The Hobbit: An Expected Masterpiece

Rating: 9/10 (17 December 2012)

I'd been anxiously awaiting The Hobbit for a while now, and I have certainly not been the only one. I admit I was kind of skeptical when I found out it would be broken up into three films; I certainly understand doing that with The Lord of the Rings, which is a literary mammoth of its own, but The Hobbit barely tops 300 pages. But I had faith in Peter Jackson et al, and it seems it was not misplaced. I am not so naive as to discard the economic benefit of it, but there are certainly other merits to "stretching out" the story which they could (and do) exploit.
The Hobbit is ambitious in that its three-hour run-time covers only a third of its relatively short source material, so naturally the crew added a lot of back-story and had plenty of time for character development. But little of it felt forced in or otherwise unnecessary. In fact, the film manages to convey the perpetual blitheness of the book and mix it in with more mature thematic elements without taking itself too seriously. If there is one aspect in which I felt the book was lacking was in its character development. For example, in the novel the audience is suddenly introduced to 13 dwarfs, but barely any time is spared afterwards to cultivate them as individuals.
To be fair to Tolkien, The Hobbit is purposefully more easygoing than its sequel and is directed to a younger audience. In that sense it is very successful, but in the end it is a very dense story and the adventures portrayed feel sort of compacted for the sake of brevity. The film manages to give each journey its due time, and with its immense budget it portrays each and every one of them beautifully. That is a merit in and of itself; scenically, the film is astounding and the attention to detail Oscar-worthy. The Shire and Rivendell are as beautiful as ever, if not more so. The wardrobe and makeup are, of course, marvelous, and they should expect a few shout-outs in the upcoming awards. But I digress...
Despite the fact that the filmmakers do take a lot of liberties in their additions, I felt that they were always faithful to the spirit of the original lore. The role of Radagast the Brown, for example, who is barely mentioned in the novel, evidences the ingenuity of the crew (I am being careful not to say "director", because naturally a film of this scale is the product of the collective effort of hundreds if not thousands of people).
As for the actors, it goes without saying that Ian McKellen once more nails his role as Gandalf. This time around, his character appropriately feels a bit younger and more light-hearted, without losing the wisdom, strength and charisma he brought to the original trilogy, adjusting perfectly to the spirit of The Hobbit. The script provides him with more than a couple of wonderful, witty and charming lines that will stick with the viewer, some of which Tolkien wrote himself and others which are the product of the geniality of the filmmakers. His performance is a true tour de force (as tacky as I know that phrase reads).
The unknown variable I was most curious about was Martin Freeman as a young Bilbo Baggins. I'd seen him before as Watson in the BBC series Sherlock Holmes and I suspected, from the trailers, that he would do a wonderful job. If I was surprised, it was for the better. He captures the charm and sometimes self-berating appeal of the character brilliantly. It is also remarkable how he manages to maintain the mien that Ian Holm set as a precedent for Bilbo and make that attitude "younger". I am certainly looking forward to more screen time from him. His dynamic with Gollum in the much-expected riddle scene is also noteworthy (and the scene itself is masterful, as is Serkis as the enigmatic creature).
The film score deserves a mention of its own. Howard Shore had a winning formula with the first three films and he knows just when to "import" the thematic elements that made the music so memorable. But he also takes some risks with his orchestrations and the end result works fantastically. The "Misty Mountain" song from the trailer sees a lot of instrumental variations, which give the film a certain leitmotif without feeling repetitive.
Most of the film works perfectly, or as close as makes no matter. The weakest link for me was Richard Armitage as Thorin. It seems the filmmakers went with the "troubled leader" persona that's admittedly been done to death, but his character is oft more infuriating than anything. However, I expect he will be made more appealing in the following installments. I also felt that the role of the Great Goblin and Azog were a bit too monochromatic.
Despite these shortcomings, The Hobbit is without a doubt a masterpiece in its own rights. There are many more things I could mention but I feel my review is already lengthy enough. Let me recapitulate by saying this: if there are three words I would use to describe this film, they would be CHARMING, ENDEARING and, most of all, ADVENTUROUS. To enjoy the full experience and to relish in the audiovisual spectacle, I would recommend the best home theater system you have access to (if you missed it in the big screen). A film like this doesn't come around very often. Don't miss it for the world.