As this post is published my screening of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is beginning at Seattle’s Cinerama theater in 3-D at 48 frames per second. Reviews for the film began arriving online last night and I have avoided them all, but the reaction to the higher frame rate has been something of a curiosity for me and it doesn’t seem to be getting a very good reputation.
Steve Pond at The Wrap says “its hyper-clarity courtesy of 48 frames-per-second projection, a little disturbing and uncomfortable” while Jen Yamato’s headline at Movieline was the first reaction I saw and she calls it a “fiasco”.
It seems to me most people would prefer to see it in 2D and at 24fps. Here’s Peter Debruge’s breakdown from Variety:
More disconcerting is the introduction of the film’s 48-frames-per-second digital cinematography, which solves the inherent stuttering effect of celluloid that occurs whenever a camera pans or horizontal movement crosses the frame — but at too great a cost. Consequently, everything takes on an overblown, artificial quality in which the phoniness of the sets and costumes becomes obvious, while well-lit areas bleed into their surroundings, like watching a high-end homemovie. (A standard 24fps projection seems to correct this effect in the alternate version of the film being offered to some theaters, but sacrifices the smoother motion seen in action scenes and flyover landscape shots.)
Over at The Hollywood Reporter, Todd McCarthy says, “The results are interesting and will be much-debated, but…while striking in some of the big spectacle scenes, predominantly looked like ultra-vivid television video, paradoxically lending the film a oddly theatrical look, especially in the cramped interior scenes in Bilbo Baggins’ home.”
So the reaction, as far as I can tell, seems to suggest it’s wonderful for the action sequences, but not so much for the in-between moments.
Today’s screening will be my introduction to the format so I’m anxious to see how it turns out. I wonder if it’s a matter of going along with it or focusing on it so much that you simply want it to be bothersome because you need something to talk about and to hate, or a reason not to go to work the next day.
I have a hard time imagining it could be so jarring it warrants being called a fiasco, but I’ll know soon enough. I’m sure the 169-minute running time will more than allow enough time to come to a conclusion.
That said, how about you enjoy six clips from the film. Considering its length, I highly doubt you will be spoiling too much.
The Hobbit hits theaters on December 14.
