A Nostalgic Return.

Rating: 9/10 (14 December 2012)

From the great list of directors the world has seen, none are more deserving to be called the king of fantasy than Peter Jackson. His ability to adapt material & transport an audience is incredible. He now gives us an evocative & welcome return to Middle Earth with a lighter story but with some of the same & plenty of new characters. The world of film was never quite the same since Lord of the Rings wrapped up. The stakes here are not as high as the previous trilogy, but the level of epicness is apparent & the story promises to get darker over the next two installments.
The movie as plenty of great cinematic moments; the prologue and final escape/battle but what stands out (my favorite chapter in the book) is Riddles in the Dark with Gollum and Bilbo; it is pure cinematic magic. Jackson creates drama & intrigue from an outcome many of the viewers are familiar with. It was the movie's best part & it proves that Freeman was the perfect casting choice for Bilbo.
The newer aspects of the adventure story; dwarven culture, goblins/orcs with a slight narrative arc, and a new wizard makes the film feel richer. Richard Armitage gives a commanding performance as Thorin & will likely be one of the new trilogy's most endearing characters. We're one movie in and you can already tell his character has been fleshed out nicely. His 'far over the misty mountains' song with the dwarfs was chilling. It may be Bilbo's story, but the changes Thorin undergoes during the 3 films will be just as significant. Jackson made a bold decision to include all of the books 13 dwarfs and gives them distinct personalities and design (something the book clearly failed to do). Though not accomplished yet, by the end of the trilogy I am sure most will be easily identified; that's saying something for a large group of secondary characters. The goblins are given character; an underground monarchy as well as a intimidating chief antagonist with a bone to pick with the dwarf leader. I also loved the new nature-centric wizard, Radagast, and look forward to how his story plays out. All these elements greatly enhance Tolkein's version of the book in my opinion and makes the narrative more interesting.
Jackson's trademark epic sweeping shots & battle sequences are evident again and add to the film's grandeur. Howard Shore's musical genius also marks a return mixing some familiar notes with new themes.
Overall, Jackson was born to bring Tolkeins work on the big screen (and his own little additions and subtractions here & there). He captures the book's lighter tone (even the songs!) while setting up a greater & darker epic for the later installments. So sit back, relax, & enjoy the adventure.