I have to confess that I read all your posts in the voice of Tom Hanks. I honestly had no intention of ever telling anyone about this, but this post was just to perfect for it.
JP had animatronic giant dino robots. Only the big brontosaurus at the beginning was graphically put in with computer. While the technology used was way ahead of its time, at least the creatures for the most part were real objects on the set, which made it believable then and would make it believable today, too. That's what makes that movie one of the best ever. Even the best CG today can't really be believed to the naked eye, cause they can never seem to get the look of natural light and coloring just right, despite the amount of detail put in. The worst part of the Hobbit series is the Pale Orc. They did a terrible job with him.. just looks like a creature out of a video game cutscene. Definitely makes him less frightening, too. Even the goblins and orcs in the LOTR with actors in suits with their cheesy lines and little british accents were far more creepy.. Can't beat a real thing. I really think Jackson could have used actors for the orcs again. Really cheap and unnecessary of him to go this way when it worked great the first time.
All that aside, I'm excited for this entry. I'm gonna try and put my nit picking over the visuals aside this time and just enjoy it. Seeing it in 48 fps again, which was really cool (although a bit strange) last time. It brings out the sets vs real environments more than the standard frame rate, but it's an experience nonetheless.
Cumberbatch, Lily, Bloom and Evans should make this one more exciting, if nothing else.
Was the T-Rex chasing the jeep real? And all of the raptor scenes as well? Even the scene at the end where the raptors are jumping on the T-Rex? SPOILER ALERT 20 year old movie scenes!
Spoiler!
I am seriously asking because I do not know, but it seems to me there was a lot more that was CGI than just the Brontosaurs. And yes I agree that movie was waayyyyy ahead of it's time.
__________________ "In brightest day, in blackest night / No evil shall escape my sight / Let those who worship evil's might / Beware my power, Green Lantern's light!"
So true... so true.. then I collect each extended edition sepearetely for 50 bucks a pop, and then the year after they all come out they sell them as a box set for $40.
Damn you!
__________________ "In brightest day, in blackest night / No evil shall escape my sight / Let those who worship evil's might / Beware my power, Green Lantern's light!"
So true... so true.. then I collect each extended edition sepearetely for 50 bucks a pop, and then the year after they all come out they sell them as a box set for $40.
Damn you!
I was so greatful when the extended edition of RotK came with a mail away for the box to make my DVDs a box set.
__________________
"Nothing Matters. Nobody Cares. We're all going to die."
- Devin Cooley
I actually wasn't disappointed in the first Hobbit movie. It was almost exactly what I was expecting, a more light hearted and adventure-y Lord of the Rings.
I'm going for an advance screening as well. Will be happy to give some initial thoughts free of spoilers after I see it!
But so far I've heard things like: much closer to on par with the LOTR, and the most action packed middle-earth film to date. Sounds very encouraging! Apparently the high frame rate is improved this time around too, and not as distracting (although anyone who is seeing it for the first time in this setting will take notice right away, regardless). And by that I'm guessing, the sets and CG maybe won't stick out as much.
Initial reviews I have seen are great, say the movie puts the franchise back on track.
I liked the first one so I should love this one.
__________________ "In brightest day, in blackest night / No evil shall escape my sight / Let those who worship evil's might / Beware my power, Green Lantern's light!"
I liked the first part. What I did not enjoy so much were many of the action sequences with an abundance of CGI. I thought I was watching a game of Donkey Kong - ex. the escape from the stone giants and the goblin caves. Ridiculous shots of cliffs or bridges swinging around, and the group landing safely somehow.
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Initial reviews I have seen are great, say the movie puts the franchise back on track.
I liked the first one so I should love this one.
yep this is great news I am in the same boat
really looking forward to it
TIME named it in their top 10 list
good to hear this as well
Quote:
The Hollywood Reporter praised the visuals of the movie and the 48 frames-per-second speed at which it was shot – which sparked debate with the first film An Unexpected Journey.
Critic Todd McCarthy said: ‘The distractingly vivid images provided by the 48 frames-per-second in the first film appear to have been massaged properly this time and there is a notably lower-than-average reduction in image brightness when using the 3D glasses.’
I'm going for an advance screening as well. Will be happy to give some initial thoughts free of spoilers after I see it!
But so far I've heard things like: much closer to on par with the LOTR, and the most action packed middle-earth film to date. Sounds very encouraging! Apparently the high frame rate is improved this time around too, and not as distracting (although anyone who is seeing it for the first time in this setting will take notice right away, regardless). And by that I'm guessing, the sets and CG maybe won't stick out as much.
Were you at the Chinook screening? Completely packed and had to be very early.
Just got out of the advanced screening. Enjoyed it as much as the first. Was a packed house and had to sit one row apart from my wife even being 30 minutes early.
Some observations that I had:
Spoiler!
-Definitely darker than Unexpected Journey, similar to how Two Towers was with FOTR.
- Its been 10 years since I read The Hobbit, but it seems to me they took even more liberties this time around. I'm told they are getting a lot of the details from Silmarillion, but still think a lot of it is new material.
- The movie covered a lot of ground. Not sure how they are going to squeeze 3 hours out of the final film, but I'm sure they have it worked out.
and I wouldn't even put the first film and this one in the same sentence. Especially preceded by "as much as". Let's get one thing straight: Unexpected Journey doesn't even touch this.
It's great, and... (hard to believe I'm going to say it..) I put this on the brink of LOTR Great.
(no spoilers, but general thoughts on why):
Spoiler!
There are three things that make it so: A great magnitude more emotional depth, real characters that you begin to yourself jump on board with and really care about their quest almost as if it were your own (not Quite to the level of LOTR), with greater sense of emotional struggle. A (largely) more cohesive and involving story that snowballs in momentum, that has completely discarded the plodding about the forest, and is now down to the meat and potatoes of the story. And most importantly, the greatest dragon ever to be put in cinema to date.
...Let that resonate... .. .. .
It borrows elements from the LOTR more heavily (which I for one love), but with the entrance of Smaug, completely forges its own identity.
Welcome improvements that also added enjoyment: Tauriel, who brings a romance element to the story (as well as a female one), who is extremely likeable compared to the other elves, as well as bringing orc-loads of kick-assery. The CGI-heavy scenes involving crazy action and dwarves bouncing about (yes there's a little more of that), are thoroughly entertaining this time, and don't just leave your scratching your head (though notably a bit beyond belief). CGI detail is slightly improved. The Orcs definitely have a better look to them.
It's been noted by some that the 48 fps format is also improved. Will be seeing for myself on Thursday.
Have to say though that if the third instalment continues in the direction this one was headed, then it may really, truly find itself on a Rings' level of Great.
There are wobbles here, but the film sheds itself almost entirely of leftover taste of its predecessor by the fiery conclusion. Peter Jackson has clearly regained his form here in a some big ways!
The Cumberdragon conjures up a delicious 9/10!
Oh, and Luke Evans was good.
Last edited by djsFlames; 12-10-2013 at 02:32 AM.
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Are all the AVX screens here in Calgary showing it in 48 FPS this time around? The Cross Iron AVX doesn't have it listed in Ultra High Frame Rate, but Sunridge does. While Chinook lists it as showing using Dolby Atmos in their AVX, with no mention of FR.
I would put Cumberbatch up there with Fassbender for my favourite and talented emerging actors. (By emerging I mean getting into the big budget movie spot light, I understand both have long histories of film including two very well done TV series.)
Pair that with the perfect casting of Bilbo and this should be one epic movie.
__________________ "In brightest day, in blackest night / No evil shall escape my sight / Let those who worship evil's might / Beware my power, Green Lantern's light!"
and I wouldn't even put the first film and this one in the same sentence. Especially preceded by "as much as". Let's get one thing straight: Unexpected Journey doesn't even touch this.
It's great, and... (hard to believe I'm going to say it..) I put this on the brink of LOTR Great.
(no spoilers, but general thoughts on why):
Spoiler!
There are three things that make it so: A great magnitude more emotional depth, real characters that you begin to yourself jump on board with and really care about their quest almost as if it were your own (not Quite to the level of LOTR), with greater sense of emotional struggle. A (largely) more cohesive and involving story that snowballs in momentum, that has completely discarded the plodding about the forest, and is now down to the meat and potatoes of the story. And most importantly, the greatest dragon ever to be put in cinema to date.
...Let that resonate... .. .. .
It borrows elements from the LOTR more heavily (which I for one love), but with the entrance of Smaug, completely forges its own identity.
Welcome improvements that also added enjoyment: Tauriel, who brings a romance element to the story (as well as a female one), who is extremely likeable compared to the other elves, as well as bringing orc-loads of kick-assery. The CGI-heavy scenes involving crazy action and dwarves bouncing about (yes there's a little more of that), are thoroughly entertaining this time, and don't just leave your scratching your head (though notably a bit beyond belief). CGI detail is slightly improved. The Orcs definitely have a better look to them.
It's been noted by some that the 48 fps format is also improved. Will be seeing for myself on Thursday.
Have to say though that if the third instalment continues in the direction this one was headed, then it may really, truly find itself on a Rings' level of Great.
There are wobbles here, but the film sheds itself almost entirely of leftover taste of its predecessor by the fiery conclusion. Peter Jackson has clearly regained his form here in a some big ways!
The Cumberdragon conjures up a delicious 9/10!
Oh, and Luke Evans was good.
Spoiler!
There is no doubt that the first film was a little more in line with the book. Because of this, you can a expect a number of people to be a little apprehensive at first with some of Jackson's creations in Desolation- such as Tauriel. Of course this isn't the only standard for judging the film, but it has to be expected with how classic the novel is. Personally, I think the new elements work and were necessary to expand the film into three parts. I liked the first film. I liked the second film. I will leave it to others to claim that the second installment is categorically superior to first.
Last edited by Flabbibulin; 12-10-2013 at 10:56 AM.
