The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

[weliveandbreathewords]

Hands off Aiden Turner C_T!
Thankfully as good a dwarf as he is vampire vx

Peeeeeace off! He's mine!

[missgotty]

I saw The Hobbit at the O2 last night thanks to The Sparrow giving me spare tickets.

I loved it! It did seem a bit tame at times and could have been a bit more dark and evil but the quality stayed true to the LOTR's series. I must be in the minority here but I didn't like the 3D effects and would have much preferred seeing it in 2D, to see the detail of the film which I think is lost in 3D. Can't wait for the next film.

[valda]

Hands off Aiden Turner C_T!
Thankfully as good a dwarf as he is vampire vx

Peeeeeace off! He's mine!

my precioussssss is all mine Hmm I must get out my Being Human Boxsets for a look

[eumenides]

He also played the love rat in that Hattie Jacques biopic.

[David]

http://moviefilmreviews.co.uk/2012/12/1 ... -3d-48fps/

[prettyxcool]

I arrived a little early at O2 so I could check out the Harry Potter exhibition but quite disappointed that it only consists of two glass cabinets, one filled with Harry's two robes and Hermione's ballgown (she was so awesomely skinny) and one filled with props that it only took us five minutes to view. We had more fun playing at the Sky Studios, posing with stars on make believe TV. Lovely to see shmile joining in too, and we had to drag ourselves away and not be late to get a good seat on the balcony.

However, my friend and I was surprised to find on arriving at 6.05pm to find it was full already except for a few single seats. Thanks so much to Beate's OH moving to the single seat in front so I and my friend can sit together. And we grabbed the last remaining seat on the front row of the balcony for tsoiboy, only to find when tsoiboy sat down it was not such a good seat after all. Sorry tsoiboy!  It was lovely catching up with Beate, Zoebanfield, and evilzadi and the time soon passed.

Was I the only one to feel it took far too long to reach momentum. The first hour was so long drawn out that I was getting bored. Each scene was so, so long, I nearly fell asleep. Even the chase scenes in the second half went on and on. I am not sure by fleshing out a simple story into three long films will keep my attention. I usually love films with goblins, dwarves, trolls, dragons etc. but this left me unsatisfied. Unfortunately, after watching an epic Lawrence of Arabia two days earlier has spoiled me and made it hard for me not to make any comparison or compete against it! 

But the best part was surely Gollum! And Martin Freeman as the younger Bilbo was really well cast.

6/10

[raj101]

He also played the love rat in that Hattie Jacques biopic.

and Dante in the Pre-Raphelite show Desperate Romantics.

[funthing29]

I liked this but didn't love it. One cannot avoid comparing it to LOTR which I think is a stronger trilogy in many different ways. The storytelling here is more simplistic, the characters less dynamic and I never felt the emotional connection to the story in the same way I did in LOTR. Undeniably, it is visually impressive with amazing CGI work and stunning scenic shots. My issues came from slight inconsistencies between this and the LOTR mythology and the unnecessary addition of material which felt like padding to extend the running time. The standout element of the film is undoubtedly the scene in the cave with Gollum.

It stands well on its own as the opening to a new trilogy, but in comparison to LOTR, it lacks depth and complexity, and feels like a superficial piece of storytelling. I would give it 8/10 but this may change after I've rewatched it.

I saw this at the BFI IMAX, and I do love the immersive experience the giant screen offers, but oh boy, some of the spinning camerawork brought on serious bouts of nausea and dizziness (word of warning to anyone else going there and has a mild stomach).

I'm planning to watch it again in HFR to see the difference and how well it holds up to repeat viewing.

Watched this again in HFR and it was a more pleasant experience without the nausea felt at the IMAX. Seeing the films in 48fps is so sumptuous, it is like a feast for the eyes. The detail is incredible end everything appears so crisp and distinct. The 3D also seemed more noticeable.

It was still enjoyable on second watch it feels longer and more drawn out. The action sequences also felt similar after a while, like Jackson was trying to add some excitement and keep the audience engaged so just kept throwing in fight scenes with orcs.

A visual spectacle but it does suffer from an unnecessarily long running time. I have to downgrade slightly to 7.5/10.

[Beate]

A Hobbit calendar for £2.99 p&p from the Daily Telegraph. No need to b*y the paper, you can p*y online: http://www.promooffers.co.uk/thehobbit/

[lilly_c]

I saw this last night and really enjoyed it. Thought that it was visually amazing (not sure if I saw it in 48fps or not), the scenery is just stunning! For me, the time went by very quickly and it didn't drag as other long films can do. I did like the beginning where it linked back to lotr.

Loved the casting and the characters - the dwarves were very funny - especially loved James Nesbitt and Aiden Turner (was a fan of his from Being Human too!). Martin Freeman was brilliant too. Very much looking forward to the next two parts!!