The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

ATTN:  MOVIE SPOILERS INCLUDED

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

December 2012

4 out of 5 bags of popcorn for the overall movie

4 out of 5 boxes of milk duds for my own personal entertainment

My Suggestion:  Theatre

The gist:  The prequel to the LOTR trilogy, this is the story of Bilbo Baggins and his journey to help a group of Dwarves reclaim their home.  His adventure starts with a visit from the wizard Gandalph the Grey who convinces Bilbo to join their quest.  During his journey he meets the creature Gollum and gains possession of a “precious” ring of great power.

My take:

I saw this movie in 3D which I normally do not like, however, this is one movie that really shines in that medium!  As a LOTR fan I was nervous about Bilbo’s character and if I would grow to love him as much as Frodo.  I did not need to worry at all, not only was Bilbo completely unassuming and lovable but all the characters were wonderful. 

I enjoyed the very beginning of the movie and the interactions between Bilbo Baggins and Frodo.  Within about 20 minutes of that time I began to lose interest as the dwarves descended on Bilbo’s house and things got VERY cheesy and childish VERY quickly.  Just as I was starting to get annoyed the dwarves got serious and so did the movie (thank gawd!!)  The scenery was beautiful and breathtaking as the travelers began their journey and throughout the entire movie. 

The meeting of Bilbo Baggins and Gollum was definitely a powerful moment.  As they began interacting I was literally getting chills because of all the history of Gollum’s character and watching Bilbo gain courage was truly one of the most commanding moments in the entire film.  I began to get annoyed again as their conversation went on and on and on and on.  That interaction in my opinion needed to be about half as long.

There were many parts of the film that reminded me of watching a video game.  This was confusing and in my opinion added very little to the movie.  (for example the scene where the dwarves are being chased through the mountainous caverns by the orcs)

I did like this movie, but thought it was WAY too long.  That definitely affected my opinion of this film.  As I left the theatre I kept trying to figure out how much I liked the movie.  Because of my love for the LOTR trilogy I think I was able to love this movie more than I think most people would.  It was great in parts and not great in others.