In the first of what is to
be a three-part series,
Gandalf the wizard takes the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins and a motley crew of 13 dwarves on a magical, mystery tour through Middle-earth on a quest to reclaim what belongs to them. They face many challenges along the way. Will they meet with success?
Set much before in time than the Lord of the Rings series, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is a fantasy film lover’s dream come true.
The hoary Gandalf (Ian McKellen), along with a very simple and innocent Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) are men on a mission, with a little help from their friends – in this case, 13 feisty dwarves led by the warrior Thorin (Richard Armitage). They set out on a journey in the often dark and treacherous land that is Middle-earth, on a trip that has them battle everything from Goblins, Orcs, Wargs and giant spiders to Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Open-field battles are replaced by close, gripping moments of suspense, frantic chases and various saved-by-a-whisker close shaves. Apart from that, Bilbo also goes through some life-changing experiences. But it is Gandalf and Saruman (Christopher Lee) who are majestic and menacing respectively. They steal the show.
With Peter Jackson having taken the bold step to shoot the film using 48 frames per second instead of the usual and standard 24 frames per second, the entire look of this epic is also noticeably different. Images and characters seem sharper and more realistic.
One of the best things about The Hobbit is the truly magical locations and imagery that are completely immersive and make you feel as if you are in JRR Tolkien’s Middle-earth. It will entertain you even if you haven’t seen any of the previous Lord of the Rings movies. Also noteworthy is the music, which meshes really well with the film and is not distracting at all.
The only issue could be the running time – almost three hours long. But fora subject of this scale, it’s completely justified. Good for the entire family.
You will not like this film if you do not like epic fantasies. (Agencies)