The Hobbit

Jobydrone · December 15, 2012, 04:57:00 PM

Awesome! I'm glad my showing was a weird anomaly.

moyer777 · December 15, 2012, 05:36:13 PM

we only had about 20 people in our showing. It was odd.

KingIsaacLinksr · December 16, 2012, 12:41:54 PM

I saw the Hobbit in 3D, non 48FPS, because its the cheaper theater. Would have seen it in 2D but the showing was sold out. It was a great film, enjoyed it a lot.

However, we didn't get a 9min trailer for Star Trek. We just got some short extended teaser trailer for the movie. The same one that's been shown online with a few different scenes added.

Bryancd · December 16, 2012, 12:43:22 PM

Quote from: KingIsaacLinksr on December 16, 2012, 12:41:54 PM
I saw the Hobbit in 3D, non 48FPS, because its the cheaper theater. Would have seen it in 2D but the showing was sold out. It was a great film, enjoyed it a lot.

However, we didn't get a 9min trailer for Star Trek. We just got some short extended teaser trailer for the movie. The same one that's been shown online with a few different scenes added.

It's only IMAX that has the 9min trailer, which from all reports I have read isn't that compelling.

Rico · December 16, 2012, 04:05:50 PM

Ok, just got back from "The Hobbit" in 3D and in IMAX. Saw the 9 minute Trek preview (which I thought was awesome - more on that in the Trek thread). As far as "The Hobbit" I enjoyed it. The IMAX theater is a big theater and my younger son Eric and I went to a Sunday afternoon showing and it was packed. I thought the movie was a bit long and I felt some of the added stuff took away a little from the tone and pace of the movie. I really like the actors they picked - Martin Freeman as Bilbo I thought was really good. The look of the movie was awesome but the 3-D didn't do much for me really - or my son from what he told me. Loved seeing it on the huge IMAX screen though. It was really fun to be back in Middle Earth but I do think three films for a short book is altering the feel and pace of the story - at least for me. Still looking forward to parts 2 & 3 though and would like to see this part again without the 3D sometime. A fun movie.

Jobydrone · December 16, 2012, 05:15:26 PM

Sounds like we had the exact same reaction to this film Rico! You expressed my thoughts to a "T"

edit to add: maybe for the directors cut they'll take out all the extended footage and leave us just the stuff that was in the book version of the Hobbit!

Bromptonboy · December 17, 2012, 06:11:32 AM

I was hoping that movie 1 or 1 & 2 would be true to the Hobbit story, and that the last movie would be all the extra filler stuff to join the story to the LOTR. Oh well, I'll still go see them all.

Bryancd · December 17, 2012, 03:58:31 PM

OK, I am back from IMAX 3D! I posted my thoughts on the Trek trailer in that thread for anyone who wants to hear more about it, I used spoiler tags. So in regards to The Hobbit....I LOVED IT. I feel terrible for fans of the material who are having trouble with the added ancillary Tolkien material interspersed through the film. This movie IS NOT a slavish recreation of the book. It's an entirely new adventure and journey that has elements of the book. Once you accept that, I think you can appreciate and marvel at what this is as opposed to stressing over what it isn't. The film has a wonderful, whimsical quality that The Lord of the Rings did not. LOTR had a real sense of gravitas and that was appropriate whereas this feel more jaunty and almost like a fairy tale. One of the aspects of he story that really made me feel that way is the film is filled with a lot of mythical, magical, other worldly creatures and characters. LOTR, perhaps due ti the presence of real men in the company and characters, often felt like it could have happened here on our Earth back in the days of the Round Table, even with the orc's and other antagonists and obstacles they overcame. This movie feels much more grounded in fantasy. The only time I felt they pushed too far in this regards was the escape from Goblin Town. I think PJ's animators just went a wooden swinging bridge to far in that regards and the sequence became to unreal. I was mesmerized with the Riddles in the Dark scene. True story, when I was in grade school we had to do public speaking presentations. The best in each class had a finals competition. I won reciting this chapter of the Hobbit that I committed to memory and acted out onstage in front of the entire school. I for one thoroughly enjoyed my return to Middle Earth and look forward to going back for two more films. Also, I thought the 3D was a nice addition and I continue to feel that for me, it enhances my theater going experience.

For fun, even thoguh I have posted these here years ago, how about some of my pics from my visit to the actual Hobbitown back in 2005 with Jamie and my Uncle John and my brother and sister. :)

Bromptonboy · December 18, 2012, 03:39:15 AM

Going to see this today - have to kill some vacation time or loose it, so catching the IMAX version after lunch.

Rico · December 18, 2012, 04:53:59 AM

Quote from: Bromptonboy on December 18, 2012, 03:39:15 AM
Going to see this today - have to kill some vacation time or loose it, so catching the IMAX version after lunch.

Have fun Pete! Let us know what you think.

Jobydrone · December 18, 2012, 08:48:11 AM

I got totally sucked into the Wikipedia Middle Earth pages this morning. Before I knew it half the morning was sucked away clicking links within links learning about the Valar and Maiar, and blablablobbitiar...it all started when I read one of the synopses of a story in Tolkien's Unfinished Tales, some of which was used for this movie that describes the events of the Hobbit from Gandalf's perpective like the reasons why he wanted Bilbo in the group and why he was helping the Dwarves in the first place. I need to check out Unfinished Tales.

moyer777 · December 18, 2012, 12:10:36 PM

That is so awesome Bryan! I too used that scene in my public speaking competitions. I got 7 first places in tourneys and 1st in State reading that bad boy! LOVES IT I DO MY PRECIOUS!!!

Bryancd · December 18, 2012, 12:17:33 PM

Quote from: moyer777 on December 18, 2012, 12:10:36 PM
That is so awesome Bryan! I too used that scene in my public speaking competitions. I got 7 first places in tourneys and 1st in State reading that bad boy! LOVES IT I DO MY PRECIOUS!!!

Love it!

Bromptonboy · December 18, 2012, 01:14:47 PM

Saw the film today - in IMAX 3D. I was both entranced and disappointed alternately. For the non-spoiler stuff - IMHO I should have just seen the 2D version and saved myself the $18 admission..
The scenery was stunning, and like everyone else I was delighted to visit Middle Earth again. Gandalf was fabulous, and Martin makes an excellent Bilbo. I didn't mind the flashbacks - as they might set the tone for someone who hasn't read all of the books. What disappointed me were the changes that were made to the story. I know I have to approach this as a different story to the book itself.
[spoiler]I see what everybody has been saying about filler. My preference would have been for them to do the book as it was written, then fill away on the bridging movie. Making Bilbo out into an almost-deserter was terrible. I don't see the changes PJ made as making the story stronger. I didn't like the addition of the albino Azog the Goblin. Rivendell was great, and the feast scene hilarious. Riddles in the dark was great as well, and I particularly liked the point when Bilbo spares the life of Gollum. The escape from Goblin-town was too over the top for my tastes. The fighting of the stone giants was stunning.[/spoiler]

Bryancd · December 18, 2012, 02:34:36 PM

Something to consider, Pete...

[spoiler]They needed to create a little tension between Thorin and Bilbo and this conceit serves that purpose. Same with Azog, it adds for some dramatic tension whereas there wouldn't be any at this point in the story of The Hobbit. I don't think it diminishes Bilbo's character, they made it clear through dialogue that Thorin had no faith and him and Bilbo is the classic reluctant hero. [/spoiler]