Different

Rating: 8/10 (1 June 2013)

Having watched the original Lord of the Rings Trilogy and being a massive fan, I expected huge things from The Hobbit and needless to say, it provided. The story was delivered well, with the cut-away stories that won't be found in the book (but are however hinted at) proving exciting and intriguing as it links up the two Trilogies.
The overall look of the film is different from The Lord of the Rings, it is a lot more animation heavy and at points light-hearted. Many feel that this is a flaw with the the film and while I can reason with that. I, however, am indifferent. After reading the novel I understood that it was aimed more towards children and was meant to be more 'kid-friendly'. So on that front, the film succeeds, it delivers the film with that warm glow without overdoing it. On the other hand, a large proportion of the audience will be people who are expecting another Lord of the Rings, darker and more 'real'. So in other words, this is The Hobbit, not the Lord of the Rings and while the two are part of the same universe, they are different stories and must be treated so.
The film does an excellent job at showcasing it's characters and revealing who they are, with the exception of the dwarfs. With there being such a large number of dwarfs (13) it would be impossible to establish characters for each one, however they do try. They stick to a few important dwarfs which I feel was a smart move by Peter Jackson, the director, allowing the audience not to feel overwhelmed with the amount of information being thrown at them. Then of course, Bilbo Baggins, our main character as played by Martin Freeman who does an excellent job. Through Bilbo we see that stubbornness, and fright at anything that he isn't familiar with, eventually giving in to his curiosity and following the dwarfs on their quest. The main attribute that stands out in Bilbo is his bravery which. At first he is keen to shake the idea that he is of no use to the dwarfs and ultimately makes things worse but as the story reaches it's end we see Bilbo eventually earn the respect of his companions, something the audience feel is deserved by this point.
The story is resented well in a fun and exciting manor that, while containing some silly and bizarre elements is strong and holds the attention of it's watchers. From the moment of it's beginning, to it's end, the films tempo changes little. From the refreshing beginning which depicts the events just before the Fellowship of the Ring to the end which makes us determined to explore the next part of the company's journey we rarely lose interest. It keeps very true to the original book which was only what was expected of it in fairness but my main concern is Radagast the Brown. This eccentric wizard is acted well so there is no complaint there but it's more how out of place he seems. It feels as though he was thrown in because he had to be, and then his ridiculous rabbit sledge is pushing the boundaries of silly.
In general, this film was a fantastic watch, which falls short only on a few occasions. For a fan of Middle-Earth this won't disappoint, for a fan of the Lord of the Rings it shouldn't disappoint and for a fan of good film this certainly will not disappoint.