Ignore the critics, this the Hobbit Trilogy is off to a better start than the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Rating: 9/10 (14 December 2012)

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Review
I was looking forward to "An Unexpected Journey" since the first trailer was released at the end of 2011. I had high expectations for this movie, but once the first reviews from critics came in I thought I had to lower my expectations. This wasn't needed: "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" completely surpassed all my expectations.
One of the things I loved most about this movie was how similar it was to the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. This is the same Middle-earth we all know and love from the "Lord of the Rings" films. The scenery is the same in locations such as Rivendell and the Shire, and this was a good thing, for me anyway. Actors and actresses from the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy reprise their roles for "An Unexpected Journey" and they don't disappoint. Some of the music by Howard Shore from the "Lord of the Rings" reappears here and this is very welcome.
Now that we have discussed the similarities, let's get on to the rest of the movie. I want to start with the acting. You may have heard that Martin Freeman is an extraordinary Bilbo Baggins, and this is true. From the moment Freeman spoke his first line as Bilbo, I knew it. He plays his character with such charisma it is hard to denounce his performance. Ian McKellen is as sharp as ever, reprising his role as Gandalf the Grey. Richard Armitage plays a great Thorin, and he really captures the bitterness, desperation, and coldness of the character. The rest of the dwarfs are likable but you can't really connect deeply with all of them. Most of the critics didn't like this but I didn't mind it. I don't believe it was ever the intention of Tolkien to establish a deep connection with all of the dwarfs. Andy Serkis steals the show as Gollum, the obsessed degenerate creature. Gollum looks incredibly and I got shivers by just how fiercely he delivered his lines. The actors and actresses all did fantastic jobs in this film.
The CGI looks absolutely incredible and very realistic. Some of the scenes my jaw dropped by just how epic the movie got and how astounding the effects were. "An Unexpected Journey" features tons of CGI, which a lot of critics seemed to dislike. I didn't mind it, in fact I liked it because it looked so good!
The soundtrack of "An Unexpected Journey" by Howard Shore is marvellous and has the same feel as the "Lord of the Rings." This is a great thing. The soundtrack to the "Lord of the Rings" was perfect and it is in "An Unexpected Journey" to.
Now that we have talked about what makes the movie so great, I want to talk a little about what is actually in the movie. The premise is simple: Bilbo Baggins is recruited by Gandalf the Grey into the Company of Thorin Oakenshield as the Burglar. They journey a long distance and most of the way they fight great battles with giant monsters. The action was very well done.
I watched this in 24 frames per second in 3D. The 3D was absolutely incredible is some scenes. In one of the scenes I even tried to get out of the way of a boulder, that is how immersing it is!
Lastly, and probably the least important, but "An Unexpected Journey" is actually really funny! There were a lot of good moments where I could not help but laugh.
So the movie may sound perfect so far. My only real complain was that some of the scenes dragged on a bit to long. However, again, I did not mind this because even when I felt the scene was getting long it was still well done.
There were many movies that came out this year. When I came into "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" I knew my favourite movie of 2012 would be between "the Hobbit," "the Avengers" and "the Dark Knight Rises." I am very pleased to say "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" was my favourite movie of the year by far. This movies only flaw is some scenes drag on two or three minutes to long. This is not a big enough issue to give "An Unexpected Journey" anything other than a 10 out of 10. Go watch this movie right now, it deserves your money and I am looking forward very much to the next Hobbit.