A Film that is Faithful to the Book

Rating: 7/10 (18 December 2014)

The first thing that you need to know about "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is that this first in Peter Jackson's three-part "Hobbit" film series is a movie that is very faithful to the book. However, there are caveats to that.
For example, some might argue that Jackson's "Hobbit" film is not really all that faithful to Tolkien's book at all. The movie certainly does expand on Tolkien's work, introducing a new chapter into the story that is only mentioned tangentially in the book. In addition, the film explains some details of the story in its first scenes that the book does not deal with until much later. This expansive nature of the film and creative license in how the story is told could be a turn off for Tolkien purists.
Still, the fact remains that this film does take great pains to be faithful to the original source material, and in doing so the final product is a bit of a risky movie venture--risky in the sense that some may not enjoy the nature of the film in the same way that they might enjoy the same story in written form.
For example, one thing that one has to keep in mind when viewing "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is that the film is modeled on a book that is meant to be young-adult fiction, albeit one that was written in a day and age when that category was less popular (or less overtly categorized) than it is today. As such, one must realize that the source material for the film is a children's book that features goblins and dwarfs, and that the book is meant to appeal to pre-teens and teens that are at one and the same time young enough to appreciate adolescent humor and thrills, and yet also mature enough to appreciate battles where goblins and orcs are beheaded.
Jackson's film illustrates this perplex source material quite well, as the movie both has its moments in which it is easy to see how it is meant to appeal to young viewers, and yet at the same time it features somewhat graphic depictions of grisly battle scenes all at the same time.
This is what makes the film risky. The odd mix of adolescent humor and adventure along with more mature themes makes for a story that seems hard to categorize, and hard to imagine where the line might be drawn between fairy tale and mature fantasy.
Still, as with the book, the film has major appeal. But there are more caveats.
For example, one must realize that in being true to the book, the film certainly takes some risk by being drawn out and erratic. For example, the scene early in the film in which the dwarfs are dining with Bilbo and attempting to persuade him to come on a journey with them is indeed quite an accurate depiction of the same scene from the book. However, in the film that scene seems to drag on for quite some time, making it a risky exercise in literary fidelity.
The same is true for the film's hopscotch of battle scenes and grandiose episodes as the group sets out on its journey. The movie certainly runs the risk of being seen as a never-ending shifting of dramatic episodes--but, to anyone who has ever read the book, it's obvious that this is yet another way in which the film is being very faithful to its source.
All that said, when viewing "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey", one may walk away with a poor view of the film if you were hoping for a more succinct, straight forward fantasy account. I know that when I first saw the film during its theatrical release, I was a bit unsettled with the impression that it had left me with.
However, having seen it more than once now, and having now been able to see it as a predecessor to its (far superior) sequel, I now have a much more robust appreciation for the film. It's a grand story that seeks to be faithful to the book by presenting a young adult fantasy theme that is suited for children who are coming of age. If you're able to let go of your adulthood for a few hours and view the film through the eyes of a ten year old, that may help you enjoy the film. And if you should happen to read the book before viewing the "Hobbit" series, that may help your appreciation even more.
Overall I'd give it 7/10 stars.