It's flawed, but tremendously entertaining

Rating: 9/10 (21 December 2012)

The Short: Wonderfully cast, incredibly shot, relentlessly adventurous, and an (almost) spot on adaptation of the beloved classic, the first chapter in this highly anticipated trilogy doesn't disappoint in the slightest. While it does stumble slightly in the beginning, the experience as a whole is one of the most enjoyable films of the year. And while it does take some getting used to, the 48 FPS presentation (in 3D IMAX) is absolutely the best format to experience this journey.
4.5/5
It's been nearly a decade since we last entered Middle Earth as envisioned by Peter Jackson. There's no denying that The Return of the King was going to be a hard act to follow. So lets just get this straight right off the bat: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is no where near the caliber of the final chapter we saw in 2003. What The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey turns out to be is an unexpected, but necessary and welcome, change to Peter Jackson's landscape of Middle Earth.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey features a memorable cast, but the standout is no doubt Martin Freeman as Bilbo. He completely nails Bilbo's character! Armitage is also fantastic as Thorin, and Ian McKellen as Gandalf is back again and still great. The rest of the supporting cast is good, but only a handful of the dwarfs get significant screen time.
The technical wizardry is also of note, no doubt. It's not truly noticeable until the latter part of the movie, where the special effects are absolutely incredible. The rest of the movie is absolutely stunning. The battle of Erebor, the escape from the goblin stronghold, the fights with orcs; everything is incredibly animated and beautifully done. In 48 FPS the action does take some getting used to (the higher frame rate removes the standard blur of special effects. In the higher frame rate one can see all the nuances of the special effects, making each animated character or item look ultra artificial or incredibly real), but a good 30-45 minutes into the movie and the presentation felt completely normal, and in fact made some of the later scenes look absolutely spectacular. I can't stress enough that, once your senses have adapted, the 48 FPS visuals are unlike anything else.
Howard Shore's original score is his bet yet for sure. Every bit of his original music captures the sweeping scale of the adventure, but it's the new theme that is still playing through my head even now. The first time you hear the haunting new theme it will stick to you, but by the time it is blasting over action scenes it will send chills down your spine. Original themes from TLOTR trilogy make brief returns in just the right places as well. Overall, It's Howard Shore's best work yet.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is more of a change of scenery from the past trips to Middle Earth. It's subject material is much lighter, the action is much more sparse, and the character building is considerably different. I will admit that the beginning is sluggish and overall a little too drawn out, the Goblin King looks like he was stripped out of a video game, and there are some inconsistencies here and there. So when it comes down to it, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is not perfect. Far from it actually. It won't win any awards. It won't be favored among the critics. There are some silly choices made, and it isn't the most tightly crafted piece of film.
But I could care less.
This movie is adventurous, exciting, funny, all while capturing the original essence and character of the classic novel. The stunning special effects, great performances and incredible score make this a memorable return trip. But what truly stands out is Peter Jackson's eye for adventure. There just hasn't been a quality adventure movie in a long while. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the perfect antidote. It's big, epic filmmaking with a purpose: to tell a story (albeit the long winded way) that's grand in scale rooted deep within its characters. Make time to see this movie, and go into it with excitement, because The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is a great deal of fun and makes one thing inevitable above all else: the wait for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is going to be incredibly painful.
4.5/5 - while flawed, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is tremendously entertaining.