The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey-A great film that will always live in the shadow of its predecessor

Rating: 6/10 (17 December 2012)

Sir Peter Jackson's adaption of J.R.R Tolkiens epic, The Lord of the Rings, was a masterpiece. The audience's attachment to the characters was unparalleled as was the cinematography and vistas. Ten years later, Peter Jackson's adaption of The Hobbit has hit theaters with much anticipation. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey stars newcomer Martin Freeman in the title role as Bilbo Baggins; Freeman plays the role perfectly with distinction while capturing the innocence and skepticism of a Hobbit. Richard Armitage plays Dwarven prince Thorin Oakenshield; he captures the roughness of the character while also portraying the loyalty to his race and his evolving "kingliness". Returning are Ian McKellan as Gandalf, Hugo Weaving as Elrond, Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, Elijah Wood as Frodo, Ian Holm as an elderly Bilbo, and Andy Serkis as Gollum.
Unlike the Fellowship, in the Hobbit, you never really get to know each and every dwarf. In the Fellowship of the Ring characters were introduced at different points during the story, allowing room for expansion. In An Unexpected Journey, all 13 of the dwarfs are thrown (literally) at the audience in rapid succession, allowing no room for further character development. Nonetheless, you do get the sense that the dwarfs have a strong bond as warriors and comrades. Standouts among the dwarfs include Thorin, Balin, and Bofur. To illustrate my point, I don't think Bombur said a word the whole movie! Jackson also brings Radagast the brown into his adaption. Radasgast was not seen in the book; his character in the movie borders on ridiculousness but due to the lighter-tone his ridiculousness is part of the fun.
Jackson made the decision to turn the Hobbit into a trilogy mainly because he pulled material from the appendices of the Return of the King, such as the white council. Personally, I think that two films would have been perfect for the Hobbit. Two films would have given Jackson enough time to make a loyal translation of the book without making a literal translation. At some points during An Unexpected Journey, you can tell that a certain sequence was drawn out in order to make the film a trilogy. Such as the battle scene between two rock giants. The Hobbit involves great acting and visual effects, and humor. The Hobbit is a light-hearted story and the humor fits perfectly within the movie, hitting at the right spots. Contrary to the general opinion, I did not feel like the film was drawn out, the three hours flew by quickly and I also did not think that the beginning was slow, in fact I thought that the time in Bag End was one of the best sequences in the whole movie. It was the "deep breath before the plunge".
After the company leaves Rivendell, the movie is pretty much non-stop action. While entertaining, the overuse of CGI made some of the action sequences look very fake, especially in the high frame rate. In particular "the pale orc" Azog looked like he was ripped straight out of a video game. In Jackson's previous Middle Earth entries most of the villains were actors in makeup, which gave them a living, breathing, and more frightening appearance. A great example of this is Lurtz from the Fellowship of the Ring. The CGI works perfectly for Gollum who looks better than ever. "Riddles in the Dark" is easily the best scene in the whole movie. Andy Serkis deserves an Oscar for his performance as Gollum.
In conclusion, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is an exciting, well-acted, visually appealing experience of perfect length full of masterful cinematography, welcome humor and too much CGI. The "riddles in the dark" sequence with Gollum is amazing. It may not be quite as emotionally striking as the Fellowship of the ring was because the stakes are not as high; Peter Jackson has six more hours of movie to make us really care about all the characters in the company of dwarfs, I suggest that he uses that time wisely. Still, It is a great start to what will hopefully be another great trilogy. Can't Wait until the blu-ray extended edition is released!
8/10
NOTE: I did see the film in the revolutionary 48fps format. It looked great, I don't understand why so many people don't like it. Anyone who is skeptical should see it in the traditional format. Those who are interested should see it in 48fps.