The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

[SunnyK]

A fantastic movie, however I am still unsure about the high frame rate; found scenes a little unnatural at times.So went to watch it a second time, this time in 2D

[wel2k]

I watched it at the BFI imax which doesn't offer HFR so couldn't comment on that but I thought the 3D wasn't too obtrusive. It has more of a caper feel to it but I really enjoyed it and cannot wait for the next one, it could have gone on for another six hours and I still wouldn't have complained. I loved the book and felt that Jackson did it justice, they did miss out or change a few things but they didn't make the story any worse in my opinion. Obviously a fair bit had to be made up but it all fit pretty well I thought, having not read any other Tolkien books it was nice meet Radagast the brown. my only criticism is some of the unrealistic cgi particularly when Radagast is riding his sleigh, he moves at great speed across uneven ground with very little agitation. You would move more than that driving car with suspension!

[raj101]

I watched it at the BFI imax which doesn't offer HFR so couldn't comment on that but I thought the 3D wasn't too obtrusive. It has more of a caper feel to it but I really enjoyed it and cannot wait for the next one, it could have gone on for another six hours and I still wouldn't have complained. I loved the book and felt that Jackson did it justice, they did miss out or change a few things but they didn't make the story any worse in my opinion. Obviously a fair bit had to be made up but it all fit pretty well I thought, having not read any other Tolkien books it was nice meet Radagast the brown. my only criticism is some of the unrealistic cgi particularly when Radagast is riding his sleigh, he moves at great speed across uneven ground with very little agitation. You would move more than that driving car with suspension!

not if you was Hairry Potter.

My full Hobbit review, now that I am faced with the horrifying propect of waiting 11 months for the sequel (unless anyone can make a decent fanfilm in the meantime please) -

The Hobbit displays the breadth of Peter Jackson's directorial ability, from its mighty Fellowship highs to the middling Two Towers war scenes. It starts off just as well as the Fellowship of The Ring does, and was we all foudn out that was a high bar to match for two sequels. Here, the slack-off starts a bit earlier, thankfully only in the last 40 minutes of the movie.

Jackson is a tinkerer when it comes to Tolkien. He tinkers with the plot, and its not always for the best. Its not really apparent early in the movie (after all his only obvious change there is the opening scene staggered across two time periods, Frodos and Bilbo's). Radaghast is the most glaring addition of course, but hes handled remarkably well by a poomchukking old McCoy (though I'm sure I'm not the only one who'd like to know how he can cross the Misty Mountains on a rabbit sleigh). He also introduces us to the elves, the future perils of Mirkwood, an orc pack and the wonderfully spooky Necromancer. But then theres a few unscripted changes in Goblintown. Theres something not quite right about the Goblin King's appearance, and at this stage in the movie you begin to wonder why these affects were altered. By the time the credits roll, you'll be questioning half a dozen scenes, even if the new scenes arent bad.

I can see the intention of fiddling about with the ending a bit, because it slices the book firmly into three parts for a trilogy this way. But it does mean theres a small loss in quality in the story telling that Tolkien worked so hard to give us. Whilst plot changes in a Rowling or Meyer work are understandable in order to make them palatable or even make any sense, its a shame to water down key scenes that a literary professor has put so very much thought into.

So I am afraid I am going to go with a highly controversial 8.5/10 on this, and cross my fingers for the next movie.

[deaderic]

I've seen this twice so far, 1st time, I fell asleep. (Traveled 5hrs on a train down to London). 2nd time I watched the whole thing.

I enjoyed the film, but it just felt off compared to LOTR. THe tone was different, I can put my finger on it. I think it might have been too long, but I still want an Extended Edition DVD release.

[tonninka]

I went to the cinema to see The Hobbit without any expectations. I thought I will leave after an hour but surprisingly I enjoyed it very much and I thought it was much better than all Lord of the Rings.

[RickyRaj]

Really enjoyed the film. Having not read the book I'm looking forward to the next two films even more. Felt the film was a little too long however. 8.5/10.

[Jenfa]

I am a big LOTR fan so was really looking forward to this film! I manage to watch this free on a Sweet Sunday offer... since i've started to go to free screenings it just doesn't seem right anymore when i have to p*y to watch a film hahaha. The hobbit didn't disappoint me at all and i really enjoyed. Am going to start reading the books now :)

[ilovethatfilm]

Without a doubt, the most brilliant thing about the Hobbit was the return of Gollum. To all the people I hear slagging off Lord of the Rings, I would argue that no matter what they think about the endless battles, the endless walking and the infinite characters with confusing names, Gollum is the reason to love these stories. He is the character that stands above them all; utterly tragic, convincing and played to absolute perfection by Andy Serkis and the incredible effects work of WETA.

http://ilovethatfilm.blogspot.co.uk/201 ... ilogy.html

[beardy2]

Really loved it (but I was a big Lord of the Rings fan!)

http://wp.me/p2xEEX-uu

[KKO]

I'm not sure I could sit through a film of that length in one go.