Film: The Hobbit, An Unexpected Journey

A prequel to the incredibly successful Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit follows Bilbo Baggins as he goes on an adventure with Gandalf and thirteen dwarves to save the dwarves home (an underground fortress) from a dragon. It does take a little while to reclaim the scale and wonder of the original trilogy, with the film starting off a little like a soap opera. Particularly the flash-forwards seem unnecessary, seemingly serving little purpose than to bring back Elijah Wood and Ian Holm. When the film leaves The Shire you are reminded of just how epic Middle Earth is.

A fairly short story by Tolkien’s standards, to stretch the story out to three films Peter Jackson has added several new subplots. I imagine there are already Tolkien purists taking to the internet to bitch and whine about how Jackson has changed the books (I actually looked on a few forums before writing this review, the fans are insane). However I found the new stories interesting and feel they help to more closely connect the story to Lord of the Rings. It has been a while since I read the book but I believe the plotline about the necromancer occurs ‘off screen’; with it here being set up to take place in either part 2 or 3. The Dwarf-Orc war, which is only alluded to briefly in the books, is here given a full backstory and a revenge subplot. It truly helps to expand the world of Middle Earth that was previously established in the other film trilogy. The story does feel a little dragged out at times; particularly in the middle section and I do question Jackson’s ability to stretch the original story across 2 more films.

The returning characters are the best of the film, with Ian McKellen being as fantastic as Gandalf as he has ever been. Martin Freeman is also great as the film’s lead Bilbo, bringing to life his nervous disposition and more fun sides. He also handles the story arc of discovering how brave he can be incredibly well, slowly developing to the point where he will fight to save his friend’s life. Richard Armitage is also wonderful as Thorin, rightful King of the Dwarves, bringing the right level of strength and intensity to the role. The other 12 Dwarves are a bit more throwaway, lacking any real characteristics to distinguish them. Andy Serkis briefly returns as Gollum, who looks even better than he did previously, recreating the insane character many fans grew to love.

The battle scenes are not quite as immense as in Lord of the Rings, being much more small scale and lacking the massive scale. The fight through the Goblin’s lair at the end is quite large in scale but the main battle just feels fairly rushed. The smaller scale works for the scenes of the Orcs seeking revenge on Thorin making them feel much more personal and giving the little band something to face.

The songs can prove a little off-putting, almost turning the film in to a musical and feeling a bit too random. The best ones are the darker songs of war which feel more appropriate for the film series.

I was able to see the film in the new format: HFR (High Frame Rate) playing the film at 48 frames per second as opposed to the standard 24. It truly helps to make the film more lifelike and vastly improves the 3D, which I have always thought previously to be a pointless endeavor. The film feels more fluid, although very rarely movements can seem too fast. After a while of watching it, you become so immersed in the story that it does feel just like it’s going on right in front of you.

As a whole the film is very enjoyable but some fans of Lord of the Rings may be a little turned off by the smaller scale of the story and its diversion from the source material.