Class of 2001.

Rating: 9/10 (18 December 2012)

It's been eleven years since Peter Jackson brought us groundbreaking Lord of the Rings trilogy, and nine years since The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the mother of all conclusions. It went on to win every award that it was nominated for, and damn did it deserve it. Wow, it's really hard to believe that that was nine years ago. Nine years after that extraordinary film, Peter Jackson has brought us what is one of the most highly anticipated films of the year: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. I'm going to call it The Hobbit Part 1, because the title is way too long.
So, I'm going to lay it out there: If you have no idea what a Hobbit is, who Gandalf is, who Bilbo is, what an orc is, you have no business being there. I'm sorry, it's true. It won't be nearly as special. I love the first three, especially the finale. They are all masterful. But this one has been getting mixed signals. I wasn't expecting it to be as good, so when I heard the mixed reviews, I became slightly skeptical. But once I sat down in that chair, and the movie started, and I heard that Lord of the Rings tune, it felt as if I was taken back to 2001 when I saw the original. It won me over immediately.
The film is set 60 years before the trilogy, where Bilbo (Love Actually's Martin Freeman, who is the perfect choice) encounters Gandalf the Grey(the always wonderful Ian Mckellan, welcome back) one afternoon, and his life is changed forever. A group of dwarfs come knocking on his door, and they want to win back their town from a dragon named Smaug who has basically destroyed it. Smaug, by the way, is living in a palace filled with treasure.
Now, another reason why I was skeptical was because of the decision to turn one little book into a trilogy. Is the trilogy necessary? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Jackson has squeezed every single detail from the book into this movie, and it really makes you wonder what the next six hours of the trilogy will encounter. But the way I see it, the more the merrier.
Part 1 has moments of greatness, many moments, in fact. But yet there are some moments that could've been cut. The best moment of the film comes about two hours in, when Bilbo and Gollum(played perfectly once again by Andy Serkis. Give this man an Oscar already!) play a game of riddles.
The Hobbit could've been shorter, and two movies could've sufficed, but Jackson is a master. He knows what he's doing, and I'm hoping that his vision is accurate. I had a really good time at The Hobbit Part 1. It's got all of the majesty and magic that the first three had, and I can't wait for the next two I still don't understand the mixed reviews. Critics can go screw themselves, this is really good. Lord of the Rings good? Eh, but close enough.
Oh,last thing, bring back Gollum. I don't care if his character is through, find a way to bring him back. And while you're at it, go ahead and bring back Galadriel, Sarumon, Elrond, and Frodo(it was nice seeing you all again). The nostalgia really helped tie the movie together nicely. Please. Thank you.
A-