DarthDementous

“Conspiracy theory rhetoric exploits several important cognitive biases, including proportionality bias, attribution bias, and confirmation bias. Their arguments often take the form of asking reasonable questions, but without providing an answer based on strong evidence.”

 
 

I'm honestly a lot more lenient towards breaking the canon when it comes to games (Shadow of Mordor, BfME 1 and 2, War of the Ring). Interactivity, by default, dispells the illusion that you're engaging with a 100% faithful adaptation.

They're terrible as adaptations and they're just plain bad as films. A handful of good scenes is not enough to redeem several hours worth of cinematic garbage. To claim that they would be the best fantasy films ever made if it weren't for LOTR is perhaps the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard a Hobbit apologist say. To take this position and then claim that you're one of the trilogy's harshest critics on any message board is laughable.

PJ made 3 great Middle Earth movies and 3 terrible ones. I find it much more annoying when someone in the fandom insists that no one could do as good of a job directing movies in series X as whichever director they’ve idolized. Other teams could absolutely do as good if not better of a job adapting Middle Earth. They could of course also do worse.

Best to just appreciate what we already have instead of dwelling on things that'll never materialise anyway.

Very true. But from that perspective, nothing we discuss around here matters in the grand scheme of things.
 
I mean, how is whinging about Star Wars any different than obsessing over a three second missing alternate cue from Mr. Mom?

@Mattris, you're on Tatooine walking along in the sand when all of a sudden you look down and see an injured womp rat. You reach down and flip it over on its back. The womp rat lays on its back, its belly baking in the hot sun, beating its legs trying to turn itself over, but it can't. Not without your help. But you're not helping. Why is that?

Mattris being the one to create the 100th page just feels right

I always assumed the Hobbits’ look was also partly because they wanted everything to look consistent, and there is more CG.
 
I tend to prefer overly stylized visuals to plain ones, but I do think LOTR near-reality appearance (with only moments of stylization) fits its world more. So I am unenthused by the Hobbits’ appearance all the way through, other than the Shire scenes.

If by blue you mean green...absolutely, the FOTR BD EE is too green.


 
 

It's definitely sharper.
 
Some people have this reaction to HD footage where they conflate the lack of grain for softness. I daresay that's what we're seeing here from Holko, Crumbs and Darth.

To me it looks both oversoftened and oversharpened somehow. It's weird.

I couldn't disagree more with this take.
 
The LOTR films have a certain bloomish, fantasy look for flashbacks and Elven locations, but overall they look fairly grounded and filmic. Nowhere near as digital, bloomy, enhanced, processed, smeary, 'gauzy', whatever you wanna call the Hobbit films. Especially the last one, which looks like a gaussian blur filter was smeared across the whole film to hide unfinished VFX.
 
Let's compare two similar scenes in two similar locations, one film apart:
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
They relied way too heavily on a filter that duplicates the image, blurs it, then smacks it over the top with a blending mode. If LOTR had grading this intense, it would resemble this:

 
The real shame is how Jackson applied a lot of these Hobbit-era filters to the LOTR trilogy on the 4K remasters. All those flashback scenes were heavily desaturated with ugly vignettes, for instance.
 
And yeah, I've read a lot of issues were created by shooting 48FPS and having to flood the aperture with light. So presumably the excessive grading was an attempt to "correct" whatever issues were created by the 48FPS/stereoscoping photography.

Agree. LOTR in general has a more grounded, earthy, "historical" feel, as opposed to The Hobbit, which, to my eyes, has a more "fantasy" look. I supposed part of this was intentional on Jackson's part, to depict an earlier, greener Middle-Earth that hadn't quite reached its decaying, Autumnal years, but let's face it...a lot of it was simply due to the film being shot digitally, and certain choices...I'd call them compromises...made for a 3D/HFR presentation. It does have that sharp, "digital" look which, whether you love or hate it, is a thing that people notice.  I concede this is simply a matter of personal taste, but I prefer the more analogue, organic (for lack of a better term) look of LOTR.
 
 
They were. And I do think the decision, in the 4K BD presentation, to bring the overall look of LOTR more in line with The Hobbit was a mistake. And in any event, if that was Jackson's intention, it really didn't work.
 
 

Oh that's funny, goes to show how well I remember these films. Those were also re-graded to fit in with the extended editions as a 'cohesive piece' for one of the releases if I recall correctly
 
Point still sorta stands since I think the gauzy dreamy look is consistent across both trilogies when Elves are depicted, but that's a deliberate exception in the original trilogy where it is a meaningful contrast against the usual groundedness of the presentation to highlight the otherworldliness of the Elves

Which version of Fellowship is that image from? I'm thinking the HD extended edition judging from the green tint
 
I don't remember the original 3 films too well visually but I do think they used gauze lens for scenes of the elves in particular, which is a fitting choice. I do know that compared to the theatrical edition, the colour grade is wildly different though which has an impact on visuals both in camera and the CG
 
My point about The Hobbit Trilogy is that it felt that gauzy shiny look (which is likely due to other presentational factors than literal gauze on the lens), is consistently over the whole picture and it contributes to making the CG, and honestly even the practical effects, look more cartoonish and less grounded than in the original trilogy. I value that groundedness in the case of Jackon's take greatly, so it's one aspect that alienates me about The Hobbit Trilogy compared to the original trilogy

@Mattris, please answer the following. Thank you.
 
How does the Jedi Council's decision-making process, particularly during the Clone Wars, reflect their ideological rigidity and contribute to their downfall?
 
What are the implications of Anakin Skywalker's unique Force abilities and his vision of Padmé's death on his transformation into Darth Vader?
 
How do the complex relationships between the Sith Lords, especially the rule of two, influence the balance of power within the Sith and the galaxy as a whole?
 
In what ways do the diverse political strategies of characters like Senator Amidala and Bail Organa shape the early rebellion against the Empire?
 
How does the presence of Force-sensitive beings, such as the Nightsisters of Dathomir, challenge the Jedi-Sith dichotomy traditionally presented in Star Wars lore?
 
What are the potential long-term effects on the galaxy's political structure following the defeat of the Empire and the establishment of the New Republic?
 
How does the evolution of droid sentience, exemplified by characters like R2-D2 and C-3PO, influence their roles within the galactic events and their interactions with organic beings?
 
How does the Force-sensitive lineage within the Skywalker family impact the broader conflict between the light and dark sides of the Force across multiple generations?
 
How does the political philosophy and governance structure of the Galactic Republic, particularly during the prequel era, reflect theoretical frameworks of federalism and how might this have contributed to its downfalll?
 
What are the ecological and economic repercussions of the Empire's resource extraction policies on planets like Lothal and Scarif?
 
Analyze the psychological and existential ramifications of the Force dyad concept as experienced by Rey and Kylo Ren. How does this unique connection challenge the traditional understanding of Force bonds and dualities?
 
Consider the Jedi Code’s prohibition of attachments in the context of philosophical debates about emotion regulation. How do the personal struggles of key Jedi, such as Anakin and Luke Skywalker, critique or support contemporary theories of emotional suppression and resilience?
 
Discuss the implications of cloning technology on concepts of identity and personhood as exemplified by the Clone Army. How do the individual narratives of clones like Rex and Cody enrich our understanding of autonomy within a predetermined existence?
 
Evaluate the role of ancient Sith artifacts and holocrons in the broader context of cultural heritage and historiography within the Star Wars universe. How do these objects influence contemporary Sith ideology and power structures?
 
In what ways does the exploration of trauma, memory, and redemption in the character arcs of figures like Darth Revan and Ahsoka Tano contribute to the narrative complexity and moral ambiguity within the Star Wars canon?
 
How does the depiction of non-human species and their integration into galactic society reflect broader socio-political themes of xenophobia, multiculturalism, and diversity? Consider specific examples like the Twi’leks of Ryloth and the Mon Calamari of Mon Cala.

This is from The Hobbit.

Which version of Fellowship is that image from? I'm thinking the HD extended edition judging from the green tint
 
I don't remember the original 3 films too well visually but I do think they used gauze lens for scenes of the elves in particular, which is a fitting choice. I do know that compared to the theatrical edition, the colour grade is wildly different though which has an impact on visuals both in camera and the CG
 
My point about The Hobbit Trilogy is that it felt that gauzy shiny look (which is likely due to other presentational factors than literal gauze on the lens), is consistently over the whole picture and it contributes to making the CG, and honestly even the practical effects, look more cartoonish and less grounded than in the original trilogy. I value that groundedness in the case of Jackon's take greatly, so it's one aspect that alienates me about The Hobbit Trilogy compared to the original trilogy

Which version of Fellowship is that image from? I'm thinking the HD extended edition judging from the green tint
 
I don't remember the original 3 films too well visually but I do think they used gauze lens for scenes of the elves in particular, which is a fitting choice. I do know that compared to the theatrical edition, the colour grade is wildly different though which has an impact on visuals both in camera and the CG
 
My point about The Hobbit Trilogy is that it felt that gauzy shiny look (which is likely due to other presentational factors than literal gauze on the lens), is consistently over the whole picture and it contributes to making the CG, and honestly even the practical effects, look more cartoonish and less grounded than in the original trilogy. I value that groundedness in the case of Jackon's take greatly, so it's one aspect that alienates me about The Hobbit Trilogy compared to the original trilogy

I know that I, personally, have never said that I find the prequels a cinematically exuberant exploration of the hubristic downfall of a society, and the self-corrupting nature of blame-shifting. I’ve certainly never said, and still would not say, that one is a fool indeed who spends six hours watching those films and comes away thinking, “man, this series really needs another six films to explain itself.”
 
Feels good to say. Because I’ve never said it. 

Hahahalol… no. Answer your own question.

There's a really charming fan edit of The Hobbit out there, by Fiona Van Dahl, based on the Rankin/Bass version. Cuts 10+ hours down to two, and more or less follows Rankin/Bass beat by beat, it even incorporates some of the songs! It moves at a VERY rapid clip, and I wouldn't call it a "go-to" version (that's M4), or anywhere near definitive, even she wouldn't call it that. But it was done with a lot of love for the animated film and is a fun watch.
 
Just Google: The Hobbit Fiona van Dahl.