When ‘The Hobbit’ comes out next Friday, it’ll be the first major studio movie to be shot at 48 frames per second.

Movies tend to be shot in 24 frames per second, according to Matt Patches, movie editor at Hollywood.com. “That’s how we’ve been watching films for 100 years,” he says.

Fans got their first look at a clip of the movie this summer and many were stunned by it. But not in a good way.  Now critics are getting their first look at the entire movie in the new format.

Peter Jackson, the director of the movie, however, sees something different in our future. Shooting ‘The Hobbit’ in 48 frames per second was intended to have the effect of making the scenes more realistic.

The actual effect, though, ends up feeling a bit soap opera-y, says Patches.