POLL TIME! Plus Some Notes & Early Reaction to The Hobbit

[eldritchhobbit]

I've seen The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey twice now, and I'm planning to work up a proper review shortly. Nutshell version: it's definitely a flawed film (mostly related to the writing and special effects), but the positives far outweigh the negatives, and I enjoyed it more than any of Jackson's adaptations since The Fellowship of the Ring. The

Comments

[sittingduck1313]

So did Peter Jackson make the one change we can be absolutely sure Tolkien would have approved of? IIRC he once stated that he regretted making the Rivendell elves in The Hobbit so silly.

[sittingduck1313]

BTW for those wondering what my contribution to the poll is, it's a show about a guy whose girlfriend is Nyarlathotep. In the first season we learn some unusual things about the Cthulhu Mythos, such as:

1. Nightgaunts got nards.

2. R'lyeh's full name is The Cthulhu Corporation Theme Park Earth R'lyehland.

3. Cthugha is a stalky lesbian (which shines a completely different light on August Derleth's The Dweller in Darkness).

[eldritchhobbit]

OMG, I am dying of laughter here. Your descriptions are absolutely priceless.

I still need to see this, obviously.

[sittingduck1313]

Just so you know, the first season can be legally streamed from Crunchyroll. The actual TV series episodes will be the ones with titles. The ones without episode titles are some Flash animated gag shorts which are okay but nothing special.

Also you might notice how the number three will crop up semi-frequently. This is because the Japanese word for three is san.

[jan_u_wine]

I also have seen TH twice.....and, though I enjoyed it much more the second time (without the fuss of 48FPS and 3D and overly excited self and fellow travelers), I have to agree with you: there are problems, (yes, and in the writing!), but it is a lovely movie nonetheless. I loved Freeman's Bilbo. How actors seem to fall in love with their hobbit characters, no matter their initial misgivings. It says something about how Tolkien "drew" them, all those years ago, that they compel us all, lead us about by our heart-strings, as it were.

I'm eager to read your full review now......

[eldritchhobbit]

I loved Freeman's Bilbo. How actors seem to fall in love with their hobbit characters, no matter their initial misgivings. It says something about how Tolkien "drew" them, all those years ago, that they compel us all, lead us about by our heart-strings, as it were.

Oh, yes, yes! What you said!!! Beautifully put.

[ext_1253632]

I am curious about which versions you saw. Apparently there are four: 3-D, 3-D high frame rate, 3-D IMAX, and 2-D.

[eldritchhobbit]

My preference was for the 2-D, because I really don't like how 3-D forces you to focus on one aspect of the picture and turns the rest a bit fuzzy. (It's a bit like reading a book that already has highlighting in it; I don't want to be told where I should be looking.) That's not a criticism of this film in particular, but rather 3-D as a whole. I haven't yet seen the high-frame-rate version, though, so that might be different. I do plan to see it in that format soon.

[ext_1253632]

I agree with you about 3-D. We are still far away from acceptable 3-D. I saw the film in 3-D HFR. It was not even the best 3-D I've seen. The image was divided into 3 very flat images, one near, one far, one in the middle distance. In 2-D my mind fills in the third dimension without constantly reminding me I am watching a movie. I think I am going to avoid 3-D altogether for at least 5 years

[eldritchhobbit]

This is one of the very best analyses of the technology I've read. I'm so grateful to you! And I'm less anxious to see the film in 3-D HFR now (not to mention relieved that I haven't missed something spectacular in my 2-D viewings).

In 2-D my mind fills in the third dimension without constantly reminding me I am watching a movie.

Yes! Well said.

Your comparison between this "revolution" and the move to color films, and how the new technology solved some problems while creating new ones, makes so much sense. It's a shame to hear that the Riddles in the Dark scene in particular was overlit, but from what you describe about the process, I see how that could happen.

Avoiding this technology for the next five years while the filmmakers work out the kinks sounds like a wise plan! Thanks for "shedding light" (but just the right amount!) on this for me. I really appreciate your insights.