A Nutshell Review: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Rating: 10/10 (15 December 2012)

Peter Jackson again took some liberties with the narrative that may irk the purists around us. Some may deem it serious departures from Tolkien's intent and sequence, such as the party's capture by three Trolls amongst others, but I suppose for a film to move things along, and translate effectively from print to screen, these decisions had to be done, in addition to coming up with story-arcs that ups the ante for action, since the first third of the book didn't have much to boast of. But these changes were judiciously applied and I thought effective for the film to gather and introduce a little more background and material, to show how expansive Tolkien's universe actually was, and set to get larger when all the completed films get put together.
What also worked was Jackson's filling of the gaps each time Gandalf disappears in the story, which in the film was a reason to re-assemble thespians such as Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee and Hugo Weaving to reprise their roles, in what would be another over-arching sub plot that sounds out the mysterious developments in Middle Earth revolving around a necromancer, that I'm sure many fans would appreciate additional easter eggs pointing to what's to come. Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins also makes an appearance, in what would be Peter Jackson's way to ease into The Hobbit, sowing the seeds for any viewer in future to link up everything together. With pictures already leaked on more recurring characters, one waits with bated breath how it all gets uniquely intertwined.
Otherwise, this was essentially The Fellowship of the Ring part 2, where instead of a mixed fellowship consisting of hobbits, a dwarf, an elf, a wizard and many humans, this one was predominantly dwarfs led by their de-facto leader Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), who have gathered together, mentored by Gandalf, and introduced to the 14th member of their squad, the reluctant Bilbo Baggins. In a promise of adventure, the true quest here is to recover the legendary kingdom of Erebor at the Lonely Mountain, which the dragon Smaug had massacred dwarfish ancestors and had taken over all of their land and riches. Thinking that Smaug, being unseen for years, could be dead, or time they'd get their act together to take back what's dwarf legacy, this becomes the main objective and plot of the film, in addition to common themes covered such as friendship.
The similarities between the earlier movies and this one cannot be more pronounced. Take away the deliberate, creative aspects, this felt very much like Fellowship of the Ring 2, albeit with a new team and new objective altogether. Thre's this sense of deja vu, whether be it fight scenes in the underground mines of Moria, or being pursued by Orcs and their wolf-dogs, that you'd wonder how else the filmmakers could have deviated or innovated with something new, rather than cutting too close to what many would have already be fairly familiar with. Granted that themes are universal in nature, but this translation to the screen could have been a little bit more varied - do we need another archer in a dwarf to compensate for Legolas' absence, or filler scenes such as the many sweeping shots of landscapes?
I was initially a little apprehensive with Martin Freeman being Bilbo Baggins, but I'm glad to be proved wrong through his superb performance, in perfect balance to bring out those small town principle and values and applying them to the extraordinary situations he finds himself in, making him truly the accidental hero many times over, and drawing us in to this wildcard of a team member within the company of dwarfs. It doesn't matter if one is the smallest or most inexperienced, that it's what inherently inside that counts and inspires. As Gandalf had put it, his choice for the last member of the company is puzzling, but somehow Bilbo gives him courage, which gets proved time and again through the narrative, which I hope to see more of in the following films.
And of course, holding this film together like glue as we get acquainted with the ensemble, is Ian McKellen reprising his role. We get to see more of Gandalf the Grey at his element, shrewd and sly to aid his cause and motives amongst the company, serving as the strong link between two eventual trilogies. Richard Armitage provided his Thorin with natural leadership and charisma, whose development later in the story will almost definitely be heart-wrenching given where the film here had left off in his established friendship with Bilbo. As for the other dwarfs, well, too many and too few screen time for most meant that it's unfortunate they remain in the background, save for a handful played by Ken Stott, Aidan Turner and Dean O'Gorman. Perhaps the other personalities will shine in the forthcoming films.
Being the first film of the trilogy, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, was quite expected in the way things turned out, by playing it safe, adopting a narrative structure similar to The Fellowship of the Ring in its build up, having familiar characters return to the table to provide that level of comfort for audiences returning to Middle Earth, before and hopefully, finding its feet and tangent off on its own as we got left with the usual cliffhanger involving gazing into the horizon, promising a lot more. The Misty Mountains song, already lyric by Tolkien himself in the book, will prep you with goosebumps each time it's sung, by the dwarfs or during the end credits, or when it serves as the broad theme in the soundtrack, lending prominence to the objective charted out for the story.