This was a night to remember.

Rating: 10/10 (31 December 2012)

It's been a long journey to the beginning, but here we are, finally.
I had very high expectations for this film. I had seen everything they had done behind the scenes and everything they invested in the project and it all was breathtakingly big! Even though my expectations were high I was still very conscious about not letting it cloud my true view of the film.
When I sat down in the theatre and the the opening started, as soon as I saw The Shire, I just started smiling and that smile continued through the entire film. Even tears appeared at times.
What Jackson and everyone who worked on the film has done is that they have taken everything we loved about The Lord of the Rings movies and added it to the Hobbit in a fitting way. I also very much loved all the extra sidestories that explain where Gandalf went and everything on the side and it very much helps to introduce Sauron and make him even more the ultimate villain. Tt is clear that The Hobbit film is crafted to be watched before The Lord of the Rings and I really am looking forward to seeing the entire Tolkien - Jackson franchise film after film.
The Actors were fantastic. At first I thought they seemed a bit too.. foolish.. if you can say so and wondered if they would stay that way through the entire film. But as soon as danger approached, they became as serious as dwarfs can be. The fact that they go so naturally from foolish jokers to serious warriors really helped accepting the characters even more, and too me, that is exactly who the characters are.
Bilbo is amazing. I have not seen anything complaining about Martin Freeman as Bilbo and I do with every little stray of sense understand that. He is perfect! He has that natural humour that is just there and is funny in it's very own way when the situation is appropriate and when it's not, then the humour turns into seriousness, and it just seems so natural.
Radagast is exactly as I imagined him and maybe even better, and it pleased me so to be able to see him on the silver screen.
Gandalf is perfect and without a doubt the Gandalf you remember, only a tiny bit grumpier, which is how it should be, as he isn't exactly the same he was in The Lord of the Rings.
There is also a return of another major character who you may not expect too see, and there is not a single moment when you don't love seeing that character on screen.
When I first saw The Hobbit in the theatre, I saw it in 2D 24fps. The reason for that was that I wanted my first expression of the film to be something I knew I would enjoy, rather than experimenting with different way of watching film. I loved the 2D 24fps.
I then watched it in 3D 48fps. I have to say it was better than I expected and was definitely watchable, although it was not preferable. One of the problems were the fact that watching it in 48fps as well as 3D can soon become too much and suddenly I don't know what I'm watching. Also the image is very very clear. In fact, it's too clear. It was easy to see the difference from real light and artificial light. Also the rain looked like it was well placed rainmakers. I did not however ever feel like it was on a set. The nature images were fantastic in 48fps! Also, the feeling wasn't right. For example, the music seemed too old-fashioned compared to the clarity of images. It's hard to explain but it felt like I was watching the movie while listening to some music separately.
The 48 fps 3D was nothing to me and I am very disappointed with the fact that it became the version with the most focus. Because of that, I was forced to watch the 24fps version on a much smaller screen in a much smaller hall, as the 48fps version was shown in the big hall.
I'm sure 48fps works for some people, but it just didn't work for me. I love watching movies in 24fps because that gives me the movie experience. Watching 48fps doesn't feel like I'm watching a movie to me.
It's hard not to talk about everything in the film as I want to discuss the entire film, but I will just say one thing; I am different from everyone else. My views and opinions may not share how you look at it. That's why you can not fully trust any review as the only person who can actually review the film for you, is yourself.
That's why I say go see the film and see what you think. One thing is for sure though, it is good to be back in Middle Earth. I've missed it so.