Review: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) bores and blunders at 48 frames-per-second.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

2012
165 minutes
rated PG-13

by Scott Mendelson

I don't know if seeing The Hobbit part 1 of 3  (teaser/trailer) in the much-discussed 48 frames-per-second diminished the viewing experience, but it certainly didn't help.  Since it's the way Peter Jackson intended the film to be seen, it very much counts when judging the overall motion picture.  It's neither the great savior of cinema that the likes of Peter Jackson or James Cameron would have you believe, but nor is it a bell weather of the 'death of cinema'.  It is *different*, that's for sure.  You get an unparalleled clarity of vision and a certain lifelike presentation, akin to looking at a window at 'real life'.  The various CGI creatures look arguably more lifelike and the 3D is pretty flawless (although the screen looked even more vibrant when I took off the glasses, making me wish there had been a 48 fps 2D option).  But for that clarity you lose a certain cinematic grandeur.  Yes, certain introductory scenes look like live theater and yes there is an inconsistency of speed, as any number of moments will make one wonder if they're watching the film on 1.5x speed on their Playstation 3.  Moreover, even during the action sequences, a few of which are indeed still impressive, resemble not so much epic struggles but rather like watching a staged recreation akin to Civil War reenactors.  Especially during battle scenes set in open fields, it feels more like the finale of Role Models than a tent-pole action sequence.  Ironically, it's a technology that may actually be better suited to character dramas that big-scale action.  Your eyes do indeed adjust to the whole 'speed play' issue pretty quickly, but you never do become 'used' to the effect during the entire 165 minute running time.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey gets a gorgeous trailer.

Well this just looks like staring at an oil painting for two-and-a-half hours.  I won't pretend that this is even trying to approach the emotional highs of the prior Lord of the Rings trilogy, nor should anyone seemingly expect the scale of the earlier film series, which of course came *after* the original Hobbit book.  I read The Hobbit back in middle school and wasn't overly crazy about it, to the point where I never got around to reading the Lord of the Rings series.  But let's forget for a moment that I'm not that jazzed for a Hobbit movie and have at-best a grudging interest in seeing it.  Putting that aside, this thing looks unquestionably gorgeous.  For all the ink silt about the allegedly un-film-like nature of the 48fps cinematography, the images we see here are completely beautiful.  I can only hope that the film, even when shown in 48 fps 3D, looks this good, this unquestionably cinematic.  Now that Les Miserables has scooted to December 25th, Peter Jackson has December 14th all to himself.  Do I think this is going to have the emotional impact or sheer awe-inspiring grandeur of Fellowship of the Ring?  Nope, but it's high time I stopped being a grumpy-pants about it and welcome what looks to be an absolutely lovely return to Middle Earth.

Scott Mendelson
    

CBS's Elementary gets a trailer. It's not Sherlock, it's Monk!

By familiar, I don't mean that it looks like a carbon-copy of the BBC modern day Sherlock Holmes drama Sherlock.  The good news is that this looks and feels quite different from the currently airing series.  The bad news is that everything about this feels like a concerted effort to water-down the original and make it 'more palpable' to alleged audience sensibilities.  The tinkering seems primarily intended to make Johnny Lee Miller's Holmes more 'sympathetic'.  This Holmes actually gives a damn about the dastardly doings that villains do, rather than treating the 'great game' as just that.  He lashes out at suspects and expresses regret at having to witness violence.  And of course, because Watson is now played by a woman, Lucy Lu is seen looking away at the gore, because all women are inherently squeamish.  The core difference between the two shows appears to be an attempt to make Jonny Lee Miller's Holmes less cold, clinical, and stand off-ish than Benedict Cumberbatch.  In short, CBS is trying for a more 'relatable' Sherlock Holmes.