Well, I've definitely never seen anything like that before. The difference is not minor, its absolutely staggering. While watching it I couldn't even imagine what it must look like as a "normal" movie, the difference is really that big.
At first, it felt like I was watching a movie in fast forward. The initial impression is that you hit the FF button once and you're watching everything at double speed. Didnt take long to adjust. At times, yes, it did feel very video gamey (which isn't a bad thing to my eyes). A soap opera - not quite. The 3D is actually *less* noticeable in HFR, because it all looks so natural.
The best way to describe the effect is like you're watching live theater. This is both good and bad - on the one hand, you see "the actor" quite clearly. Every twitch of the eye, every minor movement - you see it clear as day. It's absolutely unforgiving of a weak performance. But it raises the bar, and heightens the peak of a great performance, of great visuals.
Honestly, I think it might be even more transformative than 3D. Having seen it in HFR, I'd feel like something would be absolutely missing in 24fps 2D. I don't know how well it would work without 3D, but its the least objectionable 3D I've ever seen. Part of this I'm sure is just good stereography, but the combination looks so natural.
It's such a radical change that I do think many wont like it. Even the most uninformed will notice the difference absolutely immediately. For my part, I loved it.....can't wait to see more HFR.
Now about the movie itself....the slightly whimsical tone is perfect for the book....but seriously, its too long. I'm as big a fan of LOTR as anyone, I've seen the extended cuts half a dozen times, read the books twice....they just stretched this to an unnatural length. Three 2 hour movies or two 3 hour movies would have been much better. There are so many flashbacks, new characters created out of thin air, repeated exposition, etc. Villains are introduced from the next 2 movies and then never heard from. There's no way they make an extended cut - the theatrical releases are already it. I'm already unsure where they are going to find the material for two more movies since they're already a solid halfway through the book.
If I had a little bit of a hard time watching it at times, and I'm super easy to please....I dunno how the general public will react to it. Its certainly no phantom menace, because the core story is still solid - but its going to be nowhere near as huge as LOTR. The theater wasnt even sold out on opening night.
Its worth seeing if you really, really liked the LOTR films. Its not for everyone. But they should never have released this cut into theaters. Its so obvious how many scenes were filler. Diehard fans would have eaten it up on blu ray, that 30min scene that was torture to the other guy was a delight to me - but it really, really dragged, especially the beginning and middle.
At first, it felt like I was watching a movie in fast forward. The initial impression is that you hit the FF button once and you're watching everything at double speed. Didnt take long to adjust. At times, yes, it did feel very video gamey (which isn't a bad thing to my eyes). A soap opera - not quite. The 3D is actually *less* noticeable in HFR, because it all looks so natural.
The best way to describe the effect is like you're watching live theater. This is both good and bad - on the one hand, you see "the actor" quite clearly. Every twitch of the eye, every minor movement - you see it clear as day. It's absolutely unforgiving of a weak performance. But it raises the bar, and heightens the peak of a great performance, of great visuals.
Honestly, I think it might be even more transformative than 3D. Having seen it in HFR, I'd feel like something would be absolutely missing in 24fps 2D. I don't know how well it would work without 3D, but its the least objectionable 3D I've ever seen. Part of this I'm sure is just good stereography, but the combination looks so natural.
It's such a radical change that I do think many wont like it. Even the most uninformed will notice the difference absolutely immediately. For my part, I loved it.....can't wait to see more HFR.
Now about the movie itself....the slightly whimsical tone is perfect for the book....but seriously, its too long. I'm as big a fan of LOTR as anyone, I've seen the extended cuts half a dozen times, read the books twice....they just stretched this to an unnatural length. Three 2 hour movies or two 3 hour movies would have been much better. There are so many flashbacks, new characters created out of thin air, repeated exposition, etc. Villains are introduced from the next 2 movies and then never heard from. There's no way they make an extended cut - the theatrical releases are already it. I'm already unsure where they are going to find the material for two more movies since they're already a solid halfway through the book.
If I had a little bit of a hard time watching it at times, and I'm super easy to please....I dunno how the general public will react to it. Its certainly no phantom menace, because the core story is still solid - but its going to be nowhere near as huge as LOTR. The theater wasnt even sold out on opening night.
Its worth seeing if you really, really liked the LOTR films. Its not for everyone. But they should never have released this cut into theaters. Its so obvious how many scenes were filler. Diehard fans would have eaten it up on blu ray, that 30min scene that was torture to the other guy was a delight to me - but it really, really dragged, especially the beginning and middle.
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