A solid, greatly entertaining introduction

Rating: 8/10 (15 December 2012)

Key questions come to mind for those who have yet to see this movie. One is: is it as good as the Lord of the Rings films? While I personally believe it is not, that is beyond the point. The Hobbit is a separate story in itself with a different narrative feel, that happens to take place in the same environment. Don't walk into this film expecting it to feel like another Lord of the Rings film, and keep an open mind. One of the other main questions regards the disappointingly mixed critical reception behind the film. As a person who usually cares about critic reviews before seeing films, I must advise you all FORGET ABOUT THE CRITICS ON THIS ONE. "An Unexpected Journey" is a fantastic introduction to the three-part series, and will likely follow with even better sequels to follow. The same idea can be said about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 and Part 2. Part 1 was rated amongst the worst of the Harry Potter films, even though the screen time itself was great when taken in context to the following final act. The same will be said about "An Unexpected Journey". Could it have been better? Sure, there were some areas the film could have done without. On the whole though, this is still a very entertaining fantasy movie, and one which I wouldn't mind seeing another time or two. It perhaps didn't blow me away like "Return of the King" had or the final battle in "Two Towers", but it is still a film I can highly recommend for any fan of Lord of the Rings to go see with some friends or family. 8/10 : B+