The Hobbit 30 Day Challenge - Day 20

Least Favorite Character Design?

Azog

I tip my hat to the amazing special effects and CGI work by WETA Workshop and all the other amazingly talented people in the Peter Jackson movie universe. Also a marvel to see how more sophisticated CGI and all the other special effects wizardry has become since the first time we saw Gollum in LOTR.  The Gollum in The Hobbit: AUJ is eerily real.

Sadly the character of Azog in the first film, AUJ, is not. I was shocked when watching AUJ in 48fps HFR 3D how unreal Azog looked.  He was the only character that seemed totally artificial to me.  It added to my hatred of Azog the character that he seemed so out of place in the film.  Later when I saw the movie again in 24fps it was less obvious, but he still looked artificial to me. 

 buzzhunt.co.uk

In the second film, DOS, I found Azog more acceptable.  The CGI/Motion Capture improved, and the character looked more "real" than in AUJ.  Or maybe it's because I've now grown to like Manu Bennett, the actor who plays Azog.  

I've seen Manu now on YT in fan convention panels and interviews talking about playing Azog and I have developed a fondness for the actor.  Manu is a bit crazy, but in a fun way, and he seems to be such a hard worker. Also the discovery since seeing Azog for the first time that he was added in later, and that Manu and Richard never worked together, not even rehearsed together, has made me more forgiving of the look of the character in the first film.  

The Creator of the challenge:

http://peregrint.tumblr.com/post/14786959121/my-the-hobbit-30-day-challenge

Thanks also to lotrwikia.com for pics.