I know it might not be fair to compare but I can’t help it. Eleven years ago, I readied myself for the first ever screening of Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of Ring in the Philippines. It was a midnight one.

I was very excited and I went with two of my best friends. The moment I saw the Battle of Dagorlad, which was but a few minutes into the film, I knew it was going to be a masterpiece and that I needed to see again and again.

I wish I could say the same for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey; but granted, the material for the films in the trilogy is not as grand and expansive as the three Lord of the Rings books. Peter Jackson has raised the bar quite high for himself. With the The Hobbit, I am fine with one viewing without really aching to go back for more.

What really stood out was Peter Jackson’s brave use of HFR (High Frame Rate Technology) in the movie. I got to see the HFR 3D version at the Glorietta 1 Cinema and was astounded by the clarity of the image most especially when showing off the landscapes of New Zealand. This could be the wave of the future and several years from now, the look of the film stock we grew up with may make us feel nostalgic. The images are so crisp and clear; it’s so close to the feeling or seeing the real thing.

It was great to see Andy Serkis return as Gollum. He never fails to astound me in that role, and I agree with everyone else who felt he deserved at the very least a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his work perhaps on The Two Towers or Return of the King.

He is so brilliant in that role and the marriage of Serkis with the animation and computer wizardry has yielded astounding results. Not that I’ve ever been a junkie, I can totally grasp how Gollum is played as a creature who has gone down that spiral of being hopelessly addicted to and consumed by the ring.

The Hobbit introduces a troupe of 13 dwarves about to go on an adventure but brings back beloved characters from Lord of the Rings: mainly Gandalf, Bilbo (we see Ian Holm at the start but for most of the film he is played by Martin Freeman), Frodo, Galadriel and Elrond.

The Hobbit does not reach the heights of its predecessor but all in all a stunning production.

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I stand corrected regarding the availability of The Hobbit HFR prints here. Local cinemas with HFR 3D include Glorietta 4, Greenbelt 3, Greenhills, Robinsons Ermita, Robinsons Galleria, SM Cebu, SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall and SM North Edsa.