Much awaited Trailer for Hobbit Part 2:The Desolation of Smaug has been finally unveiled!!Check it out!
http://www.youtube.com/
Excited for Part 2?
http://www.youtube.com/
Excited for Part 2?
Showing posts with label lord of the rings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lord of the rings. Show all posts
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Monday, December 17, 2012
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
[an enjoyable return to Middle Earth]
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
IMDB- 8.7 (Top 250: #88)
Rottentomatoes- 65%
RJG Ratings- 95
Gandalf,recruits Bilbo Baggins to accompany him & 13 dwarves on a grand adventure.
Starring- Martin Freeman,Ian McKellen,Richard Armitage
Director- Peter Jackson
Hobbit is a novel written by JRR Tolkien back in 1937 ,which is a prequel to the events that take place in The Lord of The Rings.Director Peter Jackson had first envisioned The Hobbit as a 2 part movie but as shooting progressed ,he realised the Hobbit could be expanded into 3 movies rather than 2.
Martin Freeman plays the central character ,Bilbo Baggins.Ian McKellen reprises his role as Gandalf.Richard Armitage plays the 3rd central character ,Thorin.These 3 do a wonderful job and give very strong performances.The supporting cast (the other 12 dwarves) do great ,but due to the large number, none manage to stand out.The chemistry between the cast is undeniable and it gives the movie a very strong emotional touch.Andy Serkis returns as Gollum ,but sadly its only a cameo.But he very much steals the show with his terrific acting!
The story for The Hobbit isnt a direct adaptation of the 1937 novel.Being just one short novel ,its division into 3 movies had the audiences wondering how Jackson could pull it off (comparatively ,Lord of The Rings Trilogy was based on 3 novels).Jackson added more story, referring to the appendixes of the Lord of the Rings ,and introduced more characters ,and gave the 13 dwarves more character development.
The result? The story for An Unexpected Journey is not only enough ,it overflows.It has plenty to run upon, but theres a catch to this.It makes Hobbit Part 1 completely dependent on the next two movies.Unlike Fellowship of the Ring (LOTR 1), An Unexpected Journey leaves almost every storyline open for the second movie to continue.Theres no proper conclusion to anything.
Another thing is that much of the depth of the story is only realisable to those who have watched Lord Of The Rings.There are many shots and items that directly relate to the LOTR movies ,and fans will love them.
Peter Jackson once again delivers justice to the material.Although he has altered much of it ,the story still brings you back into the magical world of Middle Earth.
But the major criticism is the length of the movie.An Unexpected Journey is around 2hr 40min long.The fans wont mind sitting and enjoying the whole movie, but the fact that the movie could have been shortened by atleast 20min is undeniable! Many scenes tend to drag on with talks on Middle Earth ,it wont bother the fans,but it might not be very interesting to casual movie audiences.Plus the fact that this movie is entirely dependent on Hobbit Part 2 ,dulls An Unexpected Journey's significance.
The pacing of the movie is average.It isnt fast paced nor dull ,and sticks to a very well balanced presentation.Jackson does brilliant directing and plays with illusions too well.His dedication to the movie ,can be clearly be seen onscreen.
Compared to LOTR ,Hobbit is not as intense ,but is a very enjoyable and light hearted movie.It has its set of brilliant action sequences ,and the extremely beautiful New Zealand landscape will just leave you spell bound.The music is uplifting and amazing.
Now to the technical side.Hobbit is the first movie to be shot entirely in 48fps (https://www.facebook.com/
I saw it in normal 2d version ,and based on the various shots and sequences i feel 48fps+3D will be an amazing experience.BUT the length of the movie is the major problem maker.At almost 3hrs long, i feel ,Hobbit is too long to watch at one stretch on 48fps and might cause headaches and strain since we arent used to such long duration of high frame rate movie watching.Better leave the 48fps experimentation for the DVD.
Overall,The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is an excellent fantasy movie ,that packs in much drama and fun and is guaranteed to not disappoint any fans of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.The movie is a great watch for families and all.Plus, it sets the grand stage for the next 2 movies.Cant wait for The Desolation of Smaug (2013) !
Acting- 4.5/5
Story- 4/5
Direction- 5/5
Action- 5/5
Drama- 4.5/5
IMDB- 8.7 (Top 250: #88)
Rottentomatoes- 65%
RJG Ratings- 95
Gandalf,recruits Bilbo Baggins to accompany him & 13 dwarves on a grand adventure.
Starring- Martin Freeman,Ian McKellen,Richard Armitage
Director- Peter Jackson
Hobbit is a novel written by JRR Tolkien back in 1937 ,which is a prequel to the events that take place in The Lord of The Rings.Director Peter Jackson had first envisioned The Hobbit as a 2 part movie but as shooting progressed ,he realised the Hobbit could be expanded into 3 movies rather than 2.
Martin Freeman plays the central character ,Bilbo Baggins.Ian McKellen reprises his role as Gandalf.Richard Armitage plays the 3rd central character ,Thorin.These 3 do a wonderful job and give very strong performances.The supporting cast (the other 12 dwarves) do great ,but due to the large number, none manage to stand out.The chemistry between the cast is undeniable and it gives the movie a very strong emotional touch.Andy Serkis returns as Gollum ,but sadly its only a cameo.But he very much steals the show with his terrific acting!
The story for The Hobbit isnt a direct adaptation of the 1937 novel.Being just one short novel ,its division into 3 movies had the audiences wondering how Jackson could pull it off (comparatively ,Lord of The Rings Trilogy was based on 3 novels).Jackson added more story, referring to the appendixes of the Lord of the Rings ,and introduced more characters ,and gave the 13 dwarves more character development.
The result? The story for An Unexpected Journey is not only enough ,it overflows.It has plenty to run upon, but theres a catch to this.It makes Hobbit Part 1 completely dependent on the next two movies.Unlike Fellowship of the Ring (LOTR 1), An Unexpected Journey leaves almost every storyline open for the second movie to continue.Theres no proper conclusion to anything.
Another thing is that much of the depth of the story is only realisable to those who have watched Lord Of The Rings.There are many shots and items that directly relate to the LOTR movies ,and fans will love them.
Peter Jackson once again delivers justice to the material.Although he has altered much of it ,the story still brings you back into the magical world of Middle Earth.
But the major criticism is the length of the movie.An Unexpected Journey is around 2hr 40min long.The fans wont mind sitting and enjoying the whole movie, but the fact that the movie could have been shortened by atleast 20min is undeniable! Many scenes tend to drag on with talks on Middle Earth ,it wont bother the fans,but it might not be very interesting to casual movie audiences.Plus the fact that this movie is entirely dependent on Hobbit Part 2 ,dulls An Unexpected Journey's significance.
The pacing of the movie is average.It isnt fast paced nor dull ,and sticks to a very well balanced presentation.Jackson does brilliant directing and plays with illusions too well.His dedication to the movie ,can be clearly be seen onscreen.
Compared to LOTR ,Hobbit is not as intense ,but is a very enjoyable and light hearted movie.It has its set of brilliant action sequences ,and the extremely beautiful New Zealand landscape will just leave you spell bound.The music is uplifting and amazing.
Now to the technical side.Hobbit is the first movie to be shot entirely in 48fps (https://www.facebook.com/
I saw it in normal 2d version ,and based on the various shots and sequences i feel 48fps+3D will be an amazing experience.BUT the length of the movie is the major problem maker.At almost 3hrs long, i feel ,Hobbit is too long to watch at one stretch on 48fps and might cause headaches and strain since we arent used to such long duration of high frame rate movie watching.Better leave the 48fps experimentation for the DVD.
Overall,The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is an excellent fantasy movie ,that packs in much drama and fun and is guaranteed to not disappoint any fans of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.The movie is a great watch for families and all.Plus, it sets the grand stage for the next 2 movies.Cant wait for The Desolation of Smaug (2013) !
Acting- 4.5/5
Story- 4/5
Direction- 5/5
Action- 5/5
Drama- 4.5/5
Sunday, October 14, 2012
LOTR : The Return Of The King (2003)
[a truly epic finale to an amazing trilogy]
The Lord Of The Rings : The Return Of The King (2003)IMDB- 8.9 (Top 250 : #9)
Rottentomatoes- 94%
RJG Rating- 100
The final battle for Middle Earth begins ,while Frodo & Sam move closer to the end of their journey.
Starring- Elijah Wood,Ian McKellen,Viggo M,Sean Astin,Orlando B,John Rhys,Andy Serkis,Miranda O,Billy B, Dominic M.
Director- Peter Jackson
FOTR started off as an adventure ,Two Towers was a preparation for battle while ROTK is an all out battle.The entrire trilogy was headed towards this part ,and what a finale it is.
While Frodo,Sam & Gollum lead the way as usual ,the main characters that got highlight were Merry & Pippin played by Billy & Dominic.Both proved that they need not be always paired together to give good performances.Viggo ,Orlando ,John Rhys and Ian McK give good supporting roles.Elijah ,Sean & Andy Serkis give excellent performances.
Unlike the previous two installments,ROTK directly moves ahead to the epic battle.Theres a constant thrill and action and the subplots didnt slowen the pace like it did in Two Thrones.ROTK is also the longest of the 3 ,the extended edition being more than 4hrs long!But its all worth it.The story is dense and the various sub plots are neatly presented.The long epilogue gives off the feeling of wraping up the long novel LOTR is.The motivating war speeches will send a chill up your spine.
Peter Jackson succeeded in bringing such a large tale as LOTR ,to the viewers.His direction in ROTK is perfect ,and just like the previous 2 movies ,his dedication and hardwork can be seen in every scene.While its easy to mistake the series as an allout action movie ,Peter has embedded the movie with enough heart.He manages to capture almost all genres within the series.
ROTK was perfect in all its departments.Music,Visual Effects,Editing and so on.The technical aspects of the movie are spot on.An unusual specialty of the movie is that its the only series in history to be written and shot simultaneously.
On release ,the movie was a blockbuster hit.The anticipation for the finale of LOTR pushed the movie to make more than $1billion worldwide ,thus becoming only the second movie to make more a billion dollars (the first being Titanic).ROTK was loved by the critics and was among the Top 10 lists of many critics.
Peter Jackson and crew were rewarded for their work when they bagged all 11 awards it was nominated for at the Academy Awards,thus tying with legendary movies such Ben Hur & Titanic for most Oscars won.Till date ,its the most successful movie in Academy Award history (11/11).
Overall,ROTK wraps up the tale of the numerous characters and gives LOTR the intense climax it deserved.Its a must watch for movie lovers.Watching all 3 parts is an experience not to be missed !
Acting- 5/5
Story- 5/5
Direction- 5/5
Action- 5/5
Drama- 5/5
Suspense- 5/5
Visual Effects- 5/5
Academy Award-Oscars
Won-- 11
Best Film
Best Director - Peter Jackson
Best Adapted Screenplay -Peter Jackson ,Fran Walsh ,Philippa Boyens
Best Film Editing
Best Art Direction
Best Costume Design
Best Makeup
Best Music ,Original Score -Howard Shore
Best Music ,Original Song - "Into the West" by Fran Walsh,Howard Shore,Annie Lennox
Best Sound Mixing
Best Visual Effects
Thursday, October 11, 2012
LOTR : The Two Towers (2002)
[a perfect sequel to FOTR]
The Lord Of The Rings : The Two Towers (2002)
IMDB- 8.7 (Top 250 : #21)
Rottentomatoes- 96%
RJG Rating- 100
Frodo & Sam continue their journey towards Mordor.
Starring- Elijah Wood,Ian McKellen,Viggo M,Sean Astin,Orlando B,John Rhys,Andy Serkis
Director- Peter Jackson
The second movie of the LOTR trilogy gives more prominence to its supporting actors.Viggo,Orlando & John Rhys do a great job in the action sequences while Billy & Dominic (Merrin & Pippin) give a much needed comic touches.Elijah's role takes a darker turn while Sean continues to give excellent support acts.
But the show stealer was definitely Andy Serkis as Gollum.Motion capture tech was used to convert Andy's performance into Gollum ,and this was an important milestone in CGI history.Andy gives a fantastic performance & gives Gollum the perfect dual natured character it needed.
Two Towers directly continues from where it left off at the end of FOTR.Its much longer than its predecessor and follows 3 parallel stories of the disbanded Fellowship (Aragorn,Legolas & Gimli defending Rohan; Frodo,Sam& Gollum's trip to Mordor ;Merry & Pippin's meeting with the Ents).The extended version runs for more than 3 and a half hours ,and it does feel a bit stretched at some places.While Jackson does an incredible job in adapting the tale ,Two Towers does get a bit boring in the middle.With Aragorn & Frodo's exciting tales ,the slow parts (ex:Ent's entire story),drags the pace of the movie.But this is just a minor flaw.
All is compensated by the final battle of Two Towers -Battle for Helm's Deep.The action packed battle is a fitting climax and is considered to be one of the best battle sequences in movie history.
Jackson & crew continues their excellent work throughout Two Towers.The movie brings back the world they introduced in the first part and expands it beautifully.From the presentation to the epic battles ,the movie works beautifully.The CGI creation Gollum ,is still a standard for motion capture technology used later in movies such as Avatar & Rise Of the Planet Of the Apes.
On release ,Two Towers was appreciated worldwide and collected $926million worldwide.
Overall,Jackson has delivered another classic and a worthy sequel to FOTR.
Acting- 5/5
Story- 4.5/5
Direction- 5/5
Action- 5/5
Drama- 5/5
Visual Effects- 5/5
Academy Award-Oscars
Nominated-- 4
Best Film
Best Film Editing
Best Art Direction
Best Sound
Won-- 2
Best Sound Editing
Best Visual Effects
IMDB- 8.7 (Top 250 : #21)
Rottentomatoes- 96%
RJG Rating- 100
Frodo & Sam continue their journey towards Mordor.
Starring- Elijah Wood,Ian McKellen,Viggo M,Sean Astin,Orlando B,John Rhys,Andy Serkis
Director- Peter Jackson
The second movie of the LOTR trilogy gives more prominence to its supporting actors.Viggo,Orlando & John Rhys do a great job in the action sequences while Billy & Dominic (Merrin & Pippin) give a much needed comic touches.Elijah's role takes a darker turn while Sean continues to give excellent support acts.
But the show stealer was definitely Andy Serkis as Gollum.Motion capture tech was used to convert Andy's performance into Gollum ,and this was an important milestone in CGI history.Andy gives a fantastic performance & gives Gollum the perfect dual natured character it needed.
Two Towers directly continues from where it left off at the end of FOTR.Its much longer than its predecessor and follows 3 parallel stories of the disbanded Fellowship (Aragorn,Legolas & Gimli defending Rohan; Frodo,Sam& Gollum's trip to Mordor ;Merry & Pippin's meeting with the Ents).The extended version runs for more than 3 and a half hours ,and it does feel a bit stretched at some places.While Jackson does an incredible job in adapting the tale ,Two Towers does get a bit boring in the middle.With Aragorn & Frodo's exciting tales ,the slow parts (ex:Ent's entire story),drags the pace of the movie.But this is just a minor flaw.
All is compensated by the final battle of Two Towers -Battle for Helm's Deep.The action packed battle is a fitting climax and is considered to be one of the best battle sequences in movie history.
Jackson & crew continues their excellent work throughout Two Towers.The movie brings back the world they introduced in the first part and expands it beautifully.From the presentation to the epic battles ,the movie works beautifully.The CGI creation Gollum ,is still a standard for motion capture technology used later in movies such as Avatar & Rise Of the Planet Of the Apes.
On release ,Two Towers was appreciated worldwide and collected $926million worldwide.
Overall,Jackson has delivered another classic and a worthy sequel to FOTR.
Acting- 5/5
Story- 4.5/5
Direction- 5/5
Action- 5/5
Drama- 5/5
Visual Effects- 5/5
Academy Award-Oscars
Nominated-- 4
Best Film
Best Film Editing
Best Art Direction
Best Sound
Won-- 2
Best Sound Editing
Best Visual Effects
Sunday, October 07, 2012
LOTR : The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
[the start to an amazing journey]
The Lord Of The Rings : The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
IMDB- 8.8 (Top 250 : #13)
Rottentomatoes- 92%
RJG Rating- 100
A hobbit,undertakes a journey that would decide the fate of Middle Earth.
Starring- Elijah Wood,Ian McKellen,Viggo M,Sean Astin,Sean Bean
Director- Peter Jackson
Fellowship Of the Ring is the first part of the most epic trilogy of all time- The Lord Of The Rings.The trilogy ,directed by Peter Jackson is the adaptation of JRR Tolkien's books of the same name.
The cast were lesser known actors back in 2001.Elijah Wood played the main lead ,Frodo ,while Ian McKellan played Gandalf and Viggo Mortenson played Aragorn.The shooting for LOTR was done at one continuous stretch ,for almost one and a half years.The movie also boasts of a large supporting cast ,all of which have major roles to play.The acting from all of them was outstanding.While much of the supporting cast dont have much scenes to shine in the FOTR;Elijah ,Sean Austin (Samwise) ,Ian Mckellan and Viggo give excellent performances.The bonding between the cast is so powerful that it really enhances the movie and makes a stronger connection with the viewers.
Being a large fantasy novel ,LOTR has plenty of subplots and an equally big history within its story.So Peter Jackson had to cut down much of the novel to restrict the movies into 3-4 hour movies each.Many stories and characters that had little to nothing to do with Frodo's journey was cut off.
For those who havnt read the novel ,this isnt much noticeable since Peter has done a fantastic job in presenting the shorter version.Each of the 3 movies are an epic tale in itself.FOTR is a beautiful story that not only tells the beginning of the journey but also show some great character development.
FOTR is more of an adventurous tale compared to the battle oriented Two Towers & Return of the King (LOTR 2 & 3).Out of the 3 ,FOTR stands out as a much more peaceful movie.
The starting comparatively runs in a slow pace but it picks up speed within 40 min.
Peter Jackson's hard work and dedication to the project is very evident while seeing the 3 movies.With LOTR he has certainly earned his spot among the great directors of all time.FOTR is a 3.5 hr long movie (Extended Version) , and Peter has shown some truly amazing stuff within this span of time.
Another strong pillar of LOTR are the gorgeous cinematography.It too is among the best.Capturing the lush green fields and the enormous mountains of faraway and blending this much beauty into a story such as LOTR is just outstanding.Such beauty is definitely a feast for the eyes.The beauty of New Zealand is something you wont be forgetting very soon once youve seen LOTR.
Music of FOTR is again great.Howard Shore captures the fantasy elements of the LOTR world.From the peaceful tunes of the Shire to the quite symphonies of the Elves to the war cries of Mordor ,everything hits the mark.
Being a fantasy tale ,LOTR required some good amounts of CGI and other visual effects.The CGI is perfect and doesnt go overboard.The vast armies and exotic cinematography is wonderfully blended into the real world.
But Jackson's choice for illusions rather than CGI makes LOTR even more special in the history of moviemaking.Much of the movie is an illusion played on the viewers.The size difference between hobbits (short dwarf sized people) and wizards (tall people) and other races may seem nothing great while watching the movie ,but its mind bending when you actually know that all the main actors are normal sized people on a set that is made in such a way as to fool the eye.
But this is just one of the tricks Peter Jackson conjures.In Two Towers he introduces a character that will set the standards for CGI even a decade after LOTR!
On release ,FOTR earned worldwide praise for its style and presentation and for the adaptation of such a large novel and was an instant blockbuster earning more than $870million worldwide.
FOTR sets the grand stage for the next two epic movies ,but it remains an unforgettable adventurous experience.A must watch.
Acting- 4.5/5
Story- 5/5
Direction- 5/5
Action- 5/5
Drama- 5/5
Visual Effects- 5/5
Academy Award-Oscars
Nominated-- 9
Best Film
Best Director - Peter Jackson
Best Supporting Actor - Ian McKellan
Best Adapted Screenplay -Peter Jackson ,Fran Walsh ,Philippa Boyens
Best Film Editing
Best Art Direction
Best Costume Design
Best Music ,Original Song - "May It Be" by Enya,Nicky & Roma Ryan
Best Sound
Won-- 4
Best Cinematography -Andrew Lesnie
Best Visual Effects
Best Makeup
Best Music ,Original Score -Howard Shore
IMDB- 8.8 (Top 250 : #13)
Rottentomatoes- 92%
RJG Rating- 100
A hobbit,undertakes a journey that would decide the fate of Middle Earth.
Starring- Elijah Wood,Ian McKellen,Viggo M,Sean Astin,Sean Bean
Director- Peter Jackson
Fellowship Of the Ring is the first part of the most epic trilogy of all time- The Lord Of The Rings.The trilogy ,directed by Peter Jackson is the adaptation of JRR Tolkien's books of the same name.
The cast were lesser known actors back in 2001.Elijah Wood played the main lead ,Frodo ,while Ian McKellan played Gandalf and Viggo Mortenson played Aragorn.The shooting for LOTR was done at one continuous stretch ,for almost one and a half years.The movie also boasts of a large supporting cast ,all of which have major roles to play.The acting from all of them was outstanding.While much of the supporting cast dont have much scenes to shine in the FOTR;Elijah ,Sean Austin (Samwise) ,Ian Mckellan and Viggo give excellent performances.The bonding between the cast is so powerful that it really enhances the movie and makes a stronger connection with the viewers.
Being a large fantasy novel ,LOTR has plenty of subplots and an equally big history within its story.So Peter Jackson had to cut down much of the novel to restrict the movies into 3-4 hour movies each.Many stories and characters that had little to nothing to do with Frodo's journey was cut off.
For those who havnt read the novel ,this isnt much noticeable since Peter has done a fantastic job in presenting the shorter version.Each of the 3 movies are an epic tale in itself.FOTR is a beautiful story that not only tells the beginning of the journey but also show some great character development.
FOTR is more of an adventurous tale compared to the battle oriented Two Towers & Return of the King (LOTR 2 & 3).Out of the 3 ,FOTR stands out as a much more peaceful movie.
The starting comparatively runs in a slow pace but it picks up speed within 40 min.
Peter Jackson's hard work and dedication to the project is very evident while seeing the 3 movies.With LOTR he has certainly earned his spot among the great directors of all time.FOTR is a 3.5 hr long movie (Extended Version) , and Peter has shown some truly amazing stuff within this span of time.
Another strong pillar of LOTR are the gorgeous cinematography.It too is among the best.Capturing the lush green fields and the enormous mountains of faraway and blending this much beauty into a story such as LOTR is just outstanding.Such beauty is definitely a feast for the eyes.The beauty of New Zealand is something you wont be forgetting very soon once youve seen LOTR.
Music of FOTR is again great.Howard Shore captures the fantasy elements of the LOTR world.From the peaceful tunes of the Shire to the quite symphonies of the Elves to the war cries of Mordor ,everything hits the mark.
Being a fantasy tale ,LOTR required some good amounts of CGI and other visual effects.The CGI is perfect and doesnt go overboard.The vast armies and exotic cinematography is wonderfully blended into the real world.
But Jackson's choice for illusions rather than CGI makes LOTR even more special in the history of moviemaking.Much of the movie is an illusion played on the viewers.The size difference between hobbits (short dwarf sized people) and wizards (tall people) and other races may seem nothing great while watching the movie ,but its mind bending when you actually know that all the main actors are normal sized people on a set that is made in such a way as to fool the eye.
But this is just one of the tricks Peter Jackson conjures.In Two Towers he introduces a character that will set the standards for CGI even a decade after LOTR!
On release ,FOTR earned worldwide praise for its style and presentation and for the adaptation of such a large novel and was an instant blockbuster earning more than $870million worldwide.
FOTR sets the grand stage for the next two epic movies ,but it remains an unforgettable adventurous experience.A must watch.
Acting- 4.5/5
Story- 5/5
Direction- 5/5
Action- 5/5
Drama- 5/5
Visual Effects- 5/5
Academy Award-Oscars
Nominated-- 9
Best Film
Best Director - Peter Jackson
Best Supporting Actor - Ian McKellan
Best Adapted Screenplay -Peter Jackson ,Fran Walsh ,Philippa Boyens
Best Film Editing
Best Art Direction
Best Costume Design
Best Music ,Original Song - "May It Be" by Enya,Nicky & Roma Ryan
Best Sound
Won-- 4
Best Cinematography -Andrew Lesnie
Best Visual Effects
Best Makeup
Best Music ,Original Score -Howard Shore
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