To wonder how The Hobbit is going to be stretched over three films?

[SpanielFace]

Lord of the Rings, yes. But I can't see how The Hobbit warrants 9 hours of film time. I'm still looking forward to seeing it though!

Alibabaandthe40nappies

"It is very funny that the two handsome actors who are dwarves have no facial prosthetics while all the others do "

If he'd put prosthetics on Aidan Turner, I would have hunted Peter Jackson down!

RA wears prosthetics - they all do. Built from the eye sockets outwards. Granted, his is less substantial than some of the others thank goodness but that isn't his normal head shape!

surely that is actually RA's nose though?

I've seen it and was completely blown away. Now it was my first trip to the cinema in a couple of years, so think I would have been amazed whatever (seeing anything on a big screen is so cool) but yes, wow. I was so pleased there are 3 films, even though beforehand I was more than a bit , because I just didn't want it to end. There were bits that were a bit cartoony (the animals) but everything else looked so scarily real. It felt like you could stand up, take a step forward and there you'd be right in the middle of it all.

I wish the LOTR could be converted into 3D/higher frame rate, now that would be incredible.

I also dislike Tom Bombadil btw. Think the LOTR writers did a great job fixing the pace of the story (i.e getting rid of him!)

TeeElf, they sing at least three songs;

The plate washing up song and the beginning of 'Over the misty mountains old' song.

And the Great Goblin sings 'Down to Goblin Town'

Are there any others? There are six songs written by Tolkien within the section that PJ filmed.

Okay, so apparently Aidan Turner has a prosthetic nose. I should have noticed that given Kili is my phone wallpaper

Oh yes, I forgot about Goblin Town.

I think that's it, though. In the book the Rivendale elves sing them into the valley, but they left that out of the movie.

I re-read The Hobbit yesterday in preparation for today's IMAX 3D viewing no less (SO booked it). It took me 4 hours to read and there are 3 films at 3 hours each. I can see how they are doing it because there is a lot of 'and they stayed there for 2 weeks but not much happened so we'll skip that part' throughout the book. Still, 2 hrs 50 minutes is a long time for me to sit still.
Can't wait to see the lovely Aidan Turner. I was a huge fan of Being Human and have a photo of myself looking slightly crazed with his arm around me from a few years ago (he is lovely and so sweet) but I bet he'll be too famous to meet again. So glad he got this part. The casting throughout is perfect.

Surely that is actually RA's nose though?

Well yes, mostly, but not his brow or crown.

thought so Horatia (not that I've studied it in any particular depth at all ever )

Meh, I've seen it and yes they are going to drag it out.

One of the things which annoyed me most about it is the way it's filmed.
It looks like those prints you see in other people's houses. Bit of forest, waterfall, unicorn, that sort of thing.
Some of the cgi is truly amazing but the overall effect is a bit <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?hl=en&client=safari&tbo=d&rls=en&tbm=isch&tbnid=uBAp8KbiUIpmiM:&imgrefurl=wall.alafoto.com/%3Fattachment_id%3D12560&docid=wtj8mM92qsZa8M&imgurl=wall.alafoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Mystical-Waterfall.jpg&w=1600&h=1200&ei=PI7MUJL9OLOX0QXt4oCQCw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=689&vpy=434&dur=1575&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=191&ty=115&sig=115172420618456094903&page=1&tbnh=139&tbnw=191&start=0&ndsp=34&ved=1t:429,r:21,s:0,i:155&biw=1372&bih=806" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">like this.
(I know it hasn't got unicorns in it.)

The technology was pretty cool, I normally hate 3d but this was the first time it didn't give me a headache.

Some of the acting was wonderful (despite having very little space to develop character) and of course the scenery was spectacular.

So many elements could have made it brilliant and I really really wanted it to be brilliant as a massive LOTR fan, maybe my expectations were too high. Or maybe PJ just needs to stop making films that are too bloody long and take too long to wring any substance from them.

thought so Horatia (not that I've studied it in any particular depth at all ever )

Me neither.

::hides phone wallpaper::

::and mug::

My daughter saw it in 3D yesterday and loved it - she said everybody clapped at the end!

I should add - I'm going to see it - flat today - can't be doing with glasses over glasses (old fogey emoticon).

I saw it yesterday - DH hates the pictures birder went in 3D.

It was out of this world - I loved loved loved loved loved it and so did DH.

I was concerned it would be long and drawn out like end of LOTR - but it so wasn't.

I was enthralled the whole time (haven't read the books for 20 years).

I want to know how he makes the elves - just so beautiful.

I was also wondering if Mr Hansome had some sort of "no fake nose" clause in his contract.

Loved the Gollum bit

Saw in 2 D because i think 3 D is distracting. Was still amazing, but yes agree with StephaniePowers

Handsome not hansome

I saw it yesterday - DH hates the pictures *but he came - we went in 3D.

It's been a good while since I read the book, and I was worried about making it into a sprawling Wagnerian epic. I still am. There was a lot of stuff I didn't remember from the book that seems put in to justify the whole epicness of it and I have to say, I'm against it. The book is a short self-contained adventure. Yes, it exists in a wider world, but so did Police Academy. You didn't get an hour long council meeting at the beginning of that film where they discuss the fiscal and social motivation for opening up entry to the force :-)

It's like Treasure Island rewritten by Herman Melville. Oh, and I'd happily punch every elf in the face. Preening wankers.

youbloodywolf at preening wankers - I don't know what's happened to the elves - I remember them as noble beings in the book - it's all the fault of the casting of Legolas with long blonde hair - he had black hair and grey eyes in the book (as did pretty much everybody).