I saw The Hobbit on Saturday. I was very excited, being a huge Tolkein fan, and I have have to say that I was not disappointed. I thought that the Lord of the Rings trilogy was superb, and they remain some of my favourite films to date.
I had seen a few of the reviews about the new technology. People were saying the 48fps thing took a lot of getting used to. Regardless, I went in to the 3D version with my hopes and expectations way up.
First of all, let me just talk about the film. I loved it. There has been a lot of criticism about Jackson turning such a short book into three long films. However, he has tweaked the story in just the right way to make it into a proper prequel to his three previous films. Content has been added from the appendices to Lord of the Rings, and from the Unfinished Tales, but I loved every last bit of it. I always thought that the Necromancer story arc in the books was underplayed. Now we get to see the comedy wizard Radagast (played by the incomparable Sylvester McCoy) investigate the dark goings on in Dol Guldar.
I even liked the meeting of the White Council in Rivendell while the company are there. It all leads to a brilliant foreshadowing of 'future' events which I intend to appreciate fully in 2014 when I (with a group of like minded friends) watch the entire 6 films in one go!
Now the technical bit. I have to say that the increased frame rate really threw me at the beginning It really did look like I was watching badly produced TV at first. Startlingly so. But then you seem to get used to it. By halfway through I had forgotten that I was watching a film, and was fully engrossed. it is true that you see and notice so much more than usual. People blinking, for instance. I am not sure if I have ever noticed anyone blink in a film before (I must have done) but you can really see it here. And the action sequences are remarkable.
I did some research on it when I returned, and I include the links here. It is interesting to remember that a movie is one big optical illusion, fooling you brain into thinking it is seeing motion, and the passing of time. The experts say it is just a questions of getting used to the increased frame rate, and to be honest I think it is an excellent idea.
'The Hobbit' at 48fps: Frame Rates Explained
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