Expect it to be different from the Lord of the Rings movies

Rating: 9/10 (20 December 2012)

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the first part of the movie adaption of J.R.R. Tolkiens "The Hobbit". It was written years before "The Lord of the Rings" and intended for a younger audience. Making it into a movie after "The Lord of the Rings", is a very difficult task. The Hobbit's tone is quite light hearted and it's literarily somewhat inferior to its sequel. Also, for consistency some changes to the story would have to be made. Thus I was a little skeptical before I saw it.
After seeing the first part now, I can say the result is very good so far. It's not a perfect movie, but far from bad. There are some problems with Tolkiens book and as far as the story was told, they were handled very well. It went by the book where it should have and went different ways where it was necessary.
One of the greatest weaknesses is probably Radagast. Most of the parts involving him were way too goofy for my taste. Another problem was the story telling rhythm. Some scenes felt jumpy, others felt stretched too thin.
Anyway: Prepare to see a more humorous and playful movie than the Lord of the Rings films. I'm definitely looking forward to the next parts.