A film plot may not be as fascinating as expected but the visuals or cinematography can grab an audience's attention and make the film a classic. For an ardent action/adventure lover, nothing thrills me more than the visual effects. I have a series of films in my 'visually stunning' collection but I will focus on these popular trilogies: Lord Of The Rings (LOTR) and The Hobbit.
These trilogies are one of the best high fantasy/adventures that I have watched to date and the visual effects have earned them a place among the classics and outstanding success.
The storyline of LOTR is focused on a young hobbit, Frodo Baggins (played by Elijah Wood), who embarks on an epic journey to destroy a special and powerful ring forged by the enemy, Sauron. On this journey, he is tasked to ensure the ring does not fall into the wrong hands because of its powerful and hypnotising effects.
The Hobbit however is the prequel to LOTR. It focused on Frodo's uncle, Bilbo Baggins (played by Martin Freeman) and the infamous, gold-greedy dragon, Smaug. The dragon drove the dwarves out of their mountain and stole their gold. Gandalf and a team of dwarves co-opt Bilbo to join them on an epic adventure to take back the mountain. This was how Bilbo came into possession of the one ring. Of course, there can be no reclaiming of territory without wars.
Review Of Cinematography
In the order of their release date, LOTR was first in 2001 while The Hobbit came almost nine years later but they are both phenomenal. The CGI employed makes these films exceptionally great to watch. I can never imagine an adventurous scene without measuring it against Peter Jackson's works in these trilogies.
I understand the Hobbit trilogy was shot with "a special camera developed by the founder of Oakley sunglasses at 48 frames per second (fps)" but the outcome is spectacular.
Peter Jackson presented a visually stunning feast for his audience in these films. The depiction of Middle Earth in its splendour is remarkable. Another scene I particularly adore is the home of the elves, the Elven City of Rivendell. It's mystical and ethereal. Almost everything about the elves in these trilogies is spectacular.
The action scenes, especially the battle scenes, were well-coordinated and thrilling. The scene I most enjoyed is the final battle in the third instalment of the Hobbit, Battle Of The Five Armies.
The scenes where the dwarves fight Smaug that led to the epic battle with the Orc armies were beautiful to watch. There was no confusion or mishmash.
I credit Peter Jackson and his team for an excellent job. The cast was wonderful. My favourite characters in both trilogies are: Legolas, a prince elf of the Woodland Realm (played by Orlando Bloom) and Tauriel, a silvan Woodland elf (played by Evangeline Lilly) because they are both fearless, strong and their elven costumes are sleek!
Out of the two trilogies, I love The Hobbit more maybe because of the advanced equipment used. The picture quality is clearer than LOTR's. I am yet to see a film that beats these trilogies in the aspect of visual effects and epic adventures. Undeniably, both films are outstanding.
This is my entry to the CineTV Contest #12 - Visually Stunning Films. To participate, just click on the link and it will take you straight to the post. The deadline is May 3rd.
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Images of LOTR from Imdb
Images of The Hobbit from Imdb