One scene stands out in particular, where a group of CG wargs (giant wolf-like creatures) chase our group of non-CG heroes across a grassy plain. “When The Hobbit looks bad, it looks really bad, chiefly during action sequences where CG creatures are featured against non-CG backdrops. In a quest to make his world more real, Jackson has inadvertently drawn our attention to its artifice.”

Bilbo’s home has gone from a comfortable and homely Hobbit hole to something quite plasticky, and Rivendell suffers the same fate. “Constructed interiors look much like they do in any of The Hobbit production diaries – like sets. I just don’t understand this perspective. Some critics reported that it looked “too real” or that sets looked fake in the sharp, very clear picture. (Although with this film, I didn’t really have any criticisms from the first viewing except that it did feel more like watching an extended edition than theatrical I didn’t mind, but I can see how some critics, especially if they’re not Middle Earth nerds, might argue that it’s too long.) My second viewing was in IMAX 3D with the high frame rate–I wasn’t wearing one of my home-made beards that time, but it was still an epic experience.Īlthough the 48 frames-per-second medium has been getting mixed reviews, I personally thought it was fantastic. I never like to offer an official opinion based solely on a midnight showing, because sleep deprivation or distraction from noticing all the book-to-film changes can cast an unjustified negativity over the whole experience that disappears on a second, well-rested viewing. Now that I have seen The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey twice, I feel able to post a reaction.

Thats no orc horn