The "Hobbit" Trilogy II: Dwarves Galore

[Artimus]

...and if PJ released the Extended Cuts of LotR into theaters instead of the Theatricals, I'm sure critics would have called those bloated too. But I love them, so I'm not concerned here.

I dont' see why. We know the ratio here is much higher page to minute. LOTR is 1000 pages (w/o appendices) and The Hobbit is 400. LOTR EE is, what, 12 hours? The Hobbit will be at least 9? That's 1.35 minutes per page in The Hobbit and 0.72 minutes per page in LOTR. These are significant differences.

The second this was announced as two films then three this became a worry. Now the reviews are indicating that worry is founded. Obviously we all need to see the film (I still expect to fully enjoy it) but to try and pretend like this doesn't indicate three theatrical films was a mistake seems like denial.

[RRA]

Freeman now on Colbert.

[flibber]

I liked the first two Extended Editions but thought the Return of the King one showed how bloated and overdone the theatrical cut could have been if not for some judicious editing. So...yes.

[Elessar]

The page count thing doesn't make much sense to me. The Hobbit is decidedly less detailed in it's descriptions than LotR. Events that take a paragraph in The Hobbit might have taken several pages in LotR. Plus, it's not just the page count of the Hobbit, but the material from the appendices as well. I suppose the argument can be made that that material should have been left out of the film adaptation (I don't agree - I'm glad that stuff has gone in).

That said, without having seen the film yet - I would have preferred them to stick with 2 films. Still, I really doubt that I won't love the hell out of this.

[sherwos]

Had it been two 2:45 minute films, I don't think it would have felt bloated, in fact I think it would have felt rushed (though, I haven't seen it yet so who knows). I think the idea of three films is actually better IF they had all been close to 2 hours. As is, I can't see any of these films, should they all be close to 3 hours, justifying their ridiculous length.

[Elessar]

Grrr! Here I was holding off on watching the Riddles in the Dark clip and they had to go and show it on Letterman! I couldn't tear my eyes away, though. Freeman's going to be sooo good as Bilbo, and Gollum looks so phenomenal. It's great to see all the progress that's been made in motion capture and cg applied to him in the new film.

[Ben7]

I noticed that Elijah Wood is out promoting this film. He was on Live! With Kelly and he's gonna be on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon ... I thought his part in this was a cameo? No? Its kind of interesting to me that he's promoting a film he's hardly in..

[Eduardo Zuckerberg]

What else is he gonna do?

[Panther2000]

I LOVED the clips (though I'm holding off on the Riddles in the Dark clip - I don't want that spoiled). After a getting a little concerned due to the divisive reviews, the clips have me smiling ear to ear again. Maybe these films will be catering more to fans than the previous ones, but so be it. I love what I'm seeing.

You are correct, these movie are for the fans ( same with RINGS, however no one expected how great those movies would be) Which is some of the Problem that The Hobbit would face Criticwise. The Hobbit is a great book ( & the movie will follow suit) however when you put it up against RINGS. It does come off light( which, it should ). & that is some of the problem is. RINGS set a standard that will be hard to reach or get near again.
The Hobbit was made for the fans & like you us fans will be grinning ear to ear when the lights go down. You are not the only 1 loving what you are seeing.

I noticed that Elijah Wood is out promoting this film. He was on Live! With Kelly and he's gonna be on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon ... I thought his part in this was a cameo? No? Its kind of interesting to me that he's promoting a film he's hardly in..

Thanks for the heads up. I will be watching.

[electric_storm]

Yeah the warning flags went up for me when it was as announced as a trilogy so this is no surprise sadly.

[Gregory]

Not sure what the surprise is. The handful of reviews we have so far (and it is only a handful) are almost four-to-one positive and most of those do not consider it bloated at all.

[Gregory]

Once in a while, you come across something that flabbergasts you. There are currently, out of twenty-five total, six reviews of TH:AUJ on Rotten Tomatoes that are clasified as negative. Always seeking to enlighten myself further, I decided to check out the full versions of those negative reviews before looking at any of the positive ones. I have finished four. Of those four, one is simply a thoughtful review, two are somewhat thoughtful but marred by their manifest dislike of 48 fps to the point that it is possible that if they had seen it in 24 fps they might have liked the film overall. It is the fourth of these reviews, though, that is so, well, I will post here the first five sentences of the review, which is by Caryn James on Indiewire. If you have the desire (and the fortitude) to read the entire review, the link following the quoted portion will take you to it in full. Enjoy.

"I have never been a Lord of the Rings fanatic, so take that into account, but The Hobbit made me miss Voldemort. I spent a fair amount of time during Peter Jackson’s latest installment in his Tolkien franchise comparing it to the Harry Potter movies, thinking how savvy J.K. Rowling’s approach to magic has been, how successful in the broadest way those films are.

"Potter has wizards and muggles, recognizably human and accessible; Voldemort is the visibly monstrous exception, and scarier for it. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey lives, quite deliberately, in its own hermetic world. That’s not a bad thing if you like hermetic worlds like Star Wars, Game of Thrones, and other myth-filled vacuum-sealed geekfests."

http://blogs.indiewire.com/carynjames/hobbitreview

[Aurelius]

If you want to see it in 48fps, you must see it in 3D, right?

[Jonathan]

If you want to see it in 48fps, you must see it in 3D, right?

Correct. The higher frame rate is being advocated largely because it supposedly improves the 3D quality, so there will not be any 2D-HFR screenings.

[Aurelius]

Ugh . I don't want to see it in 3D, but I'm curious about the 48fps. And I don't think I have time to see it twice.

[Patty]

From the upcoming EW, a sneak peak of Legolas and Bard from The Desolation of Smaug.



Hair care tips? Fletching questions? Profile striking techniques? Inquiring minds want to know.

[Aaron Leggo]

Ugh . I don't want to see it in 3D, but I'm curious about the 48fps. And I don't think I have time to see it twice.

I'm really curious about the 48fps, too, and plan to see it in this format first. If I really like the movie and can squeeze in another viewing during the busiest moviegoing time of year, I'll try a 24fps viewing. We'll see.

But as for the HFR 3D experience, like Jonathan said, it supposedly improves the 3D, so maybe it'll still be worth it for you. If I recall correctly, you enjoyed the 3D in Pina (perhaps my favourite use of 3D yet) and the HFR will apparently reduce the motion blur that contributes to eye strain when watching 3D, so it might be okay.

Anyways, just my two cents!

[Panther2000]

Just watched a 13 min clip on TheOneRing.net site. Loved it, White Council, Trolls, etc. looks amazing.

Great article regarding the new thech stuff.
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=97749

[gollum713]

Really fighting the urge not to watch the 13 minute clip....

Just watched a 13 min clip on TheOneRing.net site. Loved it, White Council, Trolls, etc. looks amazing.

Great article regarding the new thech stuff.
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=97749

[Aurelius]

I'm really curious about the 48fps, too, and plan to see it in this format first. If I really like the movie and can squeeze in another viewing during the busiest moviegoing time of year, I'll try a 24fps viewing. We'll see.

But as for the HFR 3D experience, like Jonathan said, it supposedly improves the 3D, so maybe it'll still be worth it for you. If I recall correctly, you enjoyed the 3D in Pina (perhaps my favourite use of 3D yet) and the HFR will apparently reduce the motion blur that contributes to eye strain when watching 3D, so it might be okay.

Anyways, just my two cents!

I find it irritating to sit with those glasses on for two hours, it forces my brain to make me think I can focus my eyes on something I can't focus on, and I've never seen it used artistically outside Pina, just for 'wow!' effects.