Amazing

Rating: 9/10 (11 December 2012)

This is the first movie I've seen in the cinema for a long time. I went to see it because I am a fan of all of Tolkiens works and enjoyed the original LotR trilogy, but mostly because I wanted to experience the 48FPS to see if it could correct what I don't like about seeing a film on a huge screen; the lack of clarity and blur for the most part.
The film exceeded my expectations in every way. Whereas the LotR trilogy made some changes to the story which annoyed me, the first Hobbit movie has made almost no adjustments to the story, the big one being (trying to avoid detailed spoilers) the inclusion of a Goblin who was killed by Thorin, not simply maimed. I like where I think they are taking that part of the story, but I believe the Goblins son (who does appear in the Hobbit book anyway) would have been a better fit.
The 48FPS presentation really does make the big screen watch-able for me, bringing out a clarity and sharpness that is usually only available in the living room. A lot of movie critics like the rustic charm of 24, but to my digital age eyes, it simply looks old on anything larger than a regular television.
The 3D was good although I found some of the fight sequences too fast to actually keep up with. I'll admit to ducking from a flaming pine cone! All the technical details aside, I was simply drawn into the story and held spellbound for almost three hours. A good mix of humour, character moments, action and wonder made the time fly.
Martin Freeman made for an amazing Bilbo, Ian McKellan played the younger and less brooding Gandalf perfectly and I enjoyed the more serious adaptation of Thorin Oakenshield (it was great to see the sequence where he got that last name in the film too!) Cameos from the White Council members were interesting as well and I'm looking forward to seeing where that leads.
Easily the highlight of the film was the sequence between Bilbo and Gollum. Even if I hadn't enjoyed the rest of the movie, this was just magic of every order.
But I did enjoy the rest of the movie and I will happily pay to see it again on the big screen. Looking forward to more in a years time!