"The Hobbit" criticized for speedy frames; Peter Jackson defends technology

GlobalPost

Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" is getting a unique criticism--it's too fast. Or specifically, the frame rate is too fast, giving the film a visual quality that some critics don't like.

Peter Jackson shot the three-part epic in 48 frames per second, which is twice as fast as the frame rate that directors have been using for decades. The Associated Press reported that this format provides less blur and more clear images.

But some critics say that the images are so crisp that it makes the "artifice of moviemaking" become obvious, the AP said. 

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"The unintended side effect is that the extra visual detail gives the entire film a sickly sheen of fakeness," the Telegraph wrote in a review

Jackson defended the technology telling the BBC that he thinks the traditional 24 frames format "looks primitive."

Wired Magazine also likes the increased frame rate, saying that "Middle-earth in 3D looks so crisp it’s like stepping into the foreground of an insanely gorgeous diorama."

However, most viewers will only be able to see the film in the traditional 24 frame format anyway, as only some cinemas are equipped to project the film at the increased rate, the BBC reported. 

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