Best film of 2012

Rating: 10/10 (29 January 2013)

Bilbo Baggins is swept into a quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarfs led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever  Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum's "precious" ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities . A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.
I wasn't excited to see this as the first set of trailers came out. But after watching The Hobbit, it is in my opinion, equally as brilliant as the first Lord of the Rings film. Originally The Hobbit story was to take place over two films. But Peter Jackson (in George Lucas mode) has decided to turn two into three. So after The Unexpected Journey you'll have The Desolation of Smaug and to conclude, There And Back Again, completing another trilogy.
This news has split fans right done the middle. Nevertheless it's been announced, so what's done is done. I for one I'm excited for the next two offerings. I've been a fan of this universe since the cartoon version of the LOTR's back in the late 70's. Since then the live action films have come and gone and all three have been brilliant on every level, but the Fellowship of The Ring remains my favourite of the film trilogy.
The Hobbit is a fantastic film and I loved every minute of it. So much so, I plan to see it again after already seeing it twice. This film like the first set of LOTR's is just an adventurous thrill ride. The Hobbit is filled with small stories and interesting characters and I can see why Jackson has decided to make this into three films. One would never have been enough, two would've satisfied a lot of fans, but announcing three films now has garnered the attention of a lot more people, who originally didn't plan to see this film. Yeah he's in George Lucas mode, but this is his baby, this is his Star Wars and with Guillermo del Toro leaving The Hobbit to focus on Pacific Rim. It's given Jackson full reign to expand the world of Middle Earth.
The film as I said before is fantastic and that's credit to Jackson's eye for consistency and great story telling. Again it's filmed in his beautiful native New Zealand, Jackson's cinematography is so beautiful, you be wondering if Middle Earth actually exists. Performances are all great and it's hard to pick out a real star of the movie. Martin Freeman as the younger Bilbo is excellent in the role. Capturing all the mannerism and quirks Ian Holm displayed as older Bilbo and makes the character his own. Then we have the dwarfs, who light up the screen every time they're on it. Their storytelling and they're mischievous antics really make you forget The Hobbit's three hour running time. James Nesbitt as Bofur, Graham McTavish as Dwalin and Ken Stott as Balin standout from the dwarfs and are just a joy to watch on screen. But it's Richard Armitage as Thorin who really does an amazing job as the leader of the dwarf pack. He's the Aragorn of the pack and shows leadership and strength as his character leads Bilbo and the dwarfs on their journey to the Lonely Mountain.
Ian McKellen is always brilliant and continues where left with Gandalf the Grey as does Andy Serkis, playing the creepy iconic antagonist Gollum. In fact on the two occasions I saw The Hobbit, Gollum's scenes really had the crowd going. To say he stole the film wouldn't be right but his scenes with Bilbo are memorable and wonderfully filmed.
An honourable mention goes to the villainous Azog, the giant white goblin who has a personal vendetta against Thorin. As fun as The Hobbit is, Azog inclusion changes the tone of the film making it darker in some of the scenes, but it's a welcome change, because he is a scary main antagonist and is another reason why fans should look forward to the next set of films.
Of course it was great to see the other familiar faces from the LOTR's universe, but going back to the dwarfs, they really steal the show. Of course this story is about Bilbo's earlier adventures and Freeman does a great job, but I'll looking forward to the next instalment because of dwarfs Fili, Kili, Oin, Gloin, Thorin Oakenshield, Dwalin, Balin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Dori, Nori, and Ori.
It would be a shame if this film didn't pick up any awards from a technical standpoint, because it looks amazing, despite the 48 frames per second. Jackson's brilliance comes from the fact he (like the first set of LOTR's films) will film this series of films back to back. As far as I know he is the only director to film three movies back to back. And like his first set of LOTR films, and based on the evidence from this first installment of The Hobbit, December can't come soon enough.
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