A Tremendous Introduction

Rating: 9/10 (14 December 2012)

The Lord of the Rings has been a timeless epic classic that is hard for other fantasy, Tolkien wannabe movies to capture its magic and so far, director Peter Jackson is probably the only one who can capture it. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the first part of a split trilogy of its prequel. Though, J.R.R. Tolkien's book is not really that long for a split and the film is even a lot longer as the story's introduction. The result of the movie is it's rather too long and a bit slow but the experience is still worth it. With its spectacular visuals and grand scale, it's all pretty exciting. Despite of its stretch, the film's genuinely unique enjoyment made this easily one of the best blockbusters of the year.
As it is said, it's too long for an introduction of the shortest Lord of the Rings story, but no matter what you think about the runtime you'll still get to enjoy it. The magic of the last series is still there. The only difference is the pacing and it has a lot of flashbacks but there's no denying that every scene of the film is entertaining. The film has some goofy moments with the dwarfs that are quite delightful and amusing. When it comes to the action, it's has the thrills and excitement that we don't usually get in most blockbusters these days. The performances are remarkable as always. Martin Freeman makes a charming young Bilbo Baggins. Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf and still got it. Richard Armitage is filled with vulnerability and gravity as Thorin. Ken Stott and James Nesbitt gave their characters some wonderful personalities.
Peter Jackson returns giving this the same epic tone and heart of the original trilogy. It's best when there's a genuine fortitude in the large suspenseful sequences. The visuals just got more stunning and eye candy. The CGI effects are exceptionally gorgeous. Same goes to the cinematography that made every landscape in Middle Earth look so magnificent. It's always been like that but with higher quality(and High Frame Rate) it's never been this marvelous. The music score is quite excellent, seems like it's going to be a new classic theme music.
The ending of the film would definitely excite many for the next part. The film's scale made this such a satisfying cinematic experience. Fans of the series will definitely love it if they didn't bother about the runtime. Even newcomers might get fascinated. The trilogy split is still unnecessary. Ending up making this introduction pretty humongous, but that's what's awesome about this film. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey may be too long but it's still worth it by its amazing filmmaking and fun adventures.