{"id":24188,"date":"2020-11-30T22:22:13","date_gmt":"2020-12-01T06:22:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/?p=24188"},"modified":"2020-12-17T06:54:40","modified_gmt":"2020-12-17T14:54:40","slug":"review-hobbit-trilogy-4k","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/2020\/11\/review-hobbit-trilogy-4k\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hobbit: The Motion Picture Trilogy 4K Ultra HD Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>I wasn\u2019t totally enamored with The Hobbit Trilogy<\/em><\/strong> in my initial viewings and the extended versions didn\u2019t really change my mind, so the same issues remain although I can still appreciate some of the technical aspects at least.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Hobbit: The Motion Picture Trilogy<\/span>
\n(2012-14)<\/span>
\n<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n


\nGenre(s): <\/strong>Fantasy, Adventure<\/span>
\nWarner Bros. Home Entertainment | NR \u2013 0 min. \u2013 $89.99 | December 1, 2020<\/span><\/p>\n

Date Published:<\/strong> 11\/30\/2020 | Author:<\/strong> The Movieman<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"
\n<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

MOVIE INFO:
\n<\/u><\/strong>Directed by: <\/strong>Peter Jackson
\nWriter(s): <\/strong>J.R.R. Tolkien (book); Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson & Guillermo del Toro (screenplay)
\nCast: <\/strong>Richard Armitage, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Benedict Cumberbatch, Luke Evans, Martin Freeman, Stephen Fry, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Evangeline Lilly, Ian McKellen, Graham McTavish, James Nesbitt, Lee Pace, Andy Serkis, Matt Smith, Ken Stott, Aidan Turner, Hugo Weaving, Elijah Wood<\/span><\/p>\n

\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
DISC INFO:
\n<\/u><\/strong>Features: <\/strong>None
\nSlip Cover: <\/strong>Yes
\nDigital Copy: <\/strong>Yes
\nFormats Included: <\/strong>4K
\nNumber of Discs: <\/strong>6<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Audio: <\/strong>English (Dolby Atmos), French (DTS-HD MA 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
\nVideo: <\/strong>2160p\/Widescreen 2.35
\nDynamic Range: <\/strong>HDR10, Dolby Vision
\nSubtitles: <\/strong>English SDH, French, Spanish
\nCodecs: <\/strong>HEVC \/ H.265
\nRegion(s): <\/strong>A, B, C<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe opinions I share are my own.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Note:\u00a0The screen captures were taken from the Blu-ray disc and\u00a0do not<\/span> represent the 4K Ultra HD transfer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n

THE MOVIE<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey<\/em><\/strong> (2012) \u2014 3.0\/5
\n<\/strong>How does one follow up one of the most epic trilogies of all-time? Well, for Peter Jackson and company, after some financial negotiations between Warner\/New Line and MGM, it\u2019s to go back to the J.R.R. Tolkien well and take another stab at it. However, what was once supposed to be a two-part
\nfilm, filmmakers decided to expand The Hobbit and squeeze one more movie. With the first of the three, An Unexpected Journey<\/em><\/strong> is a woefully long film with too many unnecessary scenes and characters that save for two are frankly indistinguishable.<\/p>\n

The film begins with a rather lengthy narration by the old Bilbo Baggins (IAN HOLM) as he sets to write a new chapter in his memoir telling a story Frodo (ELIJAH WOOD making a cameo) knows about. After some flashback sequences outlaying the crux of the story, we learn the narration takes place before the opening of Fellowship of the Ring with Frodo leaving Bilbo\u2019s home to lie underneath a tree. It then transitions from Old Bilbo to Young Bilbo (MARTIN FREEMAN) as he encounters Gandalf (IAN MCKELLEN) for the first time in a long time. The meet is odd with Gandalf recalling how Bilbo was an adventurer and wishes to enlist him to be the final member of a dangerous quest, but Bilbo flatly refuses.<\/p>\n

Gandalf leaves but not before placing a mark on the door which leads to numerous guests who enter Bilbo\u2019s home: Dwarves Dwalin (GRAHAM MCTAVISH), Balin (KEN STOTT), Bifur (WILLIAM KIRCHER), Bofur (JAMES NESBITT), Bombur (STEPHEN HUNTER), Fili (DEAN O\u2019GORMAN), Kili (AIDAN TURNER), Oin (JOHN CALLEN), Gloin (PETER HAMBLETON), Nori (JED BROPHY), Dori (MARK HADLOW), Ori (ADAM BROWN), would-be King Thorin Oakenshield (RICHARD ARMITAGE) and eventually Gandalf. Outside of Thorin, Gandalf and, of course, Bilbo, are completely forgettable and mostly interchangeable.<\/p>\n

After initial hesitation, Bilbo accepts being the 14th member of the quest as the \u201cburglar\u201d (stealthy member of the group) although as the leader, Thorin is none to impressed as Bilbo\u2019s inclusion was at the behest of Gandalf. Still the group is off making the long journey to the Lonely Mountain and for the dwarves to reclaim their home. As you now notice, this is the first problem with the movie. Where in Fellowship the stakes are much higher as the quest is to take a powerful ring to Mount Doom through treacherous lands with everybody along the way, including friends, wanting the ring for themselves.<\/p>\n

In any case, the quest continues on as they later encounter some \u201cinteresting\u201d characters such as trolls who have stolen three of their horses; Radagast the Brown (SYLVESTER MCCOY) on a rabbit-drawn sleigh of all things and tells a tale of some kind of evil in the forest (and a spider-like creature) he then helps the group out, who are now without any horses after they ran off during the scuffle with the trolls, after orcs come a-chasing. The elves\u2019 arrive to save the day much to the chagrin of Thorin who hasn\u2019t exactly had the greatest respect for them after they had turned their backs on him and his father earlier.<\/p>\n

The group (not entirely sure what to call them), travels through caves which lead out to Rivendell which again, does not please Thorin that Gandalf had led them there. They receive much nourishment (the vegetarian kind which doesn\u2019t sit well with dwarves) and relief while Gandalf consults with Elrond (HUGO WEAVING), Galadriel (CATE BLANCHETT) and Saruman (CHRISTOPHER LEE) as they debate the quest that receives much resistance.<\/p>\n

Fast forward, the dwarves leave Rivendell to continue the quest to the Lonely Mountain continuing to encounter obstacles as the guest-ers (?) get captured by goblins though Bilbo manages to slip away and later, after a bit of a tumble during a fight with a goblin, runs into who else but precious himself: Gollum (ANDY SERKIS) and the pair have a freestyle riddle battle. During this section, Bilbo manages to get his hands on the ring…<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the league (?) get their asses saved once again by Gandalf and manage to escape the goblins and its ruthless king only to later, now joined by Bilbo who won the riddle-games and escape with the ring (which displeases Gollum) only to run into who I assume will be the series\u2019 primary villain in the form of Azog (MANU BENNETT) who had killed Thorin\u2019s father in a battle that was recounted earlier in the movie.<\/p>\n

Oh, and those Eagles who are sentient and thus make choices but they seem to swoop in and save the day many times at, from what I recall, the request of Gandalf. This happened twice in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and once in The Hobbit<\/em><\/strong>. I understand the resistance to carry the burden of the ring (or Frodo carrying the ring), but doesn\u2019t make a heck lot of sense in this case (once you see it, you\u2019ll know what I mean).<\/p>\n

No doubt, The Hobbit<\/em><\/strong> is a visual feast and with Peter Jackson\u2019s eye, he transports viewers back to Middle-Earth via New Zealand (and soundstages) and really helps to keep the movie from being a complete waste. Staying positive, I was impressed not only with the production designs and the locations, but the costume designs is also amazing which shouldn\u2019t come to a surprise given that presumably most of the crew from The Lord of the Rings was back for more.<\/p>\n

On the negative side, however, this just didn\u2019t seem to be a necessary movie. The story itself is far too simple even to fill one film let alone three which leads to too much padding and too many forgettable characters. Unforgettable Journey clocks in at around 140-minutes (sans credits) and that already was a stretch so I have to wonder what another 5.5 hours will hold.<\/p>\n

The other problem, although perhaps it\u2019s how the book was written and thus translated, this is far more suited for children and even though there are a couple darker scenes, there are many others which are geared more towards comedy, slapstick even, than a serious drama that Rings had.<\/p>\n

On the whole, The Hobbit: An Unforgettable Journey<\/em><\/strong> isn\u2019t a terrible movie, of course. Martin Freeman, despite knowing his character\u2019s fate, does a good job as the title character providing some humor while Richard Armitage stands out from them all in what I consider the Viggo Mortensen slot. Armitage has the soul of this entire tale since he leads the pack (?) to reclaim his people\u2019s homeland. Anyway, there\u2019s plenty here to like but just as much to sort of hate, the biggest one, is the story is far too simple and spread across three movies, too much pointless filler.<\/p>\n

Extended Edition:
\n<\/strong>This version is about 16-minutes longer and other than one scene in which a young Bilbo Baggins, about 6-years-old, runs into Gandalf and he\u2019s enamored with the grey wizard\u2019s fireworks. It\u2019s a nice little scene and establishes the connection and why Gandalf is disappointed in Bilbo\u2019s lack of adventure. But outside of that scene, there are little bits and pieces added or extended and while nice, aren\u2019t anything special.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug <\/em><\/strong>(2013)<\/strong> \u2014 2.75\/5
\n<\/strong>Even though An Unexpected Journey was disappointing mainly because the quest was smaller and less significant compared to its Lord of the Rings counterpart, to go along with a cast of characters who were indistinguishable save for Gandalf, Bilbo and Thorin, I had some hopes based on reviews from the general movie-going audience that <\/span>The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug<\/em><\/strong> would be a solid upgrade and although there were a couple of things I did like, such as the escalation of the danger, this entry despite some impressive action set pieces, was downright dull.<\/span><\/p>\n

This addition opens interestingly enough with a prologue as Thorin (RICHARD ARMITAGE) enters the Prancing Pony and with shots reminiscent of the scene in Fellowship of the Ring with Frodo and the rest, he\u2019s seemingly being followed by unscrupulous fellows before sitting at a table across from Gandalf the Grey (IAN MCKELLEN) who knows Thorin\u2019s life is in danger and further that Thorin wants to reclaim the throne. In order to do so, Gandalf suggests gathering a team to accomplish the goal as grave danger is ahead if they should fail… or something along those lines.<\/p>\n

We then are taken a year later are pretty much beginning where Unexpected Journey ended. Bilbo (MARTIN FREEMAN) and the merry dwarves \u2013 Balin (KEN STOTT), Dwalin (GRAHAM MCTAVISH), Bifur (WILLIAM KIRCHER), Bofur (JAMES NESBITT), Bombur (STEPHEN HUNTER), Fili (DEAN O\u2019GORMAN), Kili (AIDAN TURNE), Oin (JOHN CALLEN), Gloin (PETER HAMBLETON), Nori (JED BROPHY), Dori (MARK HADLOW) and Ori (ADAM BROWN) \u2013 march on toward Erebor to reclaim the mountain while also having to slay the dangerous dragon, Smaug, who guards the gold in the vault.<\/p>\n

But before they can get to Erebor they must avoid the deadly orcs on their trail first seeking refuge in the home of a wolf\/giant hybrid, entering the dark forest under the control of the Elves and attacked by giant spiders in yet another callback to Lord of the Rings and then rescued, and subsequently captured, by our old stoic pal, Legolas (ORLANDO BLOOM) and the attractive and bad-ass Tauriel (EVANGELINE LILLY). As in the first film, the dwarves are taken prisoner under the orders of Elvenking Thranduil (LEE PACE) and as in the first film, are rescued by Bilbo.<\/p>\n

Oh, and where is Gandalf during all of this? Of course he\u2019s off on his little side-journey leading him to the hidden layer of the orcs and he eventually is in a losing duel with a being named the Necromancer (BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH although you\u2019d be hard-pressed to know it was him) but is known by a more familiar name… I actually think this was one of the better parts of Desolation and gives that much needed gravitas and danger necessary to give the trilogy\u2019s overall story arc more danger than some localized plot of the dwarves regaining their homeland… well, mountain anyway.<\/p>\n

So, how does this compare with An Unexpected Journey<\/em>? Well, I suppose I found more enjoyment out of this one as the action is well done and I guess I cared more about these characters, even though I couldn\u2019t distinguish most of them from the other, and because introductions and plot outlining have been dispensed with, we get to the nitty-gritty and although the pacing was still off, the 2:30+ running time isn\u2019t as noticeable, though it is still bloated.<\/p>\n

On the performance front, it\u2019s all more of the same with each actor going through the motions but making his debut in this trilogy set, Orlando Bloom is fun to see once more but doesn\u2019t give much to his entry other than yet another call back to the better developed and more entertaining Lord of the Rings trilogy. Also, and I know I\u2019m not the first to point this out, even though Bloom\u2019s Legolas is supposed to be younger here than in LOTR<\/em>, Bloom looks a good decade older here and it\u2019s frankly a bit distracting.<\/p>\n

The other notable new character is Tauriel played by Evangeline Lilly who does get something to do going on her own and has some sort of love connection with one of the dwarves. It\u2019s hardly a meaty part considering the number of characters already in the film, but I hope she gets more to do in the third and final movie. Luke Evans makes his debut (in the theatrical version, he appeared in the extended version) and provides more background dealing with his family history and the dragon, Smaug. Nothing amazing yet, though hopefully he gets more to work with in the third installment.<\/p>\n

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug<\/em><\/strong> once again is co-written and directed by Peter Jackson and this entry, as with the last, proves that while there is certainly a lot of care taken from the production and art designs, visual effects and the acting, it still comes across as unnecessary, especially taking a book and instead of splitting it into two movies as originally planned, get a third thrown in which adds extra scenes that balloons the running time to the extreme, and this is just the theatrical versions, once the extended editions for all three are released, you\u2019re talking about a 8-9 hour epic for a story that needed maybe 5 hours to tell.<\/p>\n

Even though it\u2019s a minor improvement over Unexpected Journey, I still didn\u2019t enjoy Desolation<\/em><\/strong> very much and have a hard time imagining ever revisiting it.<\/p>\n

Extended Edition:
\n<\/strong>For this version, 26-minutes have been added in and, basing off of memory from the theatrical version, some noteworthy additions include a subplot about Thorin\u2019s father who makes an appearance, this is preceded in the beginning through a conversation between Gandalf and Thorin about his father\u2019s fate, and otherwise it seems some odds and ends were included, though can\u2019t pinpoint many off hand.<\/p>\n

In regards to how this plays compared with the other? Well, it\u2019s more or less the same movie, just longer. As with the other one, I just had a meh kind of reaction, I sat there watching some nice craftsmanship, make-up and such but the story is still so bloated and reiterate that this entire story could\u2019ve been wrapped up in two movies and so many extraneous plotlines could\u2019ve been completely cut and would not be missed. Oh, and the key scene with the barrels down the river is still really dumb (and on a side note: the Amazon.com exclusive is utterly laughable).<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies<\/em><\/strong> (2014) \u2014 2.5\/5
\n<\/strong>And so it ends. The Hobbit trilogy is over and all this reviewer can say is: \u201cWhat\u2019s on next?\u201d This has to have been one of the more mundane trilogies to be released as it never delves to the levels of, say the Star Wars prequels yet it pales in comparison with Jackson\u2019s own Lord of the Rings either. With The Battle of the Five Armies, it\u2019s even clearer that Jackson and company spread an already thin story even thinner and should\u2019ve been at the most a five hour epic than going on eight hours.<\/p>\n

The conclusion of our story begins where Desolation of Smaug left off: the fire-breathing dragon Smaug (voiced by BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH) has escaped from the Lonely Mountain, in spite of the efforts of the dwarves, and is set to wreak havoc on the townsfolk of Lake-town, literally setting it on fire, killing hundreds including the Master of Lake-town (STEPHEN FRY) as he and his kiss-ass deputy Alfrid (RYAN GAGE) try to escape with the town\u2019s gold. Greed (gold) and war is a common theme throughout Five Armies. And a not-so-subtle theme either.<\/p>\n

In any case, Bard (LUKE EVANS) escapes from his jail cell in creative fashion and gets to work to stop Smaug and restore his family name as his forefather failed the last go around. With the help of his son, Bard manages to take down the dragon using the Black Arrow, striking in the one vulnerable spot on its scales. With the dragon slain, Bard is soon crowned as Lake-town\u2019s savior and his name all across the land will be known as the dragon slayer. With the dragon gone, however, the amass of riches held in the Lonely Mountain is up for grabs and the mountain itself prime real estate for the more nefarious elements including Sauron who is gathering power and, if not for Galadriel (CATE BLANCHETT), most certainly would\u2019ve killed Gandalf (IAN MCKELLEN) whom he had captured in the last chapter.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, inside the Lonely Mountain, the dwarves celebrate the dragon\u2019s demise though Thorin (RICHARD ARMITAGE) is more concerned with not only reclaiming his throne, but retrieving the Arkenstone and it is immediately apparent to Bilbo (MARTIN FREEMAN) that Thorin has gone mad with greed to the point where he will not honor the promise he made to the people of Lake-town.<\/p>\n

Make matters worse, the Elves, headed by Thrandall (LEE PACE), wants to retrieve a priceless heirloom and willing to go to war to do so (army #1) and in spite of Bard\u2019s best efforts, is unable to sway Thorin even after Bilbo hands over the Arkenstone to Bard as a bargaining chip. However, Thorin isn\u2019t without reinforcements as dwarf King Dain (BILLY CONNELLY) and his troops (army #2) are willing to take on the elves. But the dwarves and elves have bigger problems as evil forces are at work when the orcs (army #3) organize an attack to take control of the Lonely Mountain while also destroying any opposing forces including the humans who have formed their own little militia (army #4). The fifth army is a flock of crows bred for one purpose: WAR! What in evil elements Middle-earth isn\u2019t bread for war?<\/p>\n

There\u2019s little doubt Peter Jackson has a great eye and a passion for subject, but the issues I had with An Unexpected Journey and The Desolation of Smaug remain and is magnified even more so in The Battle of the Five Armies which draws plenty of comparisons with The Two Towers yet one thing remains prevalent and why The Hobbit trilogy pales in comparison to Lord of the Rings: we don\u2019t really have many characters to care about save for Bilbo and Gandalf though neither are in immediate danger considering we know both will survive. We are then left with the dwarves who, except for Armitage\u2019s Thorin, are either indistinguishable from the others so when, spoiler alert, one is killed, it did not nearly have the impact Jackson and company wanted in spite of Howard Shore\u2019s sorrowful score playing over the death.<\/p>\n

One other problem is, present in Desolation<\/em><\/strong>, was shoehorning in Legolas into the trilogy. His appearance not only felt unnatural but, and this is no slight to Orlando Bloom, but he looks older and worse yet, sounds older; it was a glaring issue that I had a hard time ignoring especially when his voice went down to a near Bale\/Batman growl.<\/p>\n

The performances by the ensemble cast were OK, although I can\u2019t say anyone stood out. Luke Evans performed valiantly as the human leader; Martin Freeman is seemingly MIA outside of a couple scenes bumped for the basically endless battle scenes; Armitage probably has the more nuanced character but what he\u2019s given really is laughable and comes off as one-note; and as much as I like Evangeline Lilly, wow she has some bad line reads including one that\u2019s supposed to be emotional and instead is a bit cringe-worthy and empty. You do get the LOTR regulars making cameos like Cate Blanchett who probably has the best scene of the entire Hobbit trilogy while Christopher Lee and Hugo Weaving make token appearances for the Sauron B-plot to tie into the LOTR.<\/p>\n

As I said earlier, I can\u2019t question Peter Jackson\u2019s passion but it was a big mistake expanding what should have been a two-part movie into a trilogy all for the studios (Warner and MGM) to make a few more bucks as it was their final dip into the J.R.R. Tolkien well. With that in mind, The Battle of the Five Armies, in spite of impressive costumes and sets, and in some instances visual effects (others were a bit iffy), just never works on an emotional level and instead came across as a generic Hollywood action-fest.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n

SPECIAL FEATURES \u2013 0\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

This 6-disc set (3 discs for the theatrical versions, 3 for the extended editions) and comes housed in a thick black HD keep case which side-slides into a study slip case. Inside is a single code for the Digital HD<\/strong> of all three films. No features were included, however there is a \u201cMiddle Earth\u201d Collection set for release some time next year containing the previously released bonus features and a few new ones.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n

VIDEO \u2013 4\u00be\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

The Hobbit Trilogy<\/em><\/strong> comes to 4K Ultra HD where it\u2019s presented in the respective original 2.40 aspect ratios. The Blu-rays already looked (and sounded) good in their own rights and they\u2019re taken up a slight notch looking a tad sharper in comparison, colors are a little more vibrant I suppose and it does seem the natural noise and grain is more noticeable, giving it a crisp, cinema-like experience.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n

AUDIO \u2013 5\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Each film comes with a Dolby Atmos track which is a slight upgrade over the Blu-ray releases which had DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 tracks, so the Atmos adds a little more depth while offering a similar aural experience when it came to the dialogue. All in all, these films still sound fantastic, much like the video, you\u2019re probably getting close to, and depending on your theater, a better experience at home (I know my local one, at least last I was there, was lackluster).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n

OVERALL \u2013 3\u00bd\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

I wasn\u2019t totally enamored with The Hobbit Trilogy<\/em><\/strong> in my initial viewings and the extended versions didn\u2019t really change my mind, so the same issues remain although I can still appreciate some of the technical aspects at least. This 4K Ultra HD set has nice housing (matching the Lord of the Rings Trilogy<\/em> set) and the video\/audio transfers are both well done, but with no bonus material and Middle Earth Complete Collection coming out in a year\u2019s time, this would need to be at a reasonable price.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I wasn\u2019t totally enamored with The Hobbit Trilogy in my initial viewings and the extended versions didn\u2019t really change my mind, so the same issues remain although I can still appreciate some of the technical aspects at least.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4581],"tags":[1437,2283,1015,783,405,1939,1136,1940,2811,237,1412,1941,998,165,158,1942],"class_list":["post-24188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-4k-uhd-reviews","tag-andy-serkis","tag-benedict-cumberbatch","tag-cate-blanchett","tag-christopher-lee","tag-evangeline-lilly","tag-hobbit","tag-hugo-weaving","tag-ian-mckellen","tag-lee-pace","tag-lord-of-the-rings","tag-luke-evans","tag-martin-freeman","tag-matt-smith","tag-orlando-bloom","tag-peter-jackson","tag-richard-armitage"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24188"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24188\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24316,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24188\/revisions\/24316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}