A Definitive Filmic Translation

Rating: 8/10 (15 December 2012)

I saw The Hobbit last night in 3D IMAX. I'm not a great fan of 3D and this film only has a few scenes where it makes a big impact. My theatre did not project in 48 fps so I can't comment on that.
Storywise, I think the filmmakers achieved the same level of excellence in translating Tolkien's novel to the big screen as they did with LOTR. All of the key moments and dialogue that fans remember from the book are present in the film. I think they did a good job of staying faithful while expanding on items that the book only discusses in order to bridge the gap between The Hobbit and LOTR more effectively.
The LOTR cameos were very welcome to me. Christopher Lee is always impressive on screen and Cate Blanchett remains one of the most beautiful, and captivating women in the world. I think Jackson does a good job of juggling the huge cast of dwarfs. They're always accounted for.
I noticed marked improvements in CGI work from LOTR. Gollum and the wargs are especially wonderful. Characters like Azog, the Goblin King and the supernumerary goblins were very obviously CG (even if there was motion capture done). However, I think they were done well enough that I wasn't distracted or pulled out of the film by them.
As LOTR did, this film will provide a generation with *the* definitive filmic translation.