The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
I went to see The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey on opening day. I fell in love with The Lord of the Rings trilogy by Peter Jackson when they came out. I saw the first movie without knowing that much about the story. After seeing the first movie, I got the books and read them. I got the theatrical versions on DVD and the extended versions...and last year I did a rare triple dip and got the extended versions on Blu-ray. I also read The Hobbit and I've wanted to see a movie version for years - since long before it was confirmed that the movie was being made.
It has been a long time since I read the book so I don't remember everything and don't know exactly what has been changed for the movie. I know that some things have been added since there are going to be three movies. I know that some people have had ...concerns about it being turned into 3 movies, but I have kept an open mind. I think that Peter Jackson is off to a great start with this movie. It is a bit long, but I was never bored by what was going on. The longer length, along with the fact that the book is being turned into three movies allows for more background and details to be shared.
The movie begins with the older Bilbo when he is starting to write about his adventures. Frodo is also briefly seen. This little bit ties back into the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring. I love that Ian Holm and Elijah Wood are back in the parts too. After those first few minutes, the movie focuses on when Gandalf manages to get Bilbo to go with him on an adventure with thirteen dwarves who want to reclaim their home from a dragon, Smaug. Things end in the middle of the journey, like what happened with the original trilogy.
Middle Earth looks beautiful again, with some locations being visited again. I loved seeing them again, along with the few returning characters. The music fits perfectly with what is going on, and some of it uses bits from the first movies again. The effects are very well done, especially for Gollum. He looks a bit different, which makes sense since he is younger in this movie than he was the last time we saw him, though it is clear that his precious is corrupting him. There is action in several scenes that is well done. The action scenes help to keep things interesting.
The characters are interesting, though most of the dwarves aren't that developed. They do sort of blend in together at times. Martin Freeman is wonderful as the younger Bilbo and it is believable that he is the younger version of Ian Holm's Bilbo. I love Ian McKellen as Gandalf.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is wonderful and well worth checking out. I've been ready to see the second movie since the credits for this one rolled.
I did post a longer review at Epinions after seeing the movie in the theater.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
