mrwhiteman

I watched 12 most promising movies at recent Berlinale, and this was ultimately the best one. The movie is breathtaking and captures you from the first seconds. Mr. Rush acting is superb, as are the art direction, cinematography, score and of course, the plot. Film is full of beauty, emotion and humor. It feels like a united whole from beginning to the end and leaves a great impression. I was also surprised later, when I found out that it was shot digitally with Arri Alexa Studio - I was sure it was shot on film. This really is a camera which will finally kill film, although I love film so much. Ironically, film may remain the medium of choice for low budget productions, who can not afford renting this Arri beast.

Peter Jackson created something so reminiscent of LOTR that is looks like he is lacking new ideas. Many shots, scenes and even lines were almost copy-pasted. Hobbit is my favorite fairytale, and I expected the film to retain all the magic of the book. Unfortunately, this was not the case. It was just another blockbuster for Christmas, not more. Partially it has to do with Peter Jackson himself - his directing style was appropriate for LOTR, but not for Hobbit. He made it too realistic for children's book. What I imagined while reading the book was a mysterious land of Middle Earth, with a lot of fog and dark shadows. What I got in the film was sunlit tundra. Another thing which ruined the magic for me was the use of digital cameras for filming. Images they are able to acquire simply lack the gorgeous look of celluloid, which we all are used to associate with movies. Jackson has explained that digital cameras allowed him to shoot 3d, and were cheaper and easier. But what matters for me is the image quality and impression I get from the movie, not how hard or easy it was for filmmakers to create it. I also don't need this gimmick 3D. Overall, if you just wanna watch another blockbuster on your holidays - it will not disappoint you. If you have read the book and are a Tolkien fan - it will.