Should You See 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' in HFR 3D?

If you go on Fandango right now, you'll see that you have four options to chose from when looking for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey showtimes: Regular, Real 3D, An IMAX 3D Experience and HFR 3D. Let's talk about that last option. For those of you not familiar with the term (don't worry if you're not — it's a fairly new addition to the cinematic experience lexicon), HFR 3D stands for High Frame Rate 3D. (I'm going to assume everyone knows what "3D" stands for.)

Since the 1920s, films have been produced at 24 frames per second, giving society plenty of time to become accustomed to this rate. When setting out to shoot his The Hobbit trilogy, director Peter Jackson made the decision to shoot at 48 frames per second, doubling the industry standard. Isn't more better? More frames mean more detail, right?

Well, this is where the answer gets tricky. Yes, more frames means more detail, but that doesn't necessarily make things better. At the 24 frames per second rate, filmmakers are able to hide flaws in things like motion blur. A staged movie fight can often ghost its punches in the fact that by not showing you everything, your mind blends everything together. A film shot at 48 frames per second is going to show you a lot more than you're used to seeing, and your brain, being the intelligent device it is, will pick up on that.

Early reports from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey screenings said that the film often looked too crisp, with many people saying the film resembled a soap opera or a regular TV program.

I saw The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey on Friday night, so what are my thoughts on the HFR 3D issue?

I actually debated briefly whether or not I wanted to see The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in HFR 3D. There were plenty of theaters showing the movie this way in the Washington, D.C., area, so finding a participating venue wasn't an issue for me. After reading those early reports, I was concerned about ruining a great movie-going experience with Jackson's gimmick. When it came down to it, though, I had to see The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in HFR 3D. If I wanted to participate in conversations about frame rates, I couldn't just work from what I had read. I had to actually see it for myself.

The higher frame rate was immediately noticeable, especially in the daytime scenes taking place in the Shire. "Made-for-TV movie" was the first thought that came to my mind, as the actors always appeared to be on sets, not in an actual environment. Things were too crisp, which unfortunately hurt the quality of the CGI too. It's hard enough to create believable CGI environments and characters at 24 frames per second. Try to accomplish that feat at 48 frames per second while throwing in 3D and fast-moving action, and you're asking for trouble. While the Lord of the Rings trilogy set a new standard for CGI, the CGI in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey comes across as sterile and fake. There's just too much going on to sell the illusion.

I've come across about conversations about cutting Jackson some slack on HFR and giving him some credit since he took the risk on it. There's the thought in some corners that other filmmakers will begin to use HFR to enhance their films, just like directors like James Cameron and Ang Lee have used 3D to enhance their storytelling. (I guess if you're Cameron, though, 3D was the only thing saving Avatar. Hard to enhance storytelling when there's no story.) I don't agree with this theory. While 3D is something that you can toggle on and off, like Joseph Kosinski did in Tron: Legacy, or use to add depth to a film, like Lee did with Life of Pi, a movie shot at 48 frames per second is just that — a movie shot at 48 frames per second. There's no storytelling hook here.

If you're like me, and you want to experience a movie shot at 48 frames per second to be able to weigh in on yourself, go for it. See The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in HFR 3D. If you just want to be able to go enjoy Jackson's latest Middle-earth movie, I highly advise you check it out in plain old 24-frames-per-second 2D. Yup, don't even both with the 3D. No funny glasses needed.