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Ataahua
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Dec 13 2012, 12:53am
Post #1 of 15
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Please post all Hobbit reviews within this thread. (Links to previous review threads within.)
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Thread 1
Thread 2
Thread 3
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Thread 8
Thread 9
Celebrimbor: "Pretty rings..."
Dwarves: "Pretty rings..."
Men: "Pretty rings..."
Sauron: "Mine's better."
"Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded beggar with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak.
Ataahua's stories
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Altaira
Superuser
Dec 13 2012, 1:59am
Post #2 of 15
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From the Home Page: 12 Things You'll Love about 'The Hobbit' (and 12 Things You Might Not) by deej
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I had the pleasure of seeing an advanced screening last night of 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' in 3D but not in 48fps. In honour of todays date (12/12/12) I thought I would share the 12 things I loved most about the film, and 12 things I didn't. I will say that overall I loved the movie, and plan to see it in all formats at least a few times each. And it was a lot harder to come up with 12 things I didn't like about the film than 12 things I did like. Spoilers ahead!
***********
Things to love:
1) The prologue - Seeing Erebor in its glory! Young Thorin! Thranduil! fleeting glimpse of Smaug! And, most surprisingly (I was actually a little worried about this), seeing old Bilbo and Frodo as they get ready for Bilbo's birthday party. A nice way of seeing how Bilbo begins the Red Book as well as a nice segue into the beginning of 'Fellowship of the Ring'.
2) Martin Freeman as Bilbo - Perfect casting. I have long been a fan of his, and he absolutely nails this performance.
3) Richard Armitage as Thorin - See above.
4) The dwarves singing at Bag End - I laughed during 'Blunt the Knives' and almost cried during 'Misty Mountains'.
5) The returning cast (Sir Ian McKellen, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett) and familiar settings (Hobbiton, Rivendell) from the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy. It was like being back with old friends after a long absence.
6) Bret McKenzie as Figwit Lindir.
7) The Stone Trolls - ert, William, and Tom.They look and sound just as Tolkien described, except... (see # 8 on my 2nd list).
8)'Riddles in the Dark' - My favorite scene in the film and from the book. Both Martin and Andy Serkis were brilliant together. Can we just give them both an Oscar now?
9) Bad Ass Dwarven fighting. Those goblins never stood a chance.
10) The soundtrack - a Middle-earth film without Howard Shore's score is like a Hobbit without food and pipeweed.
11) Here come the eagles!
12) One last glimpse of Smaug opening his eye as the film ends. I can't wait to hear Benedict Cumberbatch give voice to one of my favorite literary characters next year.
Things You Might Not Love:
1) I would have liked to have seen a bit more done with Radagast the Brown. Don't get me wrong - I love Sylvester McCoy, and he does warn Gandalf about the goings-on in Dol Guldur. But otherwise he just seemed to be there for the sake of being there. Perhaps the Extended Editions and films 2 & 3 will fix that.
2) Bilbo seemed a little too excited to leave the Shire, and he left on his own. I wanted to see Gandalf come and get him.
3) Speaking of Bilbo heading out on his adventure, why did he have a backpack? I would have rather he left as he did in the book, without so much as a pocket hankerchief.
4) Azog - In my opinion, he was too cartoonish and too obviously CGI. A little disappointing given how amazing Weta's CGI characters usually are.
5) The Wargs - See above.
6) The Goblin King - See above.
7) No talking wallet during the Stone Trolls scene - I understand it may have been a bit too cartoonish, but I was disappointed not to hear "Ere, 'oo are you?"
8) Bilbo covered in troll snot - I would have been okay without seeing that.
9) The scene with the Company in the middle of a fight between stone giants seemed almost completely lifted from the scene in 'The Fellowship of the Ring' on the Pass of Caradhras.
10) No talking eagles, either - I wanted to hear at least a little something between Gandalf and Gwahir.
11)I know the eagles aren't a taxi service, but couldn't they have dropped the Company off just a *bit* closer to Erebor instead of at the top of a mountain very far away?
12) That it will be another year before we all see 'The Desolation of Smaug'.
Koru: Maori symbol representing a fern frond as it opens. The koru reaches towards the light, striving for perfection, encouraging new, positive beginnings.
"Life can't be all work and no TORn" -- jflower
"I take a moment to fervently hope that the camaradarie and just plain old fun I found at TORn will never end" -- LOTR_nutcase
(This post was edited by Altaira on Dec 13 2012, 3:39am)
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BeornBerserker
Menegroth
Dec 13 2012, 2:15am
Post #3 of 15
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For those of you who like their podcasts, in the latest Fr. Roderick gives his non-spoiler review.
http://thehobbit.sqpn.com/
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Thoromir
Ossiriand
Dec 13 2012, 2:27am
Post #4 of 15
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Just seen it. This is my review:
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Ok, here it goes. A few hours ago I’ve seen it in Rotterdam. In Imax 3D (24 fps) and…it was awesome :)
So the film begins with a bookend scene. On the one hand it felt good and it gave me a feeling of ‘yay, we’re back!’, but on the other hand I got distracted by the fact the two actors (Wood & Holms) look a bit older than they are supposed to be. But that’s me.
Old Bilbo sets up the story by giving us some background information about Erebor and Dale. I really enjoyed that. Smaug seems big, fast and fierce despite the fact you only see glimpses of him.
A few minutes later we find Old Bilbo smoking on his bench and there is a transition to the younger Bilbo and the arrival of Gandalf. Then it happened; The Good Morning dialogue! I’m very pleased it was in. I always liked it (like many other people) when reading the book. And as for Freeman…his performance was so good (to avoid the word ‘perfect’:p). He just has those little moments. Difficult to describe really. I just love those moments of discomfort for example.
Ok, so the dwarves begin to arrive, they eat (a lot!), they sing and then the quest gets explained to us. By the way; The fact that Gandalf stands up and raises his voice (a la ‘I’m not trying to rob you!’) seems a bit out of place…
After their departure (including Bilbo) we get our first wide shot of New Zealand’s nature. And that was the moment I really felt ‘The adventure has begun!’. Shortly after we get to see Radagast running through Mirkwood. Not going into detail about this, but I have to say that I have mixed feelings about this character. Sometimes he’s just too odd. Other times he is more serious. And those are the times I like him. I wouldn’t call him the Jar Jar Binks of the films, but he is indeed a bit weird.
Later on Balin explains some things to Bilbo, Fili and Kili. And through a flashback we are taken to the battle of Azanulbizar. It looked great. It was all in slow motion, but that did not really bother me since it’s a flashback. What díd bother me was the switching back and forth of the battle scenes and Balin telling the story. He just kept pulling me out of it for some reason. A bit distracting.
Then came the troll scene. The scene began a bit childish (certain jokes), but turned out pretty kewl. I really enjoy the little fight against the trolls. In the end Gandalf saves the day and the trolls turn to stone (in the correct pose (FotR)).
Radagast meets with the company and moments later they are being attacked by warg-scouts. Radagast tries to draw them (wargs and orcs) off on his bunny sled. It looked a bit silly (so did the CGI I recall), but immediately after it became much better. The company was running over vast plains and they were being chased by wargs (despite the actions of Raddy). I would have preferred a bit more combat here, but it was nice nonetheless. Ultimately they escape through a hole in the ground.
The hole leads to Rivendell. We get to see Elrond in battle armor. Sweet! And we meet with Galadriël (Sweeter!) and Saruman. The White Council scene was just right. I’ve heard stories about it being too long, but I think that’s not true. It provides us with new information and does not drag at all imo.
The dwarves and Bilbo continue their journey and we get to see some more wide shots of NZ’s nature. And with Shore’s music it just feels epic.
The bit with the stone giants (which is next) seems out of place. Overdone. Did not really like it.
The Goblin Town stuff, on the other hand, was very nice. I liked almost everything. Except for the Goblin King. Too cartoony imo. But the escape/fight scenes are fun to watch and full of action. And when Gandalf showed up...that was really cool.
Bilbo (who got separated from the group) meets Gollum. The Riddles in the Dark part was one of the best parts of the film. It was creepy and fun and it sure was nice to see Serkis back in this role. Very well done.
The film ends with the burning trees scene. I also liked this scene very much. Thorin’s charge and fall was epic and kinda emotional (not going into detail). The company was saved by the eagles and what a great bit that was! Really liked that flight sequence. Ultimately the company gets dropped off on top of the Carrock (I assume it is the Carrock). Some story arcs are completed here (Bilbo just found his courage and Thorin accepts him). The company can now see the Lonely Mountain in the distance. Great view!
The film ends with a camera wandering through Erebor, all the way to the treasure chamber. And then we see it. Under a big pile of gold. Smaug… He opens his eye and….. credits roll.
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BeornBerserker
Menegroth
Dec 13 2012, 3:11am
Post #5 of 15
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Good video review with Jeff Cannata
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kqxT01kNv8
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BeornBerserker
Menegroth
Dec 13 2012, 3:21am
Post #6 of 15
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Interesting review. They don't seem to be diehard LotR or Tolkien fans and was interesting to hear general fantasy/adventure fans review it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9ytAsiWEeE
(This post was edited by BeornBerserker on Dec 13 2012, 3:23am)
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Ataahua
Forum Admin
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Dec 13 2012, 9:21am
Post #7 of 15
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I just saw it and oh my lord Riddles in the Dark is so, so perfectly done
The scene is so powerfull and the acting is brilliant. It was the perfect combination of slinker/stinker ( smeagol/gollum) Now the stinker side was so,so scary. I'm betting someone had nightmares about it. I overall liked the movie very much. I guess there are only 2 thing I didn't like: The overuse of the Over hill song and the CGI of Azog... they should've used a guy in a suit like Lurtz.. But please, give Andy an oscar allready !
Celebrimbor: "Pretty rings..."
Dwarves: "Pretty rings..."
Men: "Pretty rings..."
Sauron: "Mine's better."
"Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded beggar with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak.
Ataahua's stories
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The Preciousss
Nevrast
Dec 13 2012, 9:40am
Post #8 of 15
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in 3d 24fps (we did not know beforehand which of the two theaters had HFR and got the 24fps one).
I rate it a 8.5/10. I really don't know how the critics can say it was boring/had too much padding? I did not feel bored a single minute, I found it rather odd, as other people had remarked, that after nearly 3 hours some dwarves did not have a single line. I guess I will love the Extended edition. I fully understand now that PJ made this into a trilogy, imagining that otherwise they would have had to put Mirkwood and Beorn into this movie as well. In 24fps there wasn't any bad CGI, even Azog and the Bunnysled looked great. The only (minor) quibbles I had were the Goblin King's last words and Raddy smoking through his ears and him resurrecting the hedgehog (Raddy is the true Necromancer ).
I loved all the actors, Freeman wass absolutely perfect, he was born to play this role and he is such a nice contrast to EmoFrodo. I uderstand some peoples frustration with the score though. While it was certainly nice to hear some of the old motifs (like Shire, Rivendell, Gollum's song) and the Misty Moutain theme is a nice excellent, it felt as if it was the only new theme. I would have loved for Goblintown the Dwarves, Dol Guldor and Smaug and Azog to have their own themes. I guess the score for the 2 part plan was already finished and Howard had not enough time to rescore the new cut. I found it especially weird that the Ringwraith theme was used in the Azog/Thorin battle.
I am soon going to see it again (this time in HFR).
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Jax_Teller
Ossiriand
Dec 13 2012, 1:57pm
Post #9 of 15
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OMG.
Saw it in HFR 3D. It was mindblowing. The look kinda resembles the motionflow stuff that you see on TV's, but it's very different at the same time.
I was overwhelmed in the first 5 minutes (which is the stuff In Erebor), there is so much detail, the pannings are SO smooth, I usually dislike the video look but here it totally works for me.
The action scenes as a result are so impressive, you see everything, and it brings a sense of immersion that I am sure to miss when I see it again in 3D 24 fps and 2D.
Let me tell you, that the Troll scene (which is unbelievable) looks so real. The whole movie looks hyper real in 48 fps, and that's the stuff that will bother a lot of people.
I felt that the trolls were really there, and it sells the CG characters in a way that the 24fps can't. I'm sure it will still look great in 24 fps, but here, there's a weight to those characters.
Same for the Goblin King, for Azog (that I really dig).
Mountain scene: outstanding, so real, I'm there in the scene.
The piece de resistance is the Riddle In The Dark scene: Gollum has never felt so real and there, truly nuts.
Some will like, others won't, I love it and I see other people loving it as well, 24 fps and 48 fps can cohabit, it's just a matter of personal taste.
The scenes in Bag End where the Dwarves come in Bilbo's house are so vivid, I was blown away by the Blunt The Knives scene, with all those plates going around, wow.
The movie itself, it never dragged for me but I'm a massive fan. It is SO SO different in tone, of course, but it is so refreshing, I just did a LOTR marathon last weekend, so I can really compare a bit.
It is so witty, so funny (really), so charming in a way. I love the scenes in Erebor, the glimpses of Smaug (a paw, some body parts, and I was surprised that they showed his snout at the end of the movie (which is bluish, really interesting colors) and his eyeeeeee).
The stuff in Bag End is genius, I love all the Dwarves, they all have their little moments (except Nori), Ori is delightful, Dori has some good dialogue.
Balin is great, Dwalin too, Bifur has one sentence :D but he's seen quite a few times, Bofur is fantastic, so funny and distinct.
Bombur, no lines, but he is a funny presence. Gloin is cool, has some lines, Oin, not so much, but he has some moments
Fili and Kili, I just love.
Thorin is amazing, Armitage nails it just like I thought he would.
All in all, all the dwarves are characterized, some more than others, but I love that they have personalities compared to the book.
And I can only hope for even more dwarves scenes in the EE, and in the sequels.
I loved all the little changes in the movie, Bilbo actually feels more used, he is more active, (especially at the end), he comes across as more heroic. There is this beautifully done scene where Bilbo thinks he should finish Gollum off, and Gollum actually cries because he lost his precious, it's heartbreaking.
The addition of Azog is IMO a stroke of genius from Jackson, Walsh and Boyens, it makes sense I believe and incarnates Thorin's rage and legacy in a way.
I just love that they are chasing the Dwarves, it gives us more action, and tension, the scene where Radagast [spoiler] lures the Orcs away on his bunnysled, while the Dwarves try to find a refuge [/spoiler] is just golden, really.
White Council scene is great, nice change of pace there, great acting.
Let me tell you that all the BIG scenes are absolutely fantastic, and I had such a childish smile on my face all along the movie.
Trolls are amazing, voice acting is so good and adequate (the three dwarvish actors did a great job), mountain scene (modified from the book yeah) is breathtaking.
Riddles In The Dark is just one of the best scenes that Jackson did in all of LOTR. Brilliant, funny, threatening, tense.
Goblin Town is great.
Tree scene at the very end is brilliant, especially with the addition of Azog, and I love that they actually put Thorin in danger for once, seeing Bilbo save him and gaining his respect is such a great addition and it actually makes me wish that Tolkien had thought of it.
Let me tell you that the acting is top notch as you would expect. I'm a Martin Freeman fan, and he is just....... I believe he could seriously be nominated (which he won't, of course, not prestigious enough) for at the very last, a SAG award, or BAFTA for this, because he is absolutely brilliant.
His little facial expressions are priceless, especially in Troll scene and Riddles In The Dark.
Armitage nails it and gives us such a regal performance. He is noble, powerful, I respect him for sure, the Azanulbizar flashback (way too short by the way :) ) is fantastic in this regard, such fierceness.
Sir Ian hasnt aged a day, I just love his Gandalf The Grey, what can you say? There is nothing to say :)
All the dwarves are great, standouts IMO are Dean McGorman as Fili, Aiden Turner as Kili (they are so funny, charming, witty), Ken Stott as Balin (such wisdom ! :) ), James Nesbitt as Bofur (really brilliant, notably in one scene (which is one of the best changes made, when Bilbo actually decides to leave the company when they are hiding in the mountain) with Bilbo.
Adam Brown is charming as Ori, Mark Hadlow as Dori has great moments (kind of a mother-son bond with Ori in the scene where they are eating in Rivendell :D "Come on, try it, just a bite" :D )
Others are really cool as well.
Enchanted by the movie! Will go see it again ASAP.
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DanielLB
Elvenhome
Dec 13 2012, 4:08pm
Post #10 of 15
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The 48fps that is ...
Once I've calmed down I can give a proper review. But the film was everything I wanted it to be. Just spectacular.
And I'll admit straight away ... the 3 film split was the best thing that could've happened!
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namarie
Nargothrond
Dec 13 2012, 4:33pm
Post #11 of 15
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and because it was from 09:00 pm till midnight and I got home around 1:00 am today I am really tired.( but it was worth it ;) )
So I will try to point out the things that I loved:
- Martin Freeman as Bilbo - perfection
- Armitage as Thorin - perfection
- 48 FPS, 3D - loved it
- The flashback to Erebor - loved it :)
- "Good Morning" scene - loved it
- Bag End scene - loved it
- Riddles in the dark - same
- When Bilbo puts on the Ring and follows Gollum and then spares his life - one of the favorite moments
- I liked the Elrond moment when he returns to Rivendell
- Eagles - wow
-The hug at the end - another favorite moment
I've also liked that they put Amon Sul in - it was a nice touch
And I am sure I forgot lot of other favorite moments.
What didn't worked for me:
- The intro with Frodo and Bilbo - it was a nice touch but I think I would've preferred that a dwarf would narrate the flashback to Erebor - don't ask me why
- the troll scene - I don't know why but it felt a bit rushed to me and I didn't really liked the snort :)
- the stone giants fight scene was just ok
- the flash back to Moria battle felt rushed also - it felt to short for me - hope we will get to see more in the extended editions.
- I don't know why but in the first hour and so I didn't felt like I was back into Middle Earth again ( I didn't felt the connection with the movie) but than in the second part of the movie I was back in baby :)
At the end of the movie I had a huge smile on my face :)
What I didn't mind:
- all the changes and additions to the story
I felt that all the changes were necessary so I don't mind them at all.
I can't wait to go and see it the second time. It will be in 2D this time around. I am curious how it looks and if I will have a different opinion about the scene I though were just ok.
There is always hope
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unexpectedvisitor
Nargothrond
Dec 13 2012, 7:29pm
Post #12 of 15
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from some of your other comments, Jax, i think we have somewhat similar sensibilities when it comes to these movies, so i'm hoping i feel the same way when i get to see AUJ.
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Banrigh
Registered User
Dec 13 2012, 8:03pm
Post #13 of 15
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I'm not going to see the film until tomorrow evening (sigh). Still - it's something to look forward to I suppose. And it's really useful hearing everyone's comments about the 24 and 48fps versions in the 2D and 3D. I'm not keen on 3D because I have to wear the glasses over my normal glasses - has anyone in the cinema business ever thought about how uncomfortable this is, I wonder?..
Martin Freeman is impressing everyone, it seems. If anyone asked me to think of someone who could portray this ordinary guy who has to find hidden resources in himself, he would be one of my top actor choices.
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Jax_Teller
Ossiriand
Dec 15 2012, 4:34pm
Post #14 of 15
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If you want to reassure yourself, you can ask me if I like some of your top movies ;)
I'm going to see it again tomorrow in 2D, I think I'll miss the 48 fps though ^^
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totoro
Menegroth
Dec 15 2012, 7:09pm
Post #15 of 15
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I wanted to see it in 2D to compare
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but my wife wants to see in 3D HFR. I should have expected that after I told her how awesome it was.
If you want to reassure yourself, you can ask me if I like some of your top movies ;)
I'm going to see it again tomorrow in 2D, I think I'll miss the 48 fps though ^^
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