Welcome back to Middle Earth!

Rating: 7/10 (5 February 2013)

Directed by Peter Jackson. Starring Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen and Richard Armitage. Written by: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Guillermo del Toro and J.R.R Tolkien.
" True courage is not when to take a life. It's when to spare one"
'Bilbo Baggins is swept into a quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen Dwarfs led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield.'
Peter Jackson did a fantastic job with this film. His direction was great and he controls the story from beginning to end. His cinematography is amazing. As like his earlier trilogy of LOTR, there are plenty of panning crane shots as the characters travel and the camera usage during battle is nothing less than flawless. His efforts with the Gollum scenes were my particular favorites. I was astonished with the reactions I felt during the 'Riddle Game' between Bilbo Baggins and Gollum. Such a simple idea but my heart was pounding throughout. The mannerisms of Gollum, the atmosphere, the fear in Bilbo's eyes and the creeks and sounds from the background made this an excellent display. The CGI was exquisite in this film yet it brings out the only flaw in my opinion. There was more CGI usage than actual sets. That disappointed me. It stole the realism away from the film.
The acting in this picture is excellent. Ian McKellen is once again great as Gandalf the Grey. I particularly enjoy watching McKellen portray the Grey version of Gandalf than the White used in the LOTR trilogy. The make-up and effects used to make the character younger was phenomenal. Another superb performance goes to Richard Armitage portraying Thorin. Through out the film, he is the Dwarf that brings the most discipline and leadership. He wants nothing but to retain his fallen kingdom. He thinks of Bilbo only as useless weight. He barely acknowledges him throughout the journey and has no faith in the hobbit, bringing him down inch by inch. Yet at the end, he shows his true colors. It's a notable transition.
The score in this movie was it's strongest feature. There are many themes used from the LOTR trilogy that fit very nicely in the appropriate scenes. They also created a new sound for this film. Most particularly the Lonely Mountain theme. It fits perfectly in the crane shots used to follow the characters march onward and as the Dwarfs are in battle.
In the end, this motion picture isn't on par with the LOTR trilogy but it's a magnificent film in it's own right. A must see.