I loved it. Really loved it. In a strange way, I think I may even prefer it to LotR. Wait... I'm not insane! Its not as breathtaking as LotR was, but its also not as uneven. I can't recall any moment that was a breathtaking as the Lighting of the Beacons, or Gandalf's ride through Minas Tirith, but crucially, there were no jarring moments for me. No Nuclear Galadriel, no Denethor Flambee, no Scrubbing Bubbles. It is, in my opinion, the best adaptation of a Tolkien novel yet. Not because its purist, cause it isn't, but because it "feels" like The Hobbit. I was really, really surprised how close in tone it is to the books. Even the Troll scene, which I fully expected to be brought closer in tone to LotR was pure Hobbit. I'm not saying its the same, but it has the same tone. The same is true of almost every scene. Which would of course make you wonder, well how about all that "Holy Epic Backstory Batman". The Erebor and Azanulbizar backflashes are brilliant, and the White Council material is just fantastic, and yet somehow PJ has managed to marry the high fantasy style of these stories with the childlike tone and adventure quality of The Hobbit. Its a seriously impressive feat.
On the characters. Martin Freeman is right up there with Ian McKellan as the best ever performance of a Tolkien character. He inhabits Bilbo seamlessly. Every look and gesture is intelligently acted, beautifully balancing the sincerity with the bluster. I adored him. Richard Armitage as Thorin has done what Sean Bean did with Boromir. It may not be the character of Thorin from the book, and some will miss that, but I loved it. You care about Movie Thorin in a way I never did about Book Thorin. He's a proud insufferable git, but he has heart and depth. Of course, we learn to love him mostly through Ken Stott's portrayal of Balin. One of my favourite of the Dwarves from the book, and also the movie. Beautiful, subtle performance. James Nesbitt had some lovely moments also and shone through. Fili and Kili were nice, but nothing special, in many ways reminiscent of Merry and Pippin, characterwise. Ori had some nice moments, as did Dori. Nori was a bit invisible. Gloin had some impact in places, but Oin not so much. Bifur and Bombur had little to do. Dwalin was a bit of a curiosity. He just looks too tall! Whew, thats all 13 right?
Ian McKellan is back with a bang. You can see why he prefers Gandalf the Grey to Gandalf the White. Consummate performance. Just perfection. Radagast is great, a bit OTT on some of the comedy reactions, but perfect for the kids movie this is. I had no problem with him. Elrond is great here, a nice change from grumpy Elrond of LotR, much more likeable. Oh, and nice cameo from Figwit! Christopher Lee gives us a lovely nuanced Saruman, proud and arrogant, but for now still with his heart in the right place. And then there's Cate Blanchett. Oh sweet Lord she was amazing. Why oh why did PJ feel he had to mess with her character in LotR. THIS was the Galadriel I wanted to see in Fellowship. Just sublime.
Now to the baddies. The Pale Orc, Azog, was for me the least successful character. I remember Ang Lee talking about the difficulty of making the Incredible Hulk appear real, no matter how good the CG, simply because green skin looks fake. I think the same must be true of white skin, because this character just didn't work for me. Strangely enough, I fully expected to hate the Great Goblin, but this really worked for me, again, in the context of a kids movie. Nice job by Dame Edna! Of course, the central "baddie" in this move was Gollum and boy did he deliver. Again, I found his performance in Towers to be played too often for laughs, and not sinister enough. That's rectified here, and the Riddles in the Dark section is probably one of the best Tolkien scenes on film to date. They made the split personality really work here, and "stinker" was genuinely frightening. As for the moment in the corridor, where the pity of Bilbo rules the fate of many? Chills. Just. Chills.
Finally, the 48FPS. All I can say is that I didn't notice all this supposed "fake BBC" but maybe thats cause I watch and like BBC shows. I dunno. I thought it looked spectacular. Probably the best thing I can say about it is that the 3D was completely natural. I never felt like I was struggling to focus, or that I was getting a headache. I frankly forgot I had the glasses on. That said, I'm sure the movie will look equally gorgeous in 24FPS non 3D. Except for the Eagles. That bit is just stunning in the ultra high def 3D.
So there you go. For reference I should point out that I'm not as much of a fan of The Hobbit as a book as I am of LotR, and that in general I'm easily pleased by decent CG, so don't expect your reaction to be the same if your tastes differ!
But I bloody loved it.
