The sets had too much of a PBS by way of BBC special feel- the entire movie looked like a stage production, rather killing the all-vital for a Tolkien work "willing suspension of disbelief". The 2:48 minute running time contributed to an overbloated mess- I could possibly see a trilogy clocking in at 2 hrs each while still being enjoyable (though I still boggle at a trilogy for a kid's story that was shorter than any one of the LotR books- though the addition of lore from LotR appendices and the Silmarillion is a nice touch),
Not a nice touch. Essential to any good understanding of the story.
I don't know- I understood
The Hobbit well enough at 3 with the Rankin-Bass cartoon, and again at 6 when I finally got around to the book. That said, I appreciate Jackson's work the most when he supplements the plot from the original books with material from the appendices- less so when he tampers with the story-line.
but there were many instances of scenery porn that could have been cut with no problem, especially given the fact that it all looked fake!
The performances were great, the songs were great, and all in all I will probably buy it in a home format- and perhaps make an edited version for private viewing with a much saner less ego-driven running time.
You're projecting a lot of your own impressions onto Peter Jackson and his crew, don't you think?
Possibly- though the ego remark is entirely aimed at Jackson, not his fine crew.
I will also allow that a lot of the "fake" look might be due to the 48 fps format.
Saw it the other night, didn't know they decided to split it up until I noticed it was going really slow.
They cut out someone they can't cut out...
I feel like there was something on the Downs that was left out. They spent way too much time in Moria and it looked too fake. The scene with the eagles seemed odd since I thought that stuff occured once they were out of the mountains.
I'm left wondering how they're going to turn the journey through Mirkwood into another three hours and then another one for the Lonely Mountain stuff. If they cut out the wood Elves it will be unforgivable. It would be nice if they can somehow manage to get some of their Avari background in.
No one is allowed to complain about any "cutting" and then reference the Goblin lair of
The Hobbit as "Moria". We are revoking your Tolkien badge.