The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

[Jayman]

Watched at the BFI IMAX this afternoon in glorious 24fps 3D. In short, the movie was 1 part amusing, 1 part exhilarating and 1 part (the middle part specifically) tedious beyond words. The movie excels whenever it harks back to the original trilogy and as expected, the riddle scene with Gollum turns out to be the most memorable.
I do wonder though, why can't these characters just use those Eagles to get them from point A to point B? Is all that walking and climbing really necessary?

Oh yeah, the movie was preceded by an incredible 10 minute long preview of Star Trek: Into Darkness in which Spock seems to be caught in a rather volcanic situation while Kirk and Bones are forced to take a leap of faith. Not a single lens flare in sight but plenty of unbelievably brilliant 3D on display here.

Can. Not. Wait.

[raj101]

get yer own eagle, mate.

[martadelas]

Saw it last Thursday, but between busy schedule and having to think it over am just now ready to speak my mind.
I liked it. Simple as that. I wasn't blown away, and after seeing Life of Pi just two days earlier have to say 3D was slightly disappointing, but I liked it. Compared to LOTR it lacked that something, yet I still liked it. Maybe it was the amiable dwarves, maybe the comedic interludes, or perhaps Martin Freeman who made Bilbo his with an ease. Add to that brilliant Gollum scenes, a perfect introduction to the story and you have yourself some nice entertainment.
Just know that some of the fast paced scenes may seem blurry in 3D, and ... you're going to hate having to wait a year for the next part

8.5/10

[valda]

Yeah, the parts I really loved were the 'LOTR' parts, eg Gollum and The Riddleses. Those scenes lifted it up and made it more grown up, and menacing. The Dwarves and all that running around was just tiresome. Plus apart from The King, the fit one the old one, etc, they were all interchangeable

[roadkill443]

Saw this yesterday, I enjoyed it, visually a good film although the 3D was nothing special. The series has changed a little from LOTR but overall an enjoyable film.

[weirdfilms33]

Terribly late to this thread, I'm very sorry. Saw this at Odeon Wimbledon IMAX in 3D which would have been bearable if the glasses didn't annoyingly reflect all the light from the screen giving an unclear view of the picture. Next viewing should be in 2D! In fact, everything should be in 2D! I think that these distributors.. *unintelligible Kermode-style 3D rant*

Anyway, the film. Really liked it. I will admit that I came out wishing that there had been more focus on Bilbo Baggins and his story and less of the ponderous scenes of dialogue, particularly that one in Rivendell (what on earth was that about?) I admire Jackson's admiration of Tolkien and his vivid portrayal of the so truly epic world of Middle Earth but there were some scenes where it went a little too far. Not to worry - the visuals were pretty amazing and I loved the humour and Martin Freeman in equal measure - as much as I'm unsure about splitting into three films, I really can't wait until the next one.

Here's my review: http://jacobthehobnob.wordpress.com/201 ... d-journey/

[raj101]

I caught a few minutes of this, call it a mini-preview, on my way to another screening - the bit where Radaghast enters Dol Guldur (which looks splendid)and then yeoww...Doctor Who versus the Nazgul?? lol. Sylvester McCoy actually looked quite good in the role. Cant wait to see the full thing now. My breeches are on fire just waiting. But first, Safety Not Guaranteed tonight.

[jazzyjasper]

Saw it at the IMAX Metrocentre this morning. Absolutely loved it. Yes, its overlong and some of the dialogue is ponderous. However it is visually stunning and I didn't notice any of the motion blur some people have talked about. The level of humour is about right. I like the way that Peter Jackson kept the action scenes at the right intervals - it made the nigh-on 3 hours go very quickly. I'm already looking forward to the next part....only a year to wait!

[raj101]

mm a year, thats one reason I might split this movie into two viewings. i cant wait 12 months!

[Ms Thrifty]

Good joke on this subject in today's Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/carto ... -community