmos it would still be pretty incredible)! Also there's this big white orc thing that those of you who know the story will know about- holy fuck he's so damn hot, he's practically on fire! I'd take that home with me any day- he's so angry but he just needs some loving. Oops- just let my inner-furry out....
I have more than a little bias toward this one, but from both a positive & a negative spin, so it kinda balances out a bit. On a positive note, I visited the set earlier in the year & met PJ, Joe Letteri, Andy Serkis, etc- one of the sets I went on featured in this first film & that was pretty cool to see the part we watched being filmed. It was also the World Premiere at which I watched the film, so I got to do the red carpet & all the trimmings- was pretty cool, once in a lifetime kinda stuff. Plus I'm Kiwi. Plus it's one of my babies (theatres) that the premiere was at, so yeah- bias lol.
The negative bias comes from the fact that this film has caused me more arguments & stress than anything else all year long, & it was pretty close to being all over with The Hobbit as far as I was concerned- I got pretty filthy about it the last few weeks.
Anyway- the film itself- High Frame Rate (HFR) is not going to be for everyone. Personally I love new things- new technology, exciting advancements- it keeps things fresh & interesting. The 3D is very deep, & carries with it the mark of an excellent 3D usage- you forget about it after about an hour. As with Avatar, it's so incredibly immersive (especially in HFR), that it eventually just becomes your world, your vision for the almost 3 hour running time. I was lucky enough to see it in HFR 3D on one of only two commercial screens in the world using the dual-stack 6K Christie digital technology- it was like staring into a holographic projection you could have fallen into. Also the only Dolby Atmos ("3D sound") in the Southern Hemisphere, so it was quite a surreal experience all around.
It's consistent with the LOTR trilogy despite advancements in technology- similar colour pallet & character design. Any fan of the LOTR trilogy will instantly be a fan of The Hobbit, or so I believe. :) There is substantially less interest for females in this one I noted- Cate Blanchett appears on screen in the first film for about 5 minutes total, & she would be the only female in sight. No Viggo, no Orlando- so there's not really the same "hot guy" thing going on for chicks either- I would suppose that all the medieval chicks are gonna dig it no matter what, cos... they're prolly more manly than me anyway. :P
It's fun, it's funny, cheesy, self-indulgent, looks fantastic for the most part, incredibly long but still completely enjoyable- AND you get new technology, great 3D, great sound (even without Dolby Atmos it would still be pretty incredible)! Also there's this big white orc thing that those of you who know the story will know about- holy fuck he's so damn hot, he's practically on fire! I'd take that home with me any day- he's so angry but he just needs some loving. Oops- just let my inner-furry out....
I'm assuming they'll release a 2D HFR version later into the season.
I have a feeling my left eye is going Supernova & I will soon be joining your no-3D camp sadly.
2D & 3D- only difference is a different DCP file on the drive the cinema is sent, and a key to unlock it which the studio grants- no separate equipment (on a 3D-capable screen), although some Sony 3D projectors require lens changes between the 2 formats.
AND THERE YOU GO haha- TMI? :P
I have to say... Peter Jackson did it again and where he leaves off in this movie, I would have to say it is nearly half completed. There was good actions, interesting battles, nostalgia from the "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring". If you are a fan of Tolkien... go see this movie!
Also... I saw this in 3D Imax which was decent. Also, as a special treat, we got to see not only the "Man of Steel" theatrical trailer #2 in 3D but a special, IMAX 10minute preview of... bum bum bummmmmmm... Star Trek: Into Darkness. For this, everyone celebrated, cheered, hooted, hollared and clapped. I have to say, that was a nice, unexpected journey (pun definitely intended) and it looks absolutely gorgeous. It was odd though, due to the fact that we saw the new villain offering to save a little girl from a sickness killing her. Oh... for Dr. Who fans... there is a cameo by a companion! Also, we were taken to a planet where it was going to blow up, the species worshipped a scroll, Spock was trying to save the planet and enforced the Prime Directive.
All in all, it was a great time... the only bad thing was my bladder was wanting to explode a couple times. Ooh... there is also the part early on that I don't think I could have envisioned the way PJ did, but it was quite entertaining and humorous!
If friends wanted to go see it and I had the money, I would go again!