Review: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

I’d been looking forward to The Hobbit for quite some time. I bought tickets (VIP seats no less) in advance and counted down the days until December 14^th for months. My excitement was at a fever-pitch last night when the time finally came to return to Middle Earth. So did the film live up to my expectations?  While it’s no Lord of the Rings, and despite its flaws, The Hobbit is a hell of a fun adventure.

The first thing that viewers should note before watching this film is exactly that, that it isn’t LOTR.  Sure, it’s set in the same world, and there are some familiar faces, but the story of The Hobbit is decidedly less grandiose and dark in nature. Whereas the original LOTR trilogy focused on the fate of Middle Earth, this go around is simply a kid-friendly tale of adventure. That’s not a criticism, just the truth. The Hobbit centers on Bilbo Baggins in his younger years, and Martin Freeman downright nails his performance. His Bilbo truly feels like a young version of Ian Holm’s, so series continuity is never an issue. Ian McKellen, Hugo Weaving, and of course Andy Serkis, turn in first-class performances that we’ve come to expect, and they go a long way in filling out the story. The epic visuals compliment the actors beautifully, so no complaints there, and the score, constantly re-calling the dwarfs’ haunting Misty Mountains Cold hymn, adds a great deal of atmosphere. Where the film does falter slightly, however, is in it’s pacing.

The Hobbit the novel isn’t overly long. My copy is just over 300 pages, so when taking into account that this film is merely part 1 of 3, it’s 169 minute run time is exhausting. Too often the story seems drawn out with no real purpose, and while the battle scenes with various races and creatures are great, the spaces in-between grow more and more tiresome as the movie progresses. Were the characters not so endearing, these gaps could have been devastating to the film. Thankfully, there is enough beauty, adventure, and even humor to counteract these shortcomings, and I believe that the majority of LOTR fans will walk away satisfied. Don’t expect the magical, awe-inspiring epic scale that those original 3 films presented, and you will enjoy The Hobbit thoroughly. I, for one, can’t wait to watch the next leg of Bilbo’s journey. Think it’s too early to buy tickets?

Score: 4/5