It’s soon the weekend!!! To make the most of it, and because this week marks the long-awaited release of The Hobbit : The Battle of the Five Armies on the French screens, we have created a selection of films that will take you to the heart of a changing world where anything is possible. On the program: fabulous but perilous epic, Nordic Legend of another time and breathtaking trans-dimensional intrigue, all with a good dose of adventure. For a weekend dedicated to the Seventh Art and heroic fantasy, follow the guide!
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The Most Fabulous : The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Starting his great journey towards the solitary Mount, Bilbon – a hobbit who until then led a life without any problems – will have to muster all his courage to restore the kingdom of Erebor to The Dwarves, who were driven from it by the dragon Smaug. A fearsome creature hiding in its hiding place, Smaug is a particularly dangerous opponent. But before he can reach it, Bilbo and his new friends will first have a series of perilous obstacles to face… it is a long and difficult road that awaits them.
Laying the foundations of the second saga that Peter Jackson adapted from J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit : An Unexpected Journey (2012) allowed the general public to become familiar with the valiant epic undertaken by Bilbon Sacquet, mischievous little hobbit, as determined as he was endearing. Ideal for young and old, for the connoisseurs of heroic fantasy as well as for the neophytes, he puts everyone in agreement, as the Parisian summed it up by evoking the film in these terms : “visual splendour populated by breathtaking creatures and decorations, technical prowess in perfect cohesion with the precedents [of the trilogy of the Lord of the Rings] “.
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The Most Epic: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug-Long Version
Encouraged by his discovery of the ring, Bilbo (Martin Freeman) will have to muster all his courage to hope to regain the Lost Kingdom of Erebor. Alongside Thorin Écu-de-Chêne (Richard Armitage) and his company of Dwarfs, he embarked on a vast epic. However, the path leading to the solitary mountain looks particularly perilous… if he is prepared to cross many obstacles, Bilbon knows that the greatest challenge will be to face Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch, in motion capture)… lurking in the shadow of his hiding place, the dreaded dragon jealously guards his treasure, also preparing to enter the battle.
“Peter Jackson, a man who continues the trilogy after trilogy, to serve a certain idea of prestige Entertainment and the world of another, on which he will nevertheless leave the immortal imprint of his big paw kiwi” was enthusiastic to see to read while discovering The Hobbit : The Desolation of Smaug (2013). Nominated three times at the Oscars, this second film event is equipped, like its predecessor, with a 48 image/sec format reserving an immersive experience unparalleled. Confirming his status as an expert of Tolkien, Jackson impresses once again.
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The Most Ancestral : The Legend of Beowulf
At a time when men lived with fantastic creatures and the balance of the world was weakened, only strength and courage could make a difference. By coming to the aid of the old King Hrothgar, Beowulf, a courageous Viking who is honoured by his feats of arms, made a remarkable entry into the northern community which he led. From then on, The Legend of this fearless warrior is born, whose only weakness is perhaps the part of humanity he has in him.
Presented as “a radical work that naturally rediscovers the essence of a barbaric and flamboyant cinema” by Mad Movies, The Legend of Beowulf (2007) contrasts with the received idea that animated cinema is only for young audiences. Entirely made in performance capture, thanks to synthetic images that wrap the sequences filmed with real actors, this film is as effective on the formal plane as it is on the point of view of history. After experimenting with this technology with the Pole express three years earlier, Robert Zemeckis switches to the heroic fantasy with The Legend of Beowulf, this time taking a harsher and more adult turn.
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The Most Ambitious: Cloud Atlas
Meeting each other in the present, to get lost a century later and to find each other better in the previous century, men and women whose destiny seems to be linked engage in an astonishing game of cat and mouse. Through the succession of eras, places and rebirths that punctuate their common destiny, they write their history and try to overcome the obstacles that lie ahead. However, the theory of chaos hovers over them and each of their actions can have terrible consequences.
Difficult to synthesize, the complexity of the plot of Cloud Atlas (2012) is matched only by the amazing special effects that punctuate the action scenes. Co-directed by Wachowski and Tom Tykwer (perfume), nominated for the Golden Globes and winner of two Saturn Awards, this unique SF work seems to bring together a thousand films in one. Camping respectively six different characters, Tom Hanks and Halle Berry, delivers a performance without a false note, which some aficionados still try to unravel all the mysteries! “Cloud Atlas is the most beautiful answer of American cinema on television: a mutant film”, concludes the Inrockuptibles.