2736 replies to this topic

[Heart Collector]

Skyfall

I don't really like rating stuff, but I'll make a mini-review. Bear in mind this review is completely subjective. The post contains spoilers which are hopefully neatly wrapped in spoiler tags!

I enjoyed it quite a bit. It was a good action film and a very different Bond movie - and different in a good way.

Plot was better layed out and more concise than the previous two Bond films. Humor and banter was nice, rather cheesy at times but hey James Bond is all about the cheese And I really liked the scenes between Bond and M, Daniel Craig and Judi Dench are good actors and were a joy to see together. And Bardem was the most delightful Bond villain I've seen so far!

What I ilked about this film compared to other Bond movies - they actually managed to create tension. Which is strange considering the Bond formula - You know that he'll save the day, get the girl(s) and defeat the baddie, hell you can't really give spoilers for Bond flicks because they all mostly follow this identical premise. This one however broke away in two significant aspects that created tension:

Spoiler

Firstly, Bond is wounded, and hence not operating at peak efficiency, having difficulty doing things that would otherwise be routine for him, therefore he's more vulnerable - which is great as it does create an actual "arc" for this otherwise stable character. and Second, the stakes are switched from Bond to M - we are not invested in his own given survival, but M's, and M is almost as vulnerable as any of us would be.

Plus the numerous other little twists that made it different from the usual Bond stuff made it quite unique. And I was quite happy with what Skyfall actually is - something you don't expect when you first set out to see the movie

Visually the film was really good, with great cinematography - And the special effects were tangible and beefy. Proper locations, sets and stunts were used abundantly, and the CGI that existed was well made and didn't take over. The audio was great as well, nice soundtrack and good "Skyfall" song by Adele.

I believe that this is the most "hybrid" Bond film out there. I feel that they set out not to make a James Bond movie, but a movie with James Bond. Something that will - and probably has - disappointed the "purist" Bond fans out there. There are lots of typical Bond elements, but also lots that flies in the face of the "norm" so far. However I don't feel like they did what they did just for the sake of being different - but rather to create a fresh and meaningful experience that will have even those of us who know exactly how Bond films work questioning whether Bond will succeed this time.

To sum up: I enjoyed it far more than I thought. I believe that the only people who will be disappointed will be the more "traditional" Bond purists, and obviously those who do not like action blockbuster type movies. I don't regret seeing it in the theaters, it was well worth my time and money and delivered a solid, fun and exciting action film with good performances and - for once - genuine tension, which at least for me resulted in my increased involvement.

Edited by Heart Collector, 27 November 2012 - 02:04 PM.

[BlueCynder]

Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows
1000/10

This move was great! I haven't seen the first one yet (its sitting right next to me waiting) so I can't compare it.  However, the acting was great, the storyline was very interesting and the slow motion effects were cool.   The ending of the movie was especially funny, (Sherlock Holmes 3 perhaps?)
An epic movie <3

[Stargate]

Graphic Violence, on 22 October 2012 - 11:23 AM, said:

Shaolin (2011)    10/10 AMAZING movie! Loved it...

Thanks for the movie tip.

Shaolin(2011)
+ Good martial arts. 95 % realistic... some gliding/jumping, but otherwise realistic.
+ Historic movie(though I don't know if it is based on true events) with all kinds of weapons for example: knives, rifles and artillery.
+ Main actors were good and the female wife was beautiful.
+ Story was fairly good.
+ Good tyrant villain. I also liked his Elite Assasin bodyguard who was very dangerous!
+ Fun to see old Jackie Chan actor though this time he was a cook and not the main actor.
Neutral: Typical historical Asian music not my favorite, but it fits the movie. I have nothing against the music though it does and it does not annoy me.
- The movie felt a bit long and it is 2h 11 minutes and at times it felt for me like watching a  very long extended movie. I did not like all the long scenes.
My vote: 8/10 very good!

For an Asian watching a historical(well losely I don't know if this is based on real events) movie this is likely classic stuff 9 or 10. I have trained martial arts and I don't get bored watching martial arts training though the movie has also long other scenes. Whether you like martial arts or want to see a historical movie with good actors then I think this movie can also be recommended to Western audience. You need subtitles. I watched it with English subtitles.

Edited by Stargate, 07 December 2012 - 05:14 PM.

[BuddhaKeks]

Year One: 6.5/10

This is a silly comedy, as silly as it get's, but most of the jokes were great. I pretty much laughed non-stop through the first 20 minutes. Sadly then the film starts to drag on a little (basically exactly when the plot starts). I could have lived with less fecal humor (and less graphic one) but that's gladly not the only type of humor the film relies on. Jack Black does what he does best, being Jack Black (works every time, even though he can act if needs to), Michael Cera however completly steals the show. That guy is great in every movie he does. He has a great comedical timing and delivery. Sadly the film itself looses a lot of it's dynamic at the third act. While it's start as a parody of the old testament, they stop at Sodom, which is the shame, since the satire was quite good (I've seen better but it worked well). Overall it's a mindless but funny piece which borrows heavily from Mel Brooks and Zucker, Abrahams, Zucker productions.

[Illein]

The Bourne Legacy (2012):

I'd like to go ahead of this by saying - if there is one thing I hate about a series or a series of movies, it's changing actors. A changed lead role usually always ends up in a complete annihilation of past successes. That said, despite the fact that Jeremy Runner had to fill some big Hollywood shoes (Matt Damon's) - this movie kept me totally enthralled throughout it's 2 hours+.

The only "negative" in it - was the whole story around those chems which increase all sorts of physical or neural attributes to turn its probants into lethal weapons but alas - that's what the "Spy" genre mostly lives off these days to find an excuse for being a one-man army and if I am totally honest, it's entertaining to watch so why the heck not.

I'd give it a 7/10.

Edited by Illein, 02 December 2012 - 07:51 PM.

[Rhododendron]

They made a new Bourne Identity? how lame is that

Aaah, it's the 4th movie! , hey that's called Bourne Legacy.

Edited by Rhododendron, 02 December 2012 - 06:48 PM.

[Illein]

Rhododendron, on 02 December 2012 - 06:46 PM, said:

They made a new Bourne Identity? how lame is that

Aaah, it's the 4th movie! , hey that's called Bourne Legacy.

Thanks! Mixed up the titles

[Mustache Mayhem]

twilight brokeback mountain 2

my girlfriend dragged me to this movie.. it was packed the opening weekend but I got to see all the twilight fans and how excited they were at certain parts of the movie.. I wanted to see more edward banging around myself (I dunno what that implies)

have to give it a 8/10 because I was probably the only one in the theater fooled by the vampire mind thing at the end.. (not a twilight fan)

[Coren]

Mustache Mayhem, on 02 December 2012 - 08:10 PM, said:

twilight brokeback mountain 2

my girlfriend dragged me to this movie.. it was packed the opening weekend but I got to see all the twilight fans and how excited they were at certain parts of the movie.. I wanted to see more edward banging around myself (I dunno what that implies)

have to give it a 8/10 because I was probably the only one in the theater fooled by the vampire mind thing at the end.. (not a twilight fan)

My girlfriend dragged me ti watch breaking dawn 2 yesterday too... To say that I felt violated is putting it mildly. I felt bad and bored and, on some level, worried that my girlfriend think it's cute and romantic.

More disturbing was the implied pedophilia between the baby and Jakob, who has *imprinted* himself on her, and at the end wonders if he should call Edward "dad". It's like watching a Disney cartoon, but with all the charm, story and appeal ripped out for something monstrous.

And the baby and werewolves... Terrible AWFUL CGI, and even creepy when it comes to the baby... WHY use a CGI baby???

Oh, and of course we now have the Fantastic four merged with the X men, vampires who can control elements, can fly, mind read, see the future, project shields... Makes you wonder why bother being human? Vampires can stay in the light, run faster than a sports car (makes you wonder why they bother with cars at all) jump as high as mountains and are immortal.

Oh, and they all stay in that one house, like some preteen slumber party where noone wants to leave even when this group of.Dracula wannabes show up. They KNOW that a battle will happen and yet they stay exactly where they are...

Final point: when Bella and Edward do the vampire nasty, at the end she wonders how she can ever get enough of this since they don't get tired. Talk about placing the bar insanely high for humans lol, girls now will be so disappointed in real life that it  may hold no appeal.

Bottom line, I'm glad I could make my girlfriend happy in going her to.see it (and describe it for her since she's blind), but I'm still shaken by the whole absurdity of it all.

[pumpkin pie]

Coren, on 06 December 2012 - 08:41 AM, said:

My girlfriend dragged me ti watch breaking dawn 2 yesterday too... To say that I felt violated is putting it mildly. I felt bad and bored and, on some level, worried that my girlfriend think it's cute and romantic.

More disturbing was the implied pedophilia between the baby and Jakob, who has *imprinted* himself on her, and at the end wonders if he should call Edward "dad". It's like watching a Disney cartoon, but with all the charm, story and appeal ripped out for something monstrous.

And the baby and werewolves... Terrible AWFUL CGI, and even creepy when it comes to the baby... WHY use a CGI baby???

Oh, and of course we now have the Fantastic four merged with the X men, vampires who can control elements, can fly, mind read, see the future, project shields... Makes you wonder why bother being human? Vampires can stay in the light, run faster than a sports car (makes you wonder why they bother with cars at all) jump as high as mountains and are immortal.

Oh, and they all stay in that one house, like some preteen slumber party where noone wants to leave even when this group of.Dracula wannabes show up. They KNOW that a battle will happen and yet they stay exactly where they are...

Final point: when Bella and Edward do the vampire nasty, at the end she wonders how she can ever get enough of this since they don't get tired. Talk about placing the bar insanely high for humans lol, girls now will be so disappointed in real life that it  may hold no appeal.

Bottom line, I'm glad I could make my girlfriend happy in going her to.see it (and describe it for her since she's blind), but I'm still shaken by the whole absurdity of it all.

i lol @ your review,
jokingly: did you secretly change the story when you tell it to your girlfriend?

[Coren]

pumpkin pie, on 06 December 2012 - 11:48 AM, said:

i lol @ your review,
jokingly: did you secretly change the story when you tell it to your girlfriend?

Glad I made someone laugh today

To answer you, no I didn't have to fake anything since she read the books (or listened to them if you prefer) and, to be honest, other than saying the occasional "he made a wall of water in front of himself" all I had to do was say things like "Edward takes her hand, squeezes it and kisses her neck slowly" nothing much else needed any explanation since this movie is 100 minutes of flat and uninteresting dialog and 10 minutes of so called action, my job was pretty uneventful...

That's what surprises me. She loves more profound stories like game of thrones, true blood (now THAT'S a great series about supernatural creatures filled with deep characters and believable vampires who rip hearts out of chests then suck on the torn arteries) and yet she loves this 1 dimensional freakshow of a movie... And here I though the Transformers movies were bad.

pumpkin pie, on 06 December 2012 - 11:48 AM, said:

i lol @ your review,
jokingly: did you secretly change the story when you tell it to your girlfriend?

Glad I made someone laugh today

To answer you, no I didn't have to fake anything since she read the books (or listened to them if you prefer) and, to be honest, other than saying the occasional "he made a wall of water in front of himself" all I had to do was say things like "Edward takes her hand, squeezes it and kisses her neck slowly" nothing much else needed any explanation since this movie is 100 minutes of flat and uninteresting dialog and 10 minutes of so called action, my job was pretty uneventful...

That's what surprises me. She loves more profound stories like game of thrones, true blood (now THAT'S a great series about supernatural creatures filled with deep characters and believable vampires who rip hearts out of chests then suck on the torn arteries) and yet she loves this 1 dimensional freakshow of a movie... And here I though the Transformers movies were bad.

[BuddhaKeks]

Oh boy I had to see the first twilight movie once in school because our teacher listened to the crazy girl faction in the class. >_>
It's almost 3 years ago now, and I still have this bad aftertaste when I think about that film. And I heard they are getting worse with every sequel... not the last film I saw but 1/10 for the first one, not going into detail here.


Due Date: 8/10

Now that was a good movie! It's from the makers of Hangover and it had much of it's vibe too. Robert Downing Jr. plays the straight men for once, instead of the eccentric type he usually plays. And he does a good job, showing that he doesn't suffer from typecasting. Zach Galifianakis plays the wacky one in this flick. His role is similar to Alan from Hangover, yet different enough to feal like something new. The story is faced paced, which fits the road movie style and comedy is great. If you liked Hangover you will probably like this one too.

[Hankey]

Premium Rush-7.5/10- it's exciting and fun, plot isn't stellar but it's worth a watch.

[Stargate]

Watched with a friend 2 movies that I had seen before, but he had not seen them before.

Since many of you discussed Bourne movies well personally for me the first original The Bourne Identity is one of the best Agent movies that I have seen thought there also exist some very good James Bond movies. The Bourne Identity(2002) I rate 9/10 a classic.

Safehouse(2012)
+ CIA agents and Action.
+ Hardcore Action.
+ Some mild surprises in otherwise predictable story.
- I did not like all the Actors... did not care about the mysterious "guest" that was brought to safe house.
- I did not care about all settings/environments.
- BLAH BLAH so boring!
- Towards end more and more boring!
My vote: 6.75/10 ok/good movie!
My friend rated Safe House(2012) as 6/10 ok movie!

Hostel(2005)
+ Nudity. Lots of scenes with females boobs and a short glimpse from distance about full female nudity. Very short sex scenes.
+ Best of Europe shown. In Amsterdam both mild drugs and prostitutes are legal. However I would not recommend to go to Holland(= Netherlands... never travelled there myself) to get stoned. Why? Because you can get hooked to drugs and while mild drugs are legal in Amsterdam they are pretty much forbidden in the rest of the world.
+ Hardcore horror. Sadistic glee.
+ Good story... this would be a farily realistic horror for many tourists. I say fairly because most crimes in Europe is simply pick pockets since in long run it rarely is good to kill tourists and scare them off and make areas bad neigborhood. Mexico is for example more dangerous then most countries in Europe though Ukraine which I have visited has its dangers also though I did not have any problems in Ukraine myself when I once visited Kiev.
+ I liked the actors fairly much. The youngest "less experienced" member was not my favorite, but he was not disturbing either.
Warning spoiler!

Spoiler

+ Killing/torture is the worst crime in my books. At the very end of the movie a crime was made and that was less bad lol.

-  Some of the scenes are slightly disturbing to me also.
Warning spoiler!

Spoiler

I am not so much sadist that I would like to torture/kill people in real life.

My vote. 8.5/10 very good almost classic movie!

My friend considered Hostel(2005) as 7/10 good entertainment. However be warned my friend commented that Hostel(2005) is so hardcore that it could have agerating 21! Well it is for adults!

Edited by Stargate, 08 December 2012 - 11:27 AM.

[Illein]

The Man with the Iron Fists (2012)

7/10

I absolutely loved that movie! Expected a typical Tarantino Bloodshed-Galore and that's pretty much what I got, wrapped in a solid story and that golden 70s HongKong Kung-Fu chíc that just made it a pleasure to watch. It's cheesy, it's larger-than-life and it's totally enjoyable

It's definitely NOT for the (Y)Ip Man-Purists but for anyone who enjoys a good action kung fu movie, it's definitely worth its money. Russel Crow's role has to be among the best of his career, it's odd but his acting chops seem to increase with age and body weight! lol.

Something that probably is very controversial is RZA not only being in it - but narrating the whole movie. There's something bizarre about a Wu-Tang gangster rapper to do the voice-over to a martial arts flick - but in that one, it strangely works. His acting is choppy but what can you really expect? He kinda grew on me watching Californication, so I might have had a bit longer to acclimate to his style - but all in all, he's doing an okay job and if rappers produce that sort of quality in the future, I'll be the first to go out and buy some more of their records to support that!



It can't imitate the genius of the great Jackie Chan movies back in its day (Snake in the Eagle's Shadow - still my all time fav.!), but 7 points seem deserved! It's perfectly setting me up for DJANGO UNCHAINED in January 2013! So looking forward.

Edited by Illein, 10 December 2012 - 11:47 AM.

[Mockingjay74]

Silver Lining's Playbook! Have to rate it at about 8/10.

Jennifer Lawrence seriously outdid herself in this movie. She was really amazing and her performance was ridiculously good and she never faltered. As a fan of hers, I enjoyed seeing her try to dance because I've heard about how uncoordinated she is over the years. Bradley Cooper was almost impossible to watch at some points because of the emotion he put into what he was saying. Some of the scenes (that I won't spoil) that he is in with his parents are so beautiful that they actually made me a little misty.

Even though it looks like a chick flick, the major chicky stuff really only pops up at the very end at the competition. But instead of being disgusting and overly-cheesy, the romantic scenes were actually done very well. They weren't sloppy and heated, they were cute and cuddly like an adorable couple.

Seriously, people should see it. It's hilarious (Lawrence finally got her comedy) and has a lot of sports discussion and juju.

[Flaming]

The Hobbit an unexpected journey.
9/10
I have just come back from watching this at the cinema an I can tell you it is an excellent  movie.
Do yourself a favour and go see it in 48 frames per second and in 3D I could almost believe that I was watching a live action play not watching a movie. Don't wait for it to come to DVD or Blue Ray as this will lose a lot going onto the small screen.
The movie sticks reasonably well to the source material. The story has been added to and expanded on to explain to the ordinance the how's and the whys of the main part of the story.

[Bohya]

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

2/10 due to fan pandering.

[Stargate]

Bohya, on 14 December 2012 - 05:04 PM, said:

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

2/10 due to fan pandering.

Well I have  not seen Hobbit movie yet. Fan pandering? You mean that you have read book and are not happy that the movie is not close to the movie??? Whatever it so many years I have read Hobbit so that I really do not remember much:). Hobbit is a children book and I was 12 years when I read Hobbit. I will see Hobbit...

Total Recall(2012)
+ SCIFI
+ Action
+++ Colin Farrell
+++ Kate Beckinsale
++ Jessica Biel is also very beautiful.
+ Nudity. Female boobs. Of course you will NOT see much boobs or boobs of Kate Beckinsale or boobs of Jessica Biel.
+ Good action music though music at the boob scene was really not the best of electronic music.
+ Cool threat/enemies.
- I really do not like all of the cast but those that I do not like usually die:)
- Realistic? Hmm I doubt it traveling through...
- the end fight was little short and actually this movie could be more long and less short movie.
My vote. 9.0/10 classic movie!

I have not been Colin Farrell fan before, but after seen lately Fright Night(2011) and Total Recall(2012) yes he is absolutely one of the best male Actors in my book! Kate Beckinsale has impressed me already many years ago as an excellent female actor. With other actors this would be less good. Anyway this movie is so far in future so hard to say if it is realistic, but simply enjoy it as entertainment.

Edited by Stargate, 15 December 2012 - 01:43 PM.

[runemima]

hobbit
8.5 out of 10

it can't ever be as fresh as LOTR... so it doesn't feel fresh. as movie #4 of LOTR, it doesn't live up to the first 3... but only missed the mark by a smidge. It had nothing to do with a children's movie, this was in NO WAY a children's movie! I lost count of how many  heads were ripped off. The critics who are calling it such must not be parents. It was beautiful, touching, stunning, had great fight scenes, really funny characters... but I can think of 4 seperate times where they preached right to the camera, having no faith in our own intelligence and I really didn't like being preached at. The poster above who said it was pandering to fans... I disagree. It's almost like they stupid-proofed the movie to non-fans. Here let's explain what a Big Deal it is for Bilbo to get a sword. Here let's explain why Bilbo is such an Important Hero. etc

Already planning when to see it again! This series is a class of its own.


OH!!! and I saw a GW2 ad right before it. Now they pull out the big guns... unfortunately the ad sucked at selling the game.

Edited by runemima, 16 December 2012 - 01:14 AM.

[Xuphor]

Twilight Part 2

I'm probably the only woman you'll find that says this, but I absolutely hated this movie. I watched it mostly because of peer pressure from my friends who said it was great, but it was clear they were all just sexually obsessed with Edwin Cullard, or whatever his name is. The entire plot is extremely strange (I give it points for uniqueness, I suppose), but in the worst possible way. I was not a big fan of Priest, Van Helsing, nor any Underworld in theatres, but I would gladly watch any of those 10 more times than watch Twilight even once more. I also have to say, considering most of my friends rave about this movie saying it's great, it'll definitely make me think about their recommendations before wasting $20 on their idiocy.

So, overall, I'd rate Twilight Part 2 a 2/10. The two points only because it's at least a unique plot, even if it is a completely terrible one.

[pumpkin pie]

The Hobbit.

OH.MY.GOD watch it. ! the movie is up to expectation and beyond. they should have made The Hobbit first and LOTR after ... it would be even more better if they had done it in this order. (IMHO)

[Rhododendron]

runemima, on 16 December 2012 - 01:13 AM, said:

OH!!! and I saw a GW2 ad right before it. Now they pull out the big guns... unfortunately the ad sucked at selling the game.

Was it the one where they show Zhaitan at the end swooping around?

[runemima]

Rhododendron, on 20 December 2012 - 11:04 AM, said:

Was it the one where they show Zhaitan at the end swooping around?

the purple jade-like dragon was swooping around at the beginning. then there was a black screen with some reviewer quote of it being best game of the year. then it had slides swooping into the frame like some 6th grade animoto show. they were all the same shots they've been using since before it came out--the norn thief firing her pistols etc. but the camera was drawn in close and you could hardly see the game. it was utterly lifeless.

but then it had me shouting "that's us! that's our game!" like a deranged fan. i think it helped people take notice...

Edited by runemima, 20 December 2012 - 04:44 PM.

[BuddhaKeks]

I guess that's the one you are talking about:

[runemima]

yes. so maybe my memory wasn't so good...

[Illein]

Still a rather shabby trailer

[BuddhaKeks]

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: 9.5/10

They aren't taking the Hobbit to Isengard this time, but to Erebor instead. And I loved every minute of it. I don't think there could ahve been a better choice for young Bilbo than Martin Freeman, he plays the part so well. Besides that, I wish movies nowadays had more Bilbos as protagonists and less bland "I'm invincible and kill everyone while sprouting one-liners" heroes. What lesson can be learned from them? That you have to be badass to reach your goals? Isn't it more inspiring to have the everyday man be the hero?
Well back to the other characters. The dwarves are great, though they are simply to many, the movie can't focus on each one of them, so Thorin and Balin do most of the talking. I think, if it wasn't a book first, but written for the big screen, it would have been atleast 5 dwarves less. To be honest, most books wouldn't have that many characters, but Tolkien wasn't known to be a good writer. But he had a message and much fantasy, this is what makes him such a great author, not stylistic devices and text structure.
Another great thing about the film is that, unlike LotR, the orcs have actual character and motivations. They aren't simply faceless mooks to the closest big bad. That said, I'm disappointed that they were all CGI. In LotR all of the orcs were men in make-up (except in huge battlescenes of course), I really don't know why they had to be CGI now.
The story feels rather episodic, I think it may have worked better as a TV miniseries, on the other hand the budget would have probably been a lot smaller, so it's good that they made movies out of it.
I have seen the movie in 3D and 48fps. Unlike most films, the 3D was worth it here. The interesting part is the 48fps thing. It is really distracting in the first 20-30 minutes! It looked like a sped-up version, and it got me slightly dizzy. But eventually your eyes or brain will accustom to it and then it looks absolutely great! Never has a film felt so real to me. Combined with the 3D I felt like actually being there.
Last thing, if you haven't read the book and only know LotR, expect this trilogy to be different. The Hobbit isn't an epic tale of heroism and good versus evil. It's more like a fairy tale, with a lot of humor and situations that are won by smart thinking rather than battle prowess.

Edit: I forgot, not all orcs were CGI, some of the huntig party were played by real actors, however all the goblins of the misty mountains and Azog were CGI.

Edited by BuddhaKeks, 24 December 2012 - 12:13 AM.

[Sparky]

Juno 10/10  Very well paced storytelling about a teen pregnancy.  Emotional and real enough but not too raw.  Interesting soundtrack.  You will learn something from watching this...it has a few different perspectives thrown out there that you don't always think about.

Hobbit 7/10  I enjoyed it well enough...was what I expected but not much more.  A Story I knew too well, was entertaining but didn't quite have the magic of the lord of the rings...maybe I'm just fantasied out at the moment.  I liked the dwarves the best...though I felt all the fight scenes lacked originality

Jack Reacher 7.5/10  Was well written and entertaining...I forgot about everything and got lost in the story.  Fell short of being inspirational or moving, but was original enough and found ways to make me care about the characters.  I'd recommend it if nothing else jumps out at you.

[Heart Collector]

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. WARNING: SPOILERS PRESENT (I've tried to keep them to a minimum though)

I am a Tolkien fan who enjoyed the LotR movies (though I did have some complaints with some of the plot changes, but we won't go into that), but I was very skeptical about watching this, not only because of the 48 FPS and 3D (which was the only screening available to us today) but because of the decision to milk the book as much as possible in order to make a trilogy. I must say I was pleasantly surprised and I really enjoyed the film.

The good: It was 3 hours long but I didn't feel like it dragged, and I found the pacing to be pretty good - also I felt that this movie was truer to the spirit of the book than LotR was (though even that was IMO true to the spirit, the Hobbit topped it in this aspect). And thank God, Buddha, Ahura Mazda, Iluvatar, Innos, Adanos and Beliar and all the other deities, NO LIV TYLER CAMEO!!! I couldn't stand the way they shoehorned Arwen's appendix stuff into the LotR movies for the sake of having a romance and giving Liv Tyler screen time. I thought that the Galadriel "cameo" would annoy me - but I enjoyed her screentime and damn, did they make her look gorgeous... The actor playing Bilbo was perfectly cast - I think he gave a great and endearing performance as the quirky Mr Baggins. My favorite parts of the film were the beginning (until they set off from the Shire) and the riddle game - and I'm really happy they gave the scene where Bilbo has Gollum at his mercy the gravitas it required - as it is a moment that decided the fate of Middle Earth. Oh and by the way... Gollum was, yet again, excellent.

The bad: Well, I realize the Hobbit is more of a fairy tale than LotR, but I did feel they went overboard on some things. Some of the costumes (as usual masterfully crafted) looked rather sillier than I would have liked, and Radagast was made a bit too quirky, including the appearance and the "mount" (though I'm glad they gave him screen time as I liked his concept in the books). I was OK with most of the changes, though some little things irked me but not too much. Also, most of the dwarves were a bit "meh"... though they're so many that I guess it can't be helped. One just can't develop them enough in a movie... And actually even in the book most were not that well developed either. Some of their costumes were too silly - but I guess it was done to make them stand out more as there wasn't enough time to develop their characters. I liked the guy who played Thorin - but I felt he took too much of an "Mary Sue and bizzaro-Aragorn illegitimate love child" approach to the character.

The "not sure if gusta": Sorry for the crappy meme reference, but it really describes how I feel about the 48 FPS. On one hand, the clarity was something else and the "slowmo" scenes looked great. On the other hand, most of the time I felt like I was watching a National Geographic documentary (sped up at times to boot) - which I do like but they're not what I want to watch in the cinema! And in one of the scenes under the Mountain I actually felt a bit nauseous - though fortunately this only happened once. I really don't know if I liked or disliked it - and actually want to watch a 24 FPS version of the movie to better pass judgment.

All in all: I liked the movie a lot.Barring some niggles and questionable decisions I'm pleased with the film I saw and can't wait to see what they have in store for us later

Edited by Heart Collector, 26 December 2012 - 11:40 PM.