Middle-Earth Comes Alive In Breathtaking Detail, Once Again.

Rating: Null/10 (28 December 2012)

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings did cement Tolkien's legacy into the annals of literature but it wasn't the novel that really started the Middle-Earth mythology. Instead, it began years ago when Tolkien wrote a fantasy novel called The Hobbit, a children's book very lighthearted & innocent in its tone compared to its much darker successor.
Decades later, at the dawn of the new millennium, The Lord of the Rings made a historical transition to the silver screen. And so when the filmmakers decided to adapt The Hobbit on film canvas as well, they didn't only have to make it reasonably faithful to its source material but also had a daunting task of living up to the mighty successful on-screen adaptation of The Lord of the Rings.
And thanks to the mixed reviews this film received at its time of release, which as a result dented my expectations from it quite heavily, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey turned out to be an absolute feast for the eyes & is one hell of an on-screen adaptation of Tolkien's work which, in my opinion, is unfortunately marred by only one major drawback; its inevitable comparison to The Lord of the Rings.
Serving as a prequel to the events depicted in The Lord of the Rings, An Unexpected Journey is the first chapter in the planned trilogy & follows the adventures of a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins who is tricked by Gandalf the Grey into joining the company of thirteen dwarfs headed by Thorin Oakenshield in their quest to enter the Lonely Mountain & reclaim their lost Kingdom of Erebor from Smaug the dragon.
Expanding a relatively slim book into three major feature films when the entire story could've been told in a single film did allow Peter Jackson the opportunity to milk almost every event of the book for all its worth but it also robbed the film of a steadier pace. Nevertheless, Jackson's direction once again brings Middle-Earth alive in all its majesty & he does a neat job in bringing this chapter as close as possible to his magnum opus.
Coming to the technical aspects, the production design team does a fabulous job in bringing back the homely Bag End, the evergreen Shire & the dazzling Rivendell on the big screen plus the new sets are equally stunning to look at. Cinematography captures each frame in meticulous detail, editing is a let down this time & unlike The Lord of the Rings, even the extended edition doesn't add much to the overall experience.
The visual effects of The Lord of the Rings commenced a new era for VFX in film & was a groundbreaking feat of its time. The Hobbit unfortunately brings nothing new to the table & its heavy reliance on CGI over practical effects robs the film of the grounded realism the previous trilogy had. Lastly, the film is beautifully scored from start to finish & marks another glorious achievement in Howard Shore's career.
Featuring an ensemble cast of new & reprising actors, Martin Freeman & Ian McKellen deliver outstanding performances as Bilbo Baggins & Gandalf the Grey, respectively. There are thirteen dwarfs in this nearly three hours long film & yet only one of them gets a proper introduction. However, it's Andy Serkis once again who steals the show as Gollum plus the riddle sequence between him & Bilbo is the only moment when this film felt as magical as The Lord of the Rings.
On an overall scale, despite its bloated length & other inconsistencies, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is still an unexpectedly impressive commencement of another Middle-Earth adventure. There are few missteps along the road but most of its footing is spot-on. Faithfully adapted, wonderfully crafted & cleverly concluded, An Unexpected Journey may not be as memorable or spellbinding as The Lord of the Rings but it nevertheless begins The Hobbit film series on a right note & it'll be very interesting to see where it journeys from here.