In my recap of the panel for Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey at Comic-Con, I noted how fantastic Gollum looked in the footage that was shown to us. Obviously visual effects technology has only gotten better since Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, and this newly rendered Gollum in action was a sight to behold. Two new images from the first film in what may or may not end up being a Hobbit trilogy have landed online, giving those who were unable to attend Comic-Con a look at our dear friend Gollum. The first image simply shows the swell Andy Serkis in his motion-capture suit on set, while the other image shows what his character looks like after having been fully animated. Though these pictures are pretty impressive on their own, just wait until you see “Young Gollum” in action via Serkis’ motion-capture performance.
Hit the jump to take a gander at the images. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is due to arrive on December 14th.
Images via E! Online.
Here’s the synopsis for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey:
“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” follows title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain, first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever… Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities… A simple, goldring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.
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Lame
Go kill yourself
hope you die in a car crash.
Meet the new Gollum, same as the old Gollum… but that’s OK.
you both are dumbshits
Gollum remains the biggest and best advancement in film tech of the past 20 years. The most fully realized and believable cg character ever seen. Even moreso than the insanely impressive caesar work from serkis just last year. That the tech on his creation is getting better is music to my ears and candy for my eyes. Those movies hold up so well almost a decade later, the wide angle cg shots look as off as they did before, but gollum remains a seamless integration to the live action cast, and he steels the show in every scene.
No movie will be able to stand up to the quality of an unexpected journey this December. This year full of capes and masks, spies, vampires and deathly childrens games will seem paltry and laughable compared to that fateful December day.
Bring it on, can’t wait.
It’s like seeing an old friend!!!
As long as it’s not 48 FPS i’m game! Not sure what Jackson was thinking to make the jump to shoot the movie at that speed. I don’t see it as a NECESSARY jump for movies.
Always awesome when people make these comments and form opinions based on absolutely NO knowledge or experience
Wait until you see it in 48fps then comment
I agree!
Why change from what works so well!
24fps for life.
gollum looks great as usual, way younger than in LOTR
There wouldn’t be any noticeable difference between Gollum in the hobbit and LoTR, he’s about 500 years old anyway.
You make a good point, except that for the >50 years that separates the Hobbit and LOTR, Gollum is no longer in possession of the ring. I would think that being separated from the ring (the source of his longevity) for such a period would greatly increase the decay of his body.
How do you know? I’ve yet to see 48frames but I’m intrigued. The LOTR films and King Kong, I LOVE! BUT, they have not aged well at all visually speaking. Mainly the green-screen stuff. Some badly composited shots mixing live action with CG. ie.. in Kong the stampede was a mess. LOTR had plenty of equivallents scattered throughout. So, hoping this 48frames can fix that. I read it takes you into the picture. I will have to wait and see, but I hope the film looks better than the movies i just mentioned.
There wouldn\’t be any noticeable difference between Gollum in the hobbit and LoTR, he\’s about 500 years old anyway.
AWESOME!!! Now that pic of Gollum in UHQ!
But I wonder, is he going to look even more realistic in 48 FPS not just because of his movements but of all the detail that goes into him? Will he look just as real in 24 FPS??
Anyway, I’m going to watch this in 48 FPS at IMAX, I can’t see it anywhere else so that’s my chance. And if I really don’t like it, I’ll watch it again in 24 FPS
I’m very curious at the 48 FPS and how it affects the film.
Ahh, Gollum has always been my favorite LOTR character. Followed by Legolas.
I’m really excited to see these and curious about them turning it into a trilogy. I’m in the 48 fps camp. I’d love to see how it looks in person on the big screen. I don’t get people shying away from it when they’ve not even seen it yet.
Then you don’t get the Internet.
I don’t think we should call the 3rd film a hobbit film. the hobbit will end on the second film. the 3rd film will bridge the gap between LOTR and the Hobbit. Meaning it will be a stand alone film taken from the appendices of Tolkien. Should be interesting
id love to fuck gollum in the anus. hard.