A Welcome Return to Middle Earth!

Rating: 10/10 (4 May 2014)

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey brings back a flood of old memories as we are welcomed back to Middle Earth, nine years after the Return of the King. The Hobbit is just as awesome as any of those films, even though it's more of a different film. This is more light-hearted and colorful than the LOTR trilogy. However, the film is still very lengthy but there are some good action scenes, many funny moments, excellent CGI, and great acting. This film reminds me of the Fellowship of the Ring, but in a good way of course.
Peter Jackson returns to direct the first of this new trilogy and it's set sixty years before the events of the LOTR. Bilbo Baggins has been recruited by Gandalf and thirteen dwarfs led by Thorin Oakenshield to reclaim their mountain that was taken away by Smaug, a fierce dragon.
The acting is very good. We see some familiar faces here in the likes of Ian McKellan, Elijah Wood, Ian Holm, Andy Serkis, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, and Christopher Lee. Some of these actors shouldn't have been in this film, but nonetheless their parts are still good. McKellan still makes a great Gandalf. Andy Serkis makes a welcome return as Gollum and the riddle scene between Bilbo and Gollum is perhaps the greatest moment of this film. As for the newcomers, Martin Freeman makes a great Bilbo and is better than what I have thought. Richard Armitrage is great as Thorin, the leader of the dwarfs.
Overall, The Hobbit is an excuse just to reach into Middle Earth again, but a great excuse. I wasn't expecting a return here, but I'm most definitely glad there was. I'm fine with all the additions to the story because if anything, it enhances it. It's nice to see background of what happened to our heroes. A fantastic beginning of this new trilogy. I rate this film 10/10.