This May Be a Classic In Time?

Rating: 7/10 (18 December 2012)

7 Stars = Very Good
As a big fan of "the Lord of the Rings" trilogy, which I consider the best trio of films ever made, I was ecstatic to hear about a prequel trilogy in "the Hobbit" & that Peter Jackson was helming them! I know many don't share that point of view on this new trio of films that have read the books, but as I have not read either "the Lord of the Rings" or "the Hobbit," it pretty much goes without saying that I'm not here to compare the movies to books, but movies to movies. So with much relish, I went to "the Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" today, & to be honest, I was not overwhelmed, but I was not underwhelmed either.
Yes, I went into this film reading several reviews about it, so I was not expecting the pure cinematic magic & genius of the prior films, & I didn't get that, but I got a film that may go on to classic status, but never masterpiece. Without giving a million things away about the film, I will say that there are several down falls here. For one, "the Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" does not have the feeling of impending doom & desperation that the first three have. It veers to far towards a children's film the first half of the movie, with to much cuteness & comedy taking place, & not enough serious content. Though it starts out pretty good in setting the story up the first 15-20 minutes, one has to wonder how the dwarfs ever made it to the status of overlords? Their pretty much portrayed as something more akin to "Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs," as all except a couple of the dwarfs are inept in their intelligence, & seem to want to just eat, drink & be merry. Here I think Jackson made the same mistake as "Star Wars" episodes, "Return of the Jedi" (discounting the final show down between Luke, Darth Vader, & the Emperor), & "the Phantom Menace." Jackson dummied the movie down to appeal to a young audience, taking the chance of alienating the older adult audience. Also, another mistake made in this film is that Jackson threw everything he could possibly dream up in "Middle Earth," & tossed it at you like a asteroid hurdling towards you through the movie screen at the speed of light. I mean, there was two, maybe three times the variety of creatures than previous films, & just to many characters to really be able to grasp & hold on to, & feel a real connection with. There was just to much shoved into a to small time frame of space, even if the film is almost three hours long. In this respect, "the Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" pales before the first three films, but then again, this is a very tall order, & Jackson is proved to be human after all. Another downfall for me was that Bilbo Baggin's character just was not what I expected, but I can see him growing into the character I knew from "The Lord of the Rings." Especially starting with the meeting of Bilbo & Gollom, in a very well done scene on how Bilbo acquired the "Precious." I can see this character maturing & becoming the heart of the films.
Even with all I said I didn't like about "the Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" there is more I liked. I really can't put a finger on it, but I feel this film will grow on me with repeated viewings. It has a great premise, & a director that is capable of taking it to greater heights with the two following films, if he fixes the mistakes made here. I do have to say the 3-D was amazing, & really made "Middle Earth" come to life, though in the fast moving sequences, there was some blur with the background. This will most likely be fixed & improved on. It also does not hurt that many characters from "The Lord of the Rings" have returned with the same actors. I look forward to their roles & the part they'll play in the future films!
All in all, this is a film that may reach classic status with me in time. It was a huge undertaking, & had almost the impossible task to live up to "Lord of the Rings." For the time being, I'll rate this a very good film, that you should see for yourself & make your own opinion. It is well worth the watch!