A very welcome return to Middle-Earth.

Rating: 9/10 (31 December 2012)

So it's here, Peter Jackson's very highly anticipated return to Middle- Earth has arrived. Despite nearly entering development hell, with directors duties changing hands before Peter Jackson finally decided to just take it on himself... again. Despite the hype surrounding the film, there were certainly worries, particularly with the decision to split the book into three parts, a book which is much shorter than the more epic 'Lord of the Rings', which needed to be split to cover the scope of the long-thought 'unfilmable' book. Not only has it been split into three films, but the runtime, although not quite as long, is comparable with that of 'Lord of the Rings'.
So how did Peter Jackson deal with this very bloated runtime? In my personal opinion I think he has done a great job. To be fair I have never read the Hobbit myself so while I could sense which scenes had been stretched to their absolute limit, I never felt as though Jackson should have cut much out. For the entire 169 minute runtime I was never bored. From the opening frame I was captivated by the fantastic visuals and Jackson's great storytelling ability.
Another great aspect of the film was the casting. Martin Freeman in particular is absolutely perfect as Bilbo Baggins, not that I ever had my doubts, Martin Freeman is one of the more impressive but under- appreciated actors circling at the moment, and he deserves the spotlight.
So in conclusion, while not quite up to the standard of the 'Lordof the Rings' trilogy, it was never expected to be. Visually*, technically and from a narrative perspective, there won't be many movies that could top 'The Hobbit' in the near future one would think. I would recommend to anyone who even has a passing interest in seeing this film.
*I watched this film in 24fps/2D format as I heard terrible things about th 48fps/3D version. From what I've heard I would recommend you do the same.