Hall of Fire Reviews - Post Them Here! [SPOILERS!]

[Stranger Wings]

Saw the movie yesterday.

My feelings in one word after watching it: "Tiring".

The movie was tiring. So tiring. I kept glancing at my watch after 2 hrs or so, thinking "oh lord, there's *still* time for the eagles scene". And then Azog comes again. To be fair, having my nephew ask questions all the time added to the "tiring" bit and the fact that I was not able to immerse myself in middle-earth added to my dissatisfaction. But, still. I've seen other movies with my nephews and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Bilbo was fantastic - absolutely fantastic. Such acting from Martin Freeman, such understanding of the character of Bilbo; ah, those expressions.So wonderful to see Gollum again. RA was great as Thorin; Fili and Kili were also good. Gandalf the Grey, Elrond - great to be with them again.

So, no Faramir-like character assassination... but if there was no "I hate this", there was not too much to love either. Except the "Riddles" scene, the prologue and the end.

Overall, the movie did not seem fit for children (too violent in parts; I don't think I should have taken my younger nephew to it), and not adult-enough, either (that's, maybe, not PJ's fault; it is The Hobbit). However, overall, PJ did a fantastic job with LOTR (cutting out Tom Bombadil and having a few less endings was a good move); I think he has bungled up The Hobbit - I.

And I hated Azog. I think he was included to provide some continuity to an episodic movie, but I hate him. It seems that the main creature to be vanquished is Azog, not Smaug; and that has distorted the movie. The White council scene was.... annoying in parts. Seemed like Gandalf had a crush on Galadriel (gaaah, puke), and I did not like her "vanishing act".

I did not mind the 48 fps, the 3D effects were very-very good (although it did give me a slight headache). It was the content that was the problem for me.

You said it much better than I could. I felt tired and empty at the end of it. An awful feeling, really. I would much rather have been angry about a product that was too bold or daring, than feel so hollow about it all. It was like a shell of a movie.

And I thought your review said it much better than I did.

I will see it again - sometime at home, when I am over the annoyance I am feeling right now. I might like it then, maybe.

Ax, you are right - Smaug does die 2/3rds of the book and having Azog gives some background to Bo5A.

JS, I didn't have problems with "NOT the book" (the way I did with TTT), but as a *movie*, it didn't gel for me. I will be surprised if folks not like Tolkien's world will like the movie at all.

Naw, yours was better. Brevity is the soul of wit, and all that!

[ToshoftheWuffingas]

Oh I forgot; they cut out the tra la lally!
I'm gutted I tell you!

[Stranger Wings]

Have caved into a friend's request, and will be seeing it in HFR 3D. Will report back!

[axordil]

Have caved into a friend's request, and will be seeing it in HFR 3D. Will report back!

I will be really curious to hear what you see, so to speak. The discrepancies are freaking me out a little.

[Stranger Wings]

Oh I forgot; they cut out the tra la lally!
I'm gutted I tell you!

Honestly, the Rivendell scenes were so intensely boring that I would have welcomed some elvish silliness along those lines. Someone once had the excellent idea of having elvish children sing the song...

But PJ and company are not really capable of coming up with a good idea of how to adapt something. Their solutions usually involve: "add orc, increase tension. Add falling rocks, increase tension." And that's about it.

[Stranger Wings]

Have caved into a friend's request, and will be seeing it in HFR 3D. Will report back!

I will be really curious to hear what you see, so to speak. The discrepancies are freaking me out a little.

I have actually seen a full film (an unfinished cut of a documentary) shot and projected at 48fps, and had the same negative reaction that many people talk about...

We shall see if this is different.

[Holbytla]

The amazing thing is, I also found myself wishing for more songs!

I think PJ missed most of what Tolkien was about, but during the songs, I think he managed to capture some of the essence that was missing in the movies.

[Stranger Wings]

The amazing thing is, I also found myself wishing for more songs!

I think PJ missed most of what Tolkien was about, but during the songs, I think he managed to capture some of the essence that was missing in the movies.

He did indeed. I wish he and his team would trust Tolkien more than they do. Because when they do, it works.

[River]

Oh I forgot; they cut out the tra la lally!
I'm gutted I tell you!

Oh thank heavens.

[Holbytla]

The movie could have withstood some tra la la lally.

[Stranger Wings]

It could have used some tra la lally! As much as it seems impossible, given the ridiculousness of that that song, it would probably have improved the Rivendell scenes!

[axordil]

I'm pretty sure that what the elvish choir sings on the soundtrack when they get to Rivendell would translate loosely to "Tra-la-la-lally."

[Inanna]

Have caved into a friend's request, and will be seeing it in HFR 3D. Will report back!

I will be really curious to hear what you see, so to speak. The discrepancies are freaking me out a little.

What discrepancies?

[Holbytla]

I'm pretty sure that what the elvish choir sings on the soundtrack when they get to Rivendell would translate loosely to "Tra-la-la-lally."

Ha! In a revisionist's version maybe. That was PJ dictating tone. There wasn't even a hint of frivolity there.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I think PJ missed most of what Tolkien was about, but during the songs, I think he managed to capture some of the essence that was missing in the movies.

He did indeed. I wish he and his team would trust Tolkien more than they do. Because when they do, it works.

I definitely agree with that. The Good Morning sequence was as good as I never dared let myself hope for, and the Unexpected Party was fantastic. I thought it hit all the right notes, and Bilbo's reaction to the the dwarves' Misty Mountain song was nothing short of sublime. As was his sense of regret the next morning. The troll scene was good enough, although I didn't like that Bilbo delaying the trolls largely replaced Gandalf doing so, though perhaps the way it was in the book could have been difficult to portray convincingly. The Riddles scene was truly as good as I had hoped it could be, tense and scary and funny and as good interaction between two characters as I could imagine. But the real highlight was the portrayal of Bilbo sparing Gollum through Pity (which similar, but not quite the same, as mercy). I'm actually glad now that I have seen it that they forshadowed this in a way with Gandalf's words to Bilbo when he delivers Sting to him. That enabled Mr. Obvious and the Obviousettes (e.g. the screenwriters) to leave it be at the scene itself, and let the actors pull it off purely with expressive acting. And pull it off they did! Freeman was remarkable, but it was Serkis and the magicians at WETA that made it into perhaps the most moving cinematic experience that I have ever had. I felt pity with Bilbo for Gollum in that moment in a way unlike any other emotion I have ever felt at a film. I can forgive Jackson and friends many a transgression (and there were many indeed in this film, which I will discuss at another time) for that moment (and the others that I mention above, and a few that I haven't been able to get to tonight).

Good night, my friends!

[Teremia]

I just saw it, and quite enjoyed it. It's just the HOBBIT, so the silliness seemed okay to me. Of course I could do with a lot less fighting and tumbling down crevasses and cliffs! But I liked the prologue and the Riddles and the eagles and the scenery just fine. The way Jackson chooses to light scenes has always bothered, and continued to tonight. "Dark"??? That was the brightest, shiniest "dark" ever. And the inexpressive lighting makes the 48fps crispness worse.

Though I kind of enjoyed seeing the details of Bilbo's larder.

[Primula Baggins]

It made me want to go get a snack. But alas, I was in a traditional American movie theater, where snacks are soggy tortilla chips smeared with gelatinous fake cheese, or popcorn soaked in coconut oil that tastes like coconut, or disgusting fruity gummy candy. I wanted a nice crisp apple, or a fragrant slice of ham. I would even have taken time to cook some potatoes.

[sauronsfinger]

Saw it again on Saturday evening at the IMAX in Michigan and while I enjoyed it and greatly liked the 3D, I could see no real difference in frame count and any result in quality. For future repeat viewings I will stick to the local theater.

And I really do not like the Great Goblin and that includes his look, his voice and everything about him. My eleven year old grandson said it looked and acted like a cartoon character.

[Elentári]

If you saw it in IMAX 3D, then it was still at 24 fps, I believe, and not the HFR, (48 fps) according to the Henry Ford IMAX website...

(And yeah, his goiter is really gross!)

[axordil]

Have caved into a friend's request, and will be seeing it in HFR 3D. Will report back!

I will be really curious to hear what you see, so to speak. The discrepancies are freaking me out a little.

What discrepancies?

Some people saying they are seeing sped-up action out of sync with the sound in HFR. I didn't see any of that, nor did the people I saw the movie with.