Middle-Earth awaits you...again

Rating: 8/10 (12 March 2013)

The best way to start off a review of a movie, especially one like "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is to start off with this burning question that has been on everyone's mind (including mine): How on Middle-earth would you take a prequel book which is 300 pages long (mine's 287) into three movies? According to director/co-writer Peter Jackson and his screenwriters Guillermo Del Toro, Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyens, they wanted to expand the story a bit more by using the appendices by the back of the Lord of the Rings books. In a way, having seen "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" recently, it actually make sense. That way, we get a chance to know some of the characters, not to mention, a lot of exposition. Now, that I got that out of the way, I want to talk about "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey". This first part of a trilogy (another one comes out later this year, last one comes out in December 2014) which is based on the book by J.R.R. Tolkien (who also wrote The Lord of the Rings Trilogy), is visually stunning, epic and also remains an enchanting piece of filmmaking the way that the Lord of the Rings film series have accomplished by doing. However, it doesn't match the greatness of the original trilogy which won a combined 17 Academy Awards. The movie sags a bit during its middle section, and sometimes, I wish they could take away some of the exposition so that we can enjoy the story a bit more. But those are my flaws for a well-made and entertaining film filled with intense action, amazing moments of humor and breathtaking special effects. Set 60 years before the Battle of Middle-earth, "The Hobbit" follows a young hobbit named Bilbo Baggins (a perfectly-cast Martin Freeman from "Sherlock" and "The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy") who has been asked by a wizard named Gandalf the Grey (one of the few returning regulars, Sir Ian McKellen) to accompany him on an adventure. He reluctantly refuses at first, only to find out later that 13 dwarfs have arrived at his small house, unannounced, including their leader Thorin Oakenshield (the marvelous Richard Armitage). After a raucous feast, Thorin comes up with a plan to take back their kingdom of Erebor from the clutches of the evil dragon known as Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch, in motion-capture form). So Bilbo leaves the life that he loves living in Hobbiton and joins the group, known as a "burgler" to the dwarfs, as they head their way towards the Misty Mountains. Along the way, they encounter a trio of bumbling trolls, Orcs, Wargs, Goblins, Elves, Stone Giants, a small creature named Gollum (Andy Serkis) and Eagles. And that's only the first part. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is totally worth the price of admission. For a lot of things, it's somewhat faithful to the writings of Tolkien. It's a bit overlong (It's 169 minutes long), but still you have to admire the craft and the work of production designer Dan Hennah, cinematographer Andrew Lesnie and even the creative teams of Weta Workshop and Weta Digital. Not to mention the returning regulars from the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy including Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, Christopher Lee as Saruman the White, Hugo Weaving as Elrond, Elijah Wood as Frodo and of course, Ian Holm as the older Bilbo Baggins, who is telling the story before the events of "The Fellowship of the Ring" began. Peter Jackson, who won an Oscar for "The Return of the King", remains a visual genius. He understood the world of Middle-earth, he knew the characters and he knows how to visually execute the film with style, magic and to give us a hint of darkness, courtesy of composer Howard Shore, who incorporates some of the themes of the old and adding in some of the new. Shot in High-Frame Rate 3D (I only seen it in 2D), Jackson definitely adds something new to the story without letting go too far. What makes "The Hobbit" a spectacular feat (and saves it too) is by watching Freeman, Armitage, McKellen and Serkis. They own these characters and we accept them for that. You know what, this is that kind of movie I'll be glad to watch again. Let's hope that the next one, "The Desolation of Smaug" will be better than this one somehow.