The Hobbit The Battle Of The Five Armies (2014) Blu-ray 3D [Region Free] [Both Cuts]

[levcore]

Just came back from this, absolutely spectacular third instalment to a fantastic trilogy. This movie is more or less pure action apart from a build up in the early section. The 3D, CGI and action is absolutely stunning throughout, so many great sequences. I'm not sure this movie proves the justification for three films as it really is slight on story, heavy on action, but when the spectacle is this good I can't complain. I love this trilogy and the world and this is a superb action fantasy movie. Can't wait for the extended cut.

[mseeley]

Originally Posted by levcore

Just came back from this, absolutely spectacular third instalment to a fantastic trilogy. This movie is more or less pure action apart from a build up in the early section. The 3D, CGI and action is absolutely stunning throughout, so many great sequences. I'm not sure this movie proves the justification for three films as it really is slight on story, heavy on action, but when the spectacle is this good I can't complain. I love this trilogy and the world and this is a superb action fantasy movie. Can't wait for the extended cut.

This makes my already high amout of hype even HIGHER!!!! lol! Can't freaking wait for Tuesday!!!!!

[Pizzamorg]

I wasn't really impressed with the 3D on this one with so much of the film being CG the 3D didn't really add any real depth and the "pop out" moments were used so sparingly it made them feel even cheaper.

[Suntory_Times]

The trailer looks mesmerizing. Not out untill the 26th here though.

Maybe people could list if they saw if in standard 3d or hfr 3d as that would be interesting to see the different thoughts as a result. I myself hope more films move to hfr as whilst the first time it fells a bit weird on after that it is truly stunning and to me is more exciting then a higher resolution display.

[Zivouhr]

Levcore, glad you enjoyed it. Sounds like a fun movie with all of that action and 3D.

Originally Posted by Pizzamorg

I wasn't really impressed with the 3D on this one with so much of the film being CG the 3D didn't really add any real depth and the "pop out" moments were used so sparingly it made them feel even cheaper.

I felt that way about Hobbit 2's milder 3D in many non action shots, though to be honest, Hobbit 1 is about the same level. Even so, when the action scenes take place, the 3D improves and is enjoyable, medium 3D, which on rare shots jumps into strong 3D (especially in Hobbit 1 in the Goblin Caves). While I wish Peter Jackson was more daring with his 3D, I'm still grateful he chose to film these in 3D at all.

TRAILER:

YouTube

[Falaskan]

I've never been majorly impressed with the 3D in this but I ended up getting the first 2 in 3D so of course I'll get this.

[levcore]

For the record i did not see this in HFR. Despite having seen all of The Hobbit movies at my nearest Imax, they never seem to show them in HFR, so regrettably i have never had the chance to experience it.

So much of the second half of the movie is a 3D delight as the whole battle takes place in locations which have stunning panoramas. There is an extended battle segment on top of a frozen waterfall and some towers right next to it and this allows for lots of distance in the background, really allowing the 3D to shine.

There are some awesome new CG trolls and creatures but bizarrely Billy Connolly's character is entirely CG and he plays a dwarf! So amongst all of the real human actors in dwarf prosthetics there is a fully CGI dwarf. I cannot for the life of me figure out why they went fully CG with this one character. I suspect it's because they weren't happy with the look of him when they shot it and changed their minds after the fact. It's not a huge problem just a bit odd, especially as they don't really give the character a single close up (no doubt to hide the fact that he's fully CGI) so it seems a bit off.

[lulu251777]

Got a chance to see this one the other day in HFR3D. I really liked the film and the 3D. I wish there had been more pop outs though and maybe a wee bit more volume and depth here and there. I got to say that seeing this film in (native) 3D after a year of so many conversions was really nice. Native 3D really achieves a level of 3D consistency that even the best conversions fail to reach. After I left the theater I caught myself wishing that more films were available in HFR3D; It definitely adds a lot to the viewing experience. Such a nice ending for the trilogy was this film !��

[nycomet]

It burns my azz when producers restrain from using pop outs in 3D movies. I blame James Cameron. Nothing popped out in Avatar and Hollywood jumped on the bandwagon by emulating the otherworldly DEPTH in that film. Yes, it is good, but I wish Natiri's tail or something popped out of the screen. The floating jellyfish-like "seeds" that swarmed Jake barely hovered in front of the screen - bad Cameron!

As for Hobbit, the possibilities for incredible pop outs were overlooked. I'll still enjoy the 3D BD when it releases, but I would have liked it more with pop outs.

[Zivouhr]

I don't mind pop outs when appropriate and agree that the Hobbit films have missed some out of the screen, fun opportunities to really hit the audience in terms of arrows and debris flying out of the screen (compared to other films that offer more out of the screen shots). Avatar's jungle layering in 3D is awesome, so I always wished Jackson went for that level of strong 3D, but he does a nice job with the 3D overall, even if he doesn't take many risks with it to make it more exciting.

Originally Posted by levcore

For the record i did not see this in HFR. Despite having seen all of The Hobbit movies at my nearest Imax, they never seem to show them in HFR, so regrettably i have never had the chance to experience it.

So much of the second half of the movie is a 3D delight as the whole battle takes place in locations which have stunning panoramas. There is an extended battle segment on top of a frozen waterfall and some towers right next to it and this allows for lots of distance in the background, really allowing the 3D to shine.

There are some awesome new CG trolls and creatures but bizarrely Billy Connolly's character is entirely CG and he plays a dwarf! So amongst all of the real human actors in dwarf prosthetics there is a fully CGI dwarf. I cannot for the life of me figure out why they went fully CG with this one character. I suspect it's because they weren't happy with the look of him when they shot it and changed their minds after the fact. It's not a huge problem just a bit odd, especially as they don't really give the character a single close up (no doubt to hide the fact that he's fully CGI) so it seems a bit off.

That's interesting to hear they made that dwarf CGI. Maybe they were going for the brilliance of Gollum as a living CGI character. Thanks for the details.

[Suntory_Times]

Originally Posted by nycomet

It burns my azz when producers restrain from using pop outs in 3D movies. I blame James Cameron. Nothing popped out in Avatar and Hollywood jumped on the bandwagon by emulating the otherworldly DEPTH in that film. Yes, it is good, but I wish Natiri's tail or something popped out of the screen. The floating jellyfish-like "seeds" that swarmed Jake barely hovered in front of the screen - bad Cameron!

As for Hobbit, the possibilities for incredible pop outs were overlooked. I'll still enjoy the 3D BD when it releases, but I would have liked it more with pop outs.

Their was plenty of pop out in avatar. The most notable being the grenade pins, they fly way out of the screen. He just did it in a way that didn't ever scream gimmick.

[mseeley]

Originally Posted by Suntory_Times

Their was plenty of pop out in avatar. The most notable being the grenade pins, they fly way out of the screen. He just did it in a way that didn't ever scream gimmick.

I don't like using the term gimmick, but I agree with the point your trying to make. All the natural particle effects and foliage definitely sell the stunning 3d in Avatar.

And I disagree on Peter Jackson not taking risks with the 3d in the Hobbit movies. The biggest risk was combining 3D with HFR and honestly the experiment worked brilliantly and changed cinema for me. HFR needs to be a new standard for 3D, and I don't want to see it die. I read this article on Stereoscopy news that mentioned a guy shot a short film in HFR 3D and won a I think the grand prize from the festival. The nature of the short film was really novel and sounded like a perfect fit for HFR: telling a story while spinning the camera in 360 degree angles.

I still love Hobbit 1 in 3d, but Hobbit 2 appreciably does have more consistent depth that's very present and a hearty immersive volume and the pop-outs or moments where something collides at the camera or is about to pop out is MUCH more frequent imo.

And in regards to Billy Connelly's character, I do find the idea that they went all CG on a dwarf incredibly amusing. I'm totally fine with it and open to it (I love CGI in general and am very open-minded about it's use and the reasons why filmmakers choose it. CGI in alot of cases is the only way to create fully breathing living worlds in a way that practical almost never could. Why did people go nuts for Avatar??? Because it completely sold a new world with CGI in a way never seen before) and honestly I do feel like the goblins and orcs have more personality and expressiveness over the original prosthetic makeup (and to be realistic, there's no way they could've sold Azog as a threat or character without Motion Capture. The facial expressions and movement are very intimidating and convincing to me). Watching the Appendices of Hobbit 1 was a painful reminder of this when Peter Jackson was trying to shoot the introduction of the Goblin King's army when they kidnap the company of dwarves and Bilbo after they fall out the cave chute. The prosthetics looked awful and because they're was no personality or expressiveness in the goblins' faces. The original makeup and prosthetics for the LOTR trilogy is classic, but in the case of the characters we meet in the Hobbit, prosthetics were too limited to fully sell all the goblin and orc ranks imo. Peter Jackson always said he would've used more CGI in the original trilogy if the technology we have today was there back when he filmed those movies.

Are all his CGI shots perfect? No. Both trilogies have there dodgy shots here and there, but the overall visual fidelity and quality is on par or higher than the already great effects of LOTR.

I don't think people give Jackson enough credit for what he has accomplished and to how he's changed cinema, and arguably for the better. My excitement for the final Hobbit film is firm and I know I'm gonna love the hell out of the Hobbit trilogy and it's 3D for a lifetime!

[Zivouhr]

Thanks Mseeley. Did you get a chance to see Hobbit 3 3D tonight?

While High Frame Rates are a nice addition to fluid motion (24 to 48 fps), I'm wondering how it enhances the 3D itself, outside of the smoother movements?

[Suntory_Times]

Originally Posted by Zivouhr

Thanks Mseeley. Did you get a chance to see Hobbit 3 3D tonight?

While High Frame Rates are a nice addition to fluid motion (24 to 48 fps), I'm wondering how it enhances the 3D itself, outside of the smoother movements?

The best analogy is it is like going from 2d to 3d in terms of how immersing it can be. It is that next step.

The issues I had with the first two Hobbit films was how the story felt dragged out and the dwarves seemed unable to be hurt (surfing on molten metal on a wheelbarrow and similar), removing any sense of excitement from the action scenes. I also didn't like how many scenes where staged almost like a play. This is where I think many complaints of the hfr has come from when it really has nothing to do with hfr, it is how the scenes where otherwise shoot and edited.

[mseeley]

Originally Posted by Zivouhr

Thanks Mseeley. Did you get a chance to see Hobbit 3 3D tonight?

While High Frame Rates are a nice addition to fluid motion (24 to 48 fps), I'm wondering how it enhances the 3D itself, outside of the smoother movements?

I saw the film at 7 pm in IMAX High Frame Rate 3D and the movie was incredible though painfully incomplete in some glaring ways at times considering the fact they cut 40 minutes out of the theatrical cut and that we won't see those scenes until the the release of the extended cut. Still it was a very powerful and emotional payoff that will certainly be enriched I'm sure when the extended cut releases.

The 3d was also excellent to with plenty of great 3d shots and I'm pretty much sold at this point that High Frame Rate 3D is the future. The way it benefits panning shots and the dizzying flight sequences of Smaug's fiery reign of terror is simply jawdropping and dazzling to behold. And I personally believe high frame rate 3d makes special effects much less obvious and almost seamless (Especially background CGI extensions imo). 3d was pretty consistent medium to strong range to my eyes (I seriously can't get enough of 3d shots with deep depth through thousands of soldiers with spears imo xD)

3d trailers:

Jupiter Ascending (3d looks absolutely gorgeous and the conversion work is terrific)

Jurassic World (the 3d matches the amazing conversion of Jurassic Park and it's going to look AMAZING in IMAX 3D when it's finished)

Star Wars Episode VII (I already had a nerdgasm with the trailer in 2d and I had an even bigger one in 3d! The 3d looked absolutely wonderful with well rounded volume and plentiful depth and it's going to be glorious in the format!!!! I can't freaking wait for December 2015 and it can't come soon enough!!!!!

[Zivouhr]

Originally Posted by Suntory_Times

The best analogy is it is like going from 2d to 3d in terms of how immersing it can be. It is that next step.

The issues I had with the first two Hobbit films was how the story felt dragged out and the dwarves seemed unable to be hurt (surfing on molten metal on a wheelbarrow and similar), removing any sense of excitement from the action scenes. I also didn't like how many scenes where staged almost like a play. This is where I think many complaints of the hfr has come from when it really has nothing to do with hfr, it is how the scenes where otherwise shoot and edited.

I felt that way about the 2nd film, where the story took a back seat to all of the adventuring. The first one I really like a lot overall for the storytelling and pacing. Though it's tough to argue since Jackson was guided by the book, trying to stretch 2 movies into 3 when the Studio requested him to stretch the series one extra film, affecting the original plan of 2 films.

Originally Posted by mseeley

The 3d was also excellent to with plenty of great 3d shots and I'm pretty much sold at this point that High Frame Rate 3D is the future. The way it benefits panning shots and the dizzying flight sequences of Smaug's fiery reign of terror is simply jawdropping and dazzling to behold. And I personally believe high frame rate 3d makes special effects much less obvious and almost seamless (Especially background CGI extensions imo). 3d was pretty consistent medium to strong range to my eyes (I seriously can't get enough of 3d shots with deep depth through thousands of soldiers with spears imo xD)

3d trailers:

Jupiter Ascending (3d looks absolutely gorgeous and the conversion work is terrific)

Jurassic World (the 3d matches the amazing conversion of Jurassic Park and it's going to look AMAZING in IMAX 3D when it's finished)

Star Wars Episode VII (I already had a nerdgasm with the trailer in 2d and I had an even bigger one in 3d! The 3d looked absolutely wonderful with well rounded volume and plentiful depth and it's going to be glorious in the format!!!! I can't freaking wait for December 2015 and it can't come soon enough!!!!!

Sounds great, thanks!
I don't mind High frame rate 48, and agree it makes panning shots scrolling left to right smoother to watch. I don't mind 24 fps either. 48 costs a lot more money to produce with twice the amount of CGI rendering. On that note, I'll see the 48 FPS 3D version.

[goldenrod]

pre-order link from amazon.ca

http://www.amazon.ca/Hobbit-Battle-B...ords=hobbit+3d

[Zivouhr]

They don't waste any time offering pre-orders to secure early sales. I'll guess this will be on blu ray 3d by April 2015. Extended cut much later in the year.

40 minutes cut from the film or being worked on for the extended cut, should be interesting to hear what was cut, since this film concludes the end of the Hobbit book's battle/war for the Mountain gold.

[Paul H]

Originally Posted by goldenrod

pre-order link from amazon.ca

http://www.amazon.ca/Hobbit-Battle-B...ords=hobbit+3d

Also for the USA , the Pre-order for The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies 3D Blu-ray is up @ Blu-ray.com.



Amazon.com

No release date yet but a Amazon confirmation email states: Guaranteed delivery date:
Monday, February 16, 2015

[Zivouhr]

Thanks Paul. February 16th seems two months early. I'd be surprised to see it hit stores at that time.

3D in Hobbit 3 3D:
Having seen The Hobbit 3 3D, it was just as fun to watch as part 1, and the 3D delivered medium and even a nice number of strong 3D Shots here and there. While Jackson could have pushed the 3D more, what was presented here did the job nicely in most shots. And even a few flinching pop outs of rocks and stuff flying at you.

This third one kept me interested the whole way compared to part 2, and had tons of awesome battle action motivated by a good storyline that summed everything up very well IMO. There are some great characterizations throughout, especially with Thorin's character.
It definitely strayed from the book to a degree, but still a very good movie.

40 extra minutes in the extended version? I can't imagine what that would include? I'll have to skim the book again to see if they left anything out.

Lots of action and a great way to end the series.