Peter Jackson's first preview of his 10 minutes trailer footage from "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" has drawn mixed reactions among the delegates at CinemaCon 2012.
Director of the Oscar-winning "Lord of the Rings" trilogy may have disappointed fans with his new venture of projecting the film at a new 48-frames-per-second technique.
"The 48fps is so jarring that I'm not sure casual moviegoers will enjoy it. While I figured the image quality would improve at 48fps, it's like looking at real life on a movie screen - and not in a good way. You no longer have motion blur. You no longer can hide stuff in the darkness," reports Collider.com
Reviews are also on that the footage is 'hyper-realistic.'
"An opening aerial shot of dramatic rocky mountains appeared clearer than the images in most nature documentaries. But the effect was different when applied to scenes with actors dressed in period costume, whose every move - and pore - was crystal clear," writes The Los Angeles Times.
"Hobbiton and Middle Earth didn't feel like a different universe, it felt like a special effect, a film set with actors in costumes... It didn't look cinematic. Not at all, even with a top filmmaker like Peter Jackson at the helm," reports SlashFilm.
"The Hobbit" is scheduled for release in the U.S. on December 14. It is the story about a curious Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, who journeys to the Lonely Mountain with a vigorous group of Dwarves to reclaim a treasure stolen from them by the dragon Smaug.
For almost 80 years, the standard industry frame rate is 24 frames per second, and with Jackson's pioneering into 48 frames per second, film houses across the world would have to embrace to embrace digital technology, but the question is are we ready yet?
Jackson's "The Hobbit" will be looking to make a splash against other blockbuster films this year such as The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, and Spiderman.
Check out production stills from "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." Click "START" to begin.
