Exactly what it needed to be.

Rating: 10/10 (14 December 2012)

It's been an Age or two since I saw a Tolkien film for the first time -- I was last about ten or so. I never had the pleasure of seeing the Ring trilogy in theater's, much less at a midnight premier, but tonight was going to be full of unexpected pleasures anyhow.
Sitting in the theatre and hearing Ian Holm's opening narration was like coming home.
While the prologue was a little slow in the telling, from the moment Bilbo says, "In a hole in the ground, there live a hobbit..." I was spellbound. I actually moved up several rows in the theatre to better immerse myself in Middle-Earth, and my popcorn lay forgotten to one side. Once again, Peter Jackson's direction brought the story to life in ways I had only hoped for.
Admittedly, it begins slowly, and the Radagast sequence did not so much build tension as it did slow the movie down, I deeply appreciate the glimpses we got of the White Council, and the Necromancer plot line in general. Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, and Sir Christopher Lee once again exude power -- especially Blanchett, who sends shivers up the spine with the control she has even over one of the Istari. Her minutes on film were far too brief.
Speaking of acting, Martin Freeman's Bilbo is flawless. I cannot begin to describe how much the little hero endears me to him. While he perhaps has a more combative role in the films than in the original books, one of my favorite moments is when he stands before Azog the Defiler and silently guards Thorin. It's beautifully shot, but it's the grim determination in Freeman's gaze that truly sells it.
Also much appreciated is the extensive use of Tolkien's songs in the film. "Far Over the Misty Mountains..." made me tear up in the theatre, and I will be shocked and deeply offended if the score does not at least get nominated for an Oscar this year. The film's variation on the "Concerning Hobbits" from the trilogy did not go unnoticed, and was also wonderful.
Pacing is probably this film's only flaw. The acting, cinematography, and continued references to the history of Middle-Earth were all spot on, and there was not a single omission of information. I once again have fallen in love with the 'verse that shaped much of childhood, and will be forever thankful for Mr. Jackson's films once again.