Transporting

Rating: 9/10 (13 December 2012)

The mountain kingdom of Erebor contains an immense amount of natural riches, gold and gems, and it attracts attention of other peoples, as well as that of the fire-breathing dragon, Smaug. It drives the Dwarven people from their home there, and they become scattered, without a land to call their own. 12 of them, led by the bitter and proud king, Thorin(not wanting help from those that did not give it when they were attacked, and having trouble trusting other people... this(and others in this) could have been obnoxious if not done right, and this never happens, it steers carefully clear of Emoville), some of them warriors(the rest(that you can classify as more "unlikely heroes") merely capable enough, and loyal, one of the themes in this, along with love, loss, friendship, sacrifice and the overcoming of greed and selfishness), joined by Gandalf the Grey(who does more "tricks" in this than we've seen him do before) who is charged with finding the last member, and chooses, to everyone else's surprise, the titular hobbit, Bilbo(a modern individual having to deal with ancient surroundings, with language and tradition allowing that connection, a polite, awkward gentleman, a fish out of water when on an adventure, his first, and having to mature and form his identity, with being son of a Baggin and a Toke... which is dominant? He comes across like a drafted soldier, he didn't expect to be there, well, now he is, and his effort can save lives... will he answer the call?). Comparison to the trilogy of The Lord of the Rings films(which you do not need to watch first, albeit there are hints towards it that you will appreciate if you have, with roles returning(strangely looking 70 years older than they're supposed to be...)) is unavoidable - the instant thing to note is that this is a fairie tale, while that is epic fantasy, meaning this is less complex and more light, child-friendly(got 'em? Bring 'em. Don't just send them to it, go with them. You'll enjoy it, together). Seriously, this has such charm and humor(more than the other three combined), you can't help but be swept up in it, enjoy this all-out dive into the expanding world of Middle Earth that surrounds you(unlike Fellowship, this is not gradually getting you used to it), with several, distinct and credible, beautiful New Zealand locations and creative, unforgettable monster designs(Orcs, trolls and ones we haven't seen before... more total than the others), prosthetics that allow for immense expression. That's part of the great blend of seamless CGI and practical FX that have you believing in all you see in this. Where this is going to bother people is its slow pace, lack of drive and minimal plot(keep in mind that the Rings novels, put together, are 3 times longer than this one... yes, there is a lot of padding, stuff that could have been cut, if Jackson hadn't, presumably so the fans wouldn't have to wait so long, decided to just put the Extended Edition of the picture in the cinema... with that said, there's nothing I wouldn't miss!). If you're only casually into fantasy, or you're here for the story(which, here, starts and stops, stalls, goes off on tangents) more than the exposition, the parts that flesh out the universe it takes place in, you may not like this, and I can't really blame you(only respectfully disagree... I personally enjoyed this the most of the four). As such, there are many characters and all have personality and lines(many of them memorable, and the dialog remains old English, without requiring notes to keep up with), and plenty of eye-candy and action(fast, exciting, well-choreographed and nicely balancing being chaotic with allowing you to keep up with it, to where you can follow the progress, and yet can't recount it completely afterwards, and so much going on(without being overwhelming) that you can see it again, and just look at another part of the screen... and the climax is amazing). The 3D of this is similar to that of Avatar, it doesn't throw stuff at you constantly, it builds atmosphere. And if you have a chance to watch the 48 frames per second(twice the usual), which brightens it up and smooths out the motion, I suggest it, if you don't think you're prone to getting sick from it. It takes 15 minutes to get used to(until then, it looks sped-up), at times it can look "digital fake", and it is a slight strain on your eyes(don't force them to concentrate on much else the rest of that day... it'll be worth it)... and other than that, it truly feels like it's right in front of you. There is a lot of mild, bloodless violence and potentially disturbing content in this. I recommend this to any fan of the franchise. 9/10