An MGM picture revival of the Golden Era

Rating: Null/10 (23 September 2019)

As Academy-Award winning director Peter Jackson brings back almost the whole production crew from his greatest success "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" back to Wellington, New Zealand and outstanding creative support by WETA workshops, led by Richard Taylor, this 2012 Christmas movie based on a book by J.R.R. Tolkien from the 1930s withholds all the magic high-craft filmmaking is about.
Shot in native three-dimensional dual splitter system on compact RED digital cameras, the visuals are at no time a bore, delivering splendour CGI effects at the state of the art and a joyful cast, led by Martin Freeman as young Bilbo Baggins and Oscar nominated character "Gandalf, the Grey (wizard)" into an adventure of full imaginative "Middle Earth", where Orcs, Elfs and wolfs linger.
Set as a first part of three part movie series, director P. Jackson has hands full of work from adapting scenes, previsualizations and shooting actors in heavy made-up costumes keeping new arrivals in high-end moviemaking, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott and Graham MacTavish, who come theatre backgrounds, in the mood with all the shooting against green-screens and digital place holders.
"The Hobbit", now seven years on the free market for everyone to watch, stands strong in narrative, spectacles and enjoyment that reprising characters Elrond, Galadriel and Saruman, all played by former "Lord of the Rings" cast members to mention Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett and late Christopher Lee (1922-2015) are high-rise Hollywood entertainment to watch.