9. Gollum's CGI Is Jaw-Dropping
The CGI in The Hobbit may be ten years advanced from The Lord Of The Rings, but it is still a mixed bag. The decision to get rid of the models (affectionately called bigatures by their creators) and replace then with entirely computer generated constructs may allow for more expansive areas, but it all comes with a sheen that makes it feel unreal. Goblin Town looks gigantic, but it doesn't feel like it's actually there. Effects have advanced considerably, but sometimes film-makers forget they still require the same level of effort and creativity to look real. One area where the effects are remarkable is in character models, particularly Gollum. Compare Sméagol in Return Of The King, which at the time was utterly groundbreaking, to how the character looks in An Unexpected Journey. There is no comparison; in The Hobbit he feels fully integrated into the location, interacting with the cave and Bilbo convincingly, while his skin isn't just grey, but almost translucent. Smaug will probably go down as the trilogy's big effects spectacular, but that really shouldn't distract from how Weta further perfected Gollum.