Wander along the cobbled path to Middle Earth and explore the magic of the cinema like never before, as Bilbo Baggins and his motley companions fight dragons and discover a mysterious ring in, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.”
The movie came out at midnight on Dec.14 and is directed by Peter Jackson, who applies a new shooting method at 48 frames per second using high-resolution cameras at 5,120 by 2,700 pixels.
Traditionally, films and T.V. shows are shot in 24 fps, which causes images to waver and add a slight blurriness during fast movements. Shooting in 48 fps eliminates these problems and provides more clarity to the picture. However, this technology has caused some debate between fans. Those who are for the new method argue that it makes the film more realistic, while others say that it makes everything too digital, almost to the point where it seems fake. An avid fan since the very first movie, Junior Kensey Ho went to the 13 hour “Lord of the Rings” marathon at the Santa Anita AMC Theater the week before the release of “The Hobbit.”
“Since it’s twice the regular speed, it should capture how life seems to the human eye,” Ho said. “But there are some reviews of people not being able to adjust to the change.”
In addition to the new shooting method, Jackson has also taken the liberty to add in characters that do not appear in “The Hobbit,” along with some of his own creations. Jackson introduces a new female elf, Tauriel, and the Elf Prince Legolas, played by Orlando Bloom, and Elf Queen Galadriel, played by Cate Blanchett, also reappear.
Another twist is that “The Hobbit” will be broken down into three separate movies, though many wonder how the film makers will manage to milk out three movies from a 300 page novel. However, with the “LOTR” trilogy’s previous successes, expectations are high. Howard Shore also returns to compose the music for the film. As an eager fan, Senior Sylvia Luong already anticipates the experience.
“Howard Shore is a musical genius,” Luong said. “I think the soundtrack is going to have some songs that will sound similar to the ‘LOTR’ but less dramatic and also have more lighthearted pieces since ‘The Hobbit’ is more of an adventure.”
Even with all the anticipation, the new technology requires movie theaters to update their projectors. Therefore, the 48 fps version of the movie will make it to 450 theaters out of 4,000. The film comes out in a total of six forms, in both 24 fps and 48 fps for 2D, 3D and IMAX. Santa Anita’s AMC will be showing four out of the six versions: 2D and 3D in 24 fps, 3D in 48 fps and IMAX in 24 fps. AMC is selling advanced tickets, with prices at $12 for 2D, $16 for 3D and $18 for IMAX. Senior Sarah Brackbill has already bought tickets to the premiere.
“One of my favorite parts about attending a midnight premiere is seeing all the hardcore fans,” Brackbill said. “The costumes that they’re wearing were pretty amazing.”