The Hobbit : An Unexpected Journey is a new movie series directed by Peter Jackson, the same guy who put up the Lord of the Ring movie trilogy, the movie is based on the novel of J.R. Tolkien back in the year 30’s and the story took place 60 years before the Lord of the Ring: Fellowship of the Ring story line. The movie is now showing today dated Dec 13, 2012 in all Philippine theaters in 2d format, HFR 3D (high frame rate) and IMAX 3D. The movie is very controversial because director Peter Jackson shot the movie in 48 frame per second and this kind of HFR 3D tech is used for the very first time. Imagine watching a Blu Ray DVD in a giant LED screen, that’s the feel as they say,but I will watch it soon in SM MOA or in SM Southmall.
I just saw the IMAX 3D format last night in SM MOA and it was a very weird experience because we know that the Tolkien movies are such an epic movie and watching it in an IMAX with 3D effects for the 1st time brings you back to the days when you are excited to watch the next LOTR film.
I really don’t like 3D in a movie, because sometimes the aesthetic of the background and the movement of the characters or the camera will deteriorate in your vision, here at the IMAX version of The Hobbit, I sat in the middle of the IMAX Theater, it’s the best seat in the house for me, but when the movie started I got some terrible experience during the 1st 15 minutes of the movie, I’m not sure if the 3D lens are being calibrated or maybe the movements of the characters and camera paneling are too fast for the 3D to render in your eyes, but then after a few minutes, it was okay, I saw the sun in Middle Earth, the Shire and Bilbo Baggins writing a story and letter to Frodo about his adventure.
The movie is so colorful and it gives joy to me as I want to cry because I’m starting to love this movie, it has a different mood away from the LOTR series and with this kind of theme, with funny dwarves on the film, kids will love it and also not too violent compare to the LOTR. And besides, The Hobbit novel is classified as a kid’s story book.
The set and other props are still the original stuff they used back in the LOTR days, after 11 years of the 1st movie of LOTR, Peter Jackson even can’t believe that he is back again and it was surreal. Also my experience in looking again on the characters we know who appeared in the LOTR movies are back here in The Hobbit, its fun to see back Lord Elrond, Galadriel, Frodo, Gollum and many other characters and elements that will remind you about the LOTR.
I don’t want to review on how the story was interpreted here in the film, I don’t have any complains about it since I didn’t even read the book, the only book I read was the Two Towers, but when I read the book, I started to complain that there are some scenes and elements that are not included in the film version. Here at The Hobbit, I got the feeling that Peter Jackson did a lot of revisions and avoided lots of mistakes that they encountered back in LOTR, here at The Hobbit, for me its quite perfect to have a perfect story telling and also introduction of characters, as the story develops, you will also learn more about the characters, and did you know that I almost recognize all members of the Dwarf group hhahaha.
The movie runs 2 hours and 45 minutes, it’s the juiciest movie ever with lots of creatures, actions, awesome landscape, and the goosebumps for excitement and fear (I hate goblins!! it scares me)
The Hobbit movie will be loved by many people, and because of the big influence of the LOTR trilogy, comparison will be made as characters from 10 years ago will be compared on how they age today, good luck if you will noticed it, but Gandalf’s appearance in the mid film makes him more younger and Frodo didn’t even gets old hahhhaa.
Some mini spoilers ahead…
The movie focuses more on the dwarf group and the dwarf king Thorin, there are just less scenes and also important focus about the hobbit named Bilbo Baggins, but in mid part of the film, his character took over when he encounter a familiar and important character of the whole series – Gollum. The 1st movie divided a lot of focus…1st it was for Gandalf, then the dwarfs and then Bilbo.
I’m now excited on the next film : The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug that will be showing next year December 13, 2013 and its final film The Hobbit: There and Back Again” on July 18, 2014.
I love this movie…if I’ll rate it..it will be a perfect score, I just can’t hide being a fan of the Tolkien movies
but I’m satisfied already.
I will try to watch the HFR 3D version and I’ll post a review of it soon.
From Peter Jackson :
“When we made ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ I was absolutely sure it was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” “It was an amazing and very special time, but when it was over, none of us believed that we’d ever be venturing into Middle-earth again. However, the experience of making ‘The Hobbit’ Trilogy became equally special to all of us. So now I have had a once-in-a-lifetime experience twice in a lifetime.
The Hobbit has a breathless pace because Tolkien was writing it as a story for his children and for the children of the world,” It’s a ripping yarn that moves from event to event, and really doesn’t stop. It’s a little more humorous than The Lord of the Rings, the characters are a little more colorful, but it nonetheless has elements of greed and madness, of an innocent who is changed forever, and of the gathering forces that will lead directly into the events in The Lord of the Rings. This is where it all starts.”
