The Hobbit In Review

Rating: 9/10 (15 September 2013)

Peter Jackson returns to Middle-Earth, as the first part of The Hobbit trilogy. Set 60 years prior to The Lord of the Rings. This time around there is a fair chunk of new faces and characters, along with some of the old ones back from Rings.
The dragon Smaug has taken over the Dwarven Kingdom of Erebor and forced the dwarfs out. Persistent on taking back his throne, Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) is prepared to do whatever it takes to take it back.
Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) sees a much younger Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) sitting outside his home of Bag End, and convinces him to take an Unexpected Journey.
This film was awe-inspiring with the multi-talented cast which included Rings actors Cate Blanchett (Galadriel), Christopher Lee (Saruman), Ian Holm (Older Bilbo) and Elijah Wood (Frodo) along with some new faces, and this time around, instead of a Fellowship of races, we have 13 dwarfs And a Hobbit.
Also back in his reprised role as Gollum, Andy Serkis takes a step back and takes up Second Unit Director, and brings a fresh look with Peter's old look to Middle-Earth.
The other thing I must mention is the soundtrack. There are two songs that are from the dwarven cast members and an emotional roller-coaster at the end with Tim Finns, Song of the Lonely Mountain, where he sums up the story in one simple song. True to Peter Jackson's style, this movie runs for 169 minutes, but with all the action and adventure, it doesn't feel that long at all. The actors, landscapes and soundtrack are enough to keep the audience watching.
The Hobbit is everything you'd expect Fun, action filled and has comedic points. This is a must see for 2012, and for a few hours of your time, definitely worth it.
9/10