I already talked about how awesome I thought this version was in my full review of the movie. I also spoke about how puzzled I was by the critics' insistence that it was "dizzying" and "distracting" and all the rest of it, because I didn't find it distracting in the slightest.
I think HFR is awesome and I think it worked well for this movie, because Jackson had a vision and went through with it. It wasn't just something added to increase the ticket price. It had to do with his artistic vision and that's why it worked.
It's unfortunate that critics slammed the format and convinced people that it sucked, but this has had good side-effects for me.
This is the second time I go to see the movie in HFR 3D and for the second time the theater is almost empty! I got to pick the seats I wanted despite my lateness, there was plenty of room to spread out and people weren't annoying or noisy. It was awesome.
If the critics ensured one thing, it was that those brave souls who would insist on seeing the movie in the format Jackson wanted would get to see it in a very empty and comfortable situation, which can only increase how pleased with it people are.
(Beware the spoilers below)
Second Viewing Notes:
On my second viewing a couple of things stood out to me. First of all, I didn't find Radagast's portrayal as annoying this time now that I was prepared for it.
Second, I noticed FIGWIT is now a pretty important elf. He still had only a handful of lines, but then again, so did Elrond!
Galadriel changed her dress without leaving the room while they were all having their council on that mountaintop. One minute she was talking to Gandalf and wearing a grey-ish dress and the next minute Saruman's droning on and she's walking around in a completely white dress. lol
Also, this time around I was much less bothered by some of the changes they'd made and I'm much more convinced that they made wise choices with those changes. In the book there's alot of walking around hungry in the woods, which would have become tedious. In this film the scenery is constantly changing and there isn't enough down time between events to cause any boredom.
I thought they paced it very well. They shortened and cut out much of the chhapter with the party in Bilbo's house, they cut out a lot of his re-thinking and indignation and so on, while at the same time portraying his feelings very clearly and wonderfully (Martin Freeman is the prefect Bilbo!) They also cut out the walking around scenes and focused on the events that actually moved the plot.
It also stood out to me, once again, how well they adjusted the plot to fit their 3-movie format. This first movie wasn't really about Smaug as much as it was about Bilbo's changing character and the way he fitted in with the company and about Thorin's past and his conflict with Azog. The Azog plotline really held this film together and made it much more than just the first third of the hobbit book.
The stone giants were awesome.
I still can't figure out who Peter Jackson is - unless he's Thror...? That's my only guess.
Also, I now realize that as soon as this comes out on DVD I will be listening to the Misty Mountain's song over and over and over...
Before I repeat myself too much I'll wrap this up. Leave your own reviews/comments below. Did you like HFR or do you prefer a different format? What were your favorite parts of the movie?
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