The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Director: Peter Jackson
Writer: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens
Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage
Plot: Bilbo Baggins, a young Hobbit, is recruited by a wizard named Gandalf to help a band of Dwarves reclaim their homeland from an evil dragon.
Rate It:
Adam:
Scotty:
Griff:
So what did you think?
Adam – So it’s not Return of the King, what else is? Readers of Tolkien know full well that The Hobbit has a very different tone than The Lord of Rings Trilogy. I had a very enjoyable time in this extended and fleshed out trip to Middle Earth.
Scotty - The Hobbit was a bit slow at times but with epic stories sometimes that is the case. My 5, 8, and 10 year old did not have a complaint about pace so I do not either. This film was shot in some newfangled film that takes some getting used but by the end I was blown away by the crispness of the film itself. It was a quality re-introduction to the characters we grew to love in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
Griff – I thought the movie was enjoyable. I don’t think it was a good at LOTR but it was still a fun watch and nice return to Middle Earth. This one seems a little bit more squarely aimed at a younger audience and at times it does run a bit long. Also I don’t think this one book requires three movies to complete. Besides these complaints though, The movie was a visual spectacle and the Jackson effects team are as impressive as ever.
Any thoughts before you saw the movie?
Adam – I talked mark into undertaking a quest to the fancy Cinepolis to watch this film. Somehow shelled out $45 for a leather recliner and some tricked out active shutter 3-D glasses. However, I made out on the deal as it cost Mark more for beers and pop-corn than it did for our tickets.
Scotty – I was excited but also nervous that I would be disappointed; I also doubted Jackson’s idea of 3 films.
Griff – I was a huge fan of the novel growing up (Ok, I was nerd) so I was really looking forward to this one. I was pretty impressed with the LOTR series so I was expecting big things.
Did you think this movie was fresh and/or innovative?
Adam – I thought the way that they fleshed out the story was pretty innovative. Jackson made excellent use of the appendix to provide lots of detail to the plot. Some might complain that he added too many details to the film. Sort of like complaining about getting too many blow jobs in my opinion but to each there own.
Scotty - Like I stated earlier I have never seen a film shot with this film and was incredible use of immersive 3D technology. Jackson did not save pennies with this epic production.
Griff – I think there are some pretty innovative effects and it was a bold choice to go with the higher frame rate for the film. It was definitely a nice take on the source material.
Did you think the script was well written?
Adam - I can see how some might complain that the dialogue was a bit long winded and the story stretched out a bit. Length not withstanding I thought the script was well done. I think some folks may have walked into the Hobbit with Balin’s axe to grind, due the films conversion into three films.
Scotty – This will probably be the only place I have a small complaint, it seemed we were getting ready for the journey forever and I feel that some of that could have been written out of the film. There were also a few hokey scenes involving the dwarves in the early part of the film I could have done without.
Griff - They really should have trimmed the fat here. I don’t see any reason why the book should take 3 films to complete. They were able to go through the LOTR series with one movie per book and they arguably greater in scale. Surely there were some parts of this film that could have been left on the cutting room floor to get us down to just films?
Was there a performance you really liked or really hated?
Adam – Andy Serkis was fabulous as Gollum. I know its a lot of CGI, blue screen bells and whistles and his screen time was short. Still did not matter his performance as Gollum was one of the highlights for me.
Scotty – I am enamored with Gollum in all of these films, he is the most interesting and well done character in all of these stories and is represented well in this film. I understand it is done with CGI and a human actor but he steals the show in every scene.
Griff - I thought Richard Armitage was good as Thorin and Andy Serkis was great as always playing Gollum.
Do you remember a song from the film?
Adam – When There’s a Whip There’s A Way, oops wrong movie.
Scotty - I was humming Song of the Lonely Mountain for Days, to the point where my kids were asking me not to do it anymore.
Griff - It’s got to be Misty Mountains by Thorin Oakenshield and his dwarves.
What was your favorite line?
Adam – “Is he a very great wizard or is he more like you?” -Bilbo Baggins
Scotty – “I know! If precious fails we gets to eats it! We gets to eats it whole!
Griff – “True courage is not about knowing when to take a life, but when to spare one.”
What would have made this a better movie?
Adam - Shorter Dwarves, that was perhaps my main gripe with the film. Although, I thought the performances of the actors playing the company of dwarves was excellent they were all way too tall for my taste. Dwarves are supposed to be in the 4’5”-5’ range. Maybe they should have gotten Tom Cruise to play one.
Scotty – I guess less filler or details would have been better for the film. Jackson leaves nothing out of this movie which is great for hardcore fans but it is a struggle to stay interested at times.
Griff - They could have easily cut down on some of the run time for this one. Also, the Golbin King was some impressive CGI but he had some terrible dialogue in the movie. Some of it was painful to watch and he reminded me a little too much of the Boss Nass from The Phantom Menace.
Is it worth seeing in the theater? Or could you have waited for the DVD/Stream?
Adam - Gather up your fellowship and get ye to the theater with all due haste.
Scotty – Visually this film is stunning and needs to be seen in the theater for full effect. I would also pay extra for the 3D.
Griff – The movie is a visual spectacle. If you are going to see it, I would go see it in the theater to get the full effect.
What other movies would you recommend if someone enjoyed this film?
Adam – You got your sword in my sorcery. How about some Highlander (1986) or Conan the Barbarian (1982)
Scotty – I have nothing here but the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
Griff - How about the original Clash of the Titans (1981) or Jason and the Argonauts from back in 1963?
Any final thoughts on this movie?
Adam – While I really enjoyed the film it would have been nice to have had a 10 minute intermission in the middle. I realize those penny pinchers at the theater chains and movie studios are loathe to bring back intermission. However, perhaps they could sell some more tubs of popcorn and liters of cola. As an added bonus, theater goers would have a chance to give their kidneys a break.
Scotty – The Hobbit is a great film but be warned it moves slowly at times and if you are not a fan of slow moving films then this one may drive you up a wall. The Hobbit was and is a favorite book of mine so I enjoyed the details and the attention Jackson paid to them but for your average fantasy movies fan it just may be too slow. Visually stunning is an understatement and strangely it felt like a live show at times like the characters were on stage performing. The 3D is immersive and Jackson added no over the top 3D tricks to tantalize viewers and I appreciate that. I loved the film but I could see why some may find it a bit boring but if my kids can sit through it without complaint and walk out of the theater 3 hours later satisfied and enthralled with the story so can you, certainly not for those with attention deficit disorder.
Griff - Although it runs a bit long, The Hobbit was pretty well done and definitely worth checking out. I can’t help but wonder what it would have been like like with Guillermo del Toro at the helm though. I think we would have been in for a much darker movie.
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
Scott can you record MP3 of you singing song of the lonely mountain?
I am afraid I would do it no justice unless I layered it with 20 voices.
you better talk to Tim Hanson and get on that
This comment is going to be super long……………..and should more than make up for my extended absence *COUGHORCOUGHMYCOUGHLAZINESSCOUGHCOUGH* from this blog.
“This film was shot in some newfangled film that takes some getting used but by the end I was blown away by the crispness of the film itself.”
YES. I agree. I really enjoyed the film quality.
“This one seems a little bit more squarely aimed at a younger audience and at times it does run a bit long.”
Agreed on the lengthiness part, and LOL to the younger audience bit. Now that I think about it, perhaps that’s why I enjoyed it far more than the LOTR trilogy of movies. By being kid friendly, it kind of became Rae friendly too. :p
“I also doubted Jackson’s idea of 3 films.”
I agree with you here as well, Scotty. I feel like they’re just trying to make as much money as possible. Quite honestly I’m not sure if it’s necessary to turn this into a drawn out trilogy. We’ll see what happens. God help us if they decided to split part 3 in half, Twilight style.
“…incredible use of immersive 3D technology.”
I only saw this in its standard format. Now I’m wondering if perhaps I should have invested in the 3D. Drat. Did a lot pop out?
“…it seemed we were getting ready for the journey forever and I feel that some of that could have been written out of the film.”
Again, I agree here as well. The whole getting started seemed to take ages, though seeing as they’re trying to draw this out as much as possible, I suppose it makes sense…
“Andy Serkis was fabulous as Gollum.”
Yes. Yes he was.
“I was humming Song of the Lonely Mountain for Days, to the point where my kids were asking me not to do it anymore.”
HAHAHAHAHAHA.
“While I really enjoyed the film it would have been nice to have had a 10 minute intermission in the middle. I realize those penny pinchers at the theater chains and movie studios are loathe to bring back intermission. However, perhaps they could sell some more tubs of popcorn and liters of cola. As an added bonus, theater goers would have a chance to give their kidneys a break.”
Trololololo. Yeah, for longer films (like the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, ZOMG), I make sure that my oasis is completely dry, so to speak, before I walk into the theater and grab the good seats. I think the last time I remember an intermission might have been The Titanic.
Rae that may be the longest comment we have ever received from a sane person. Glad you enjoyed the film as well and you are always welcome on our site. You were one of first visitors ever.
Yes, although I did borrow a lot of the entry. XDDD
Really? o_O For some reason I find that hard to believe. Haven’t ya’ll been around for a super long time? I think you guys might have been one of my first visitors as well. Lolol.
I share a bit of your praise and most of your criticism… summary here: http://thomas4cinema.wordpress.com/2013/01/04/the-hobbit-an-unexpected-journey-peter-jackson-2012/
But the one thing I would like to add is that I saw it in a regular (non-frame-rate-boosted, 2D) screening, and while I am particularly interested in looking at the higher frame rate version, I do not believe that either of these features can make up for the key problem: it does not have enough story to tell for a total of 8 hours, and there are only so many ways in which fighting orcs is interesting – and most of them we have seen in the LOTR films… a bit of a drag, though an entertaining one.
Thomas I like the way you phrased that “I share a bit of your praise and most of your criticism”
I am gonna have to steal that line
I hear what your saying about orcs but we also saw trolls, goblins, a dragon and magic rabbits for the first time
look forward to checking out your write up
Glad to hear you all enjoyed this one. It is a fun ride. Sure there’s lots of unnecassaries in the film. Lots of running around. But it’s an adventure. And all adventures in Middle Earth require a lot of running around.
I found myself missing the Uruk hai. They were a far better villain than what was given here. A CG’d weirdy.
I think the wandering around did not bother me as much as the other two guys. Then again I wouldn’t have minded watching this for another hour.
Uruk hai were fearsome indeed.
Another fun volley of critiques guys. As a middle aged not middle earth guy I really enjoyed it. For the non fanatic that doesn’t know every tiny detail of the series this is a great intro. Gollum was fantastic. Love my men short hehe.
Mark that may have been my favorite scene the riddles with Bilbo and Gollum
I agree the scene with the riddles was best, I remember reading that part when I was 14 and thought it was awesome.
Good breakdown here of the strengths and weaknesses of The Hobbit. You got me listening to Song Of The Lonely Mountain, which can’t be all bad.
Maybe they should have gotten Tom Cruise to play one” ha-ha, cracked me up
Now I can’t that song out of my head either
What film wouldn’t be better without a little Tom Cruise ?
thanks I will be here all week
Is it just me or does that last picture of Gandalf look photoshopped?
But yea…I’ll catch this at some point. I’m not as big on the LotR trilogy as a lot of people are, so I’m not sure how much I’ll enjoy this. The trilogy was wayyyy too long and boring in parts for me. If this one skews younger, I dunno. All the dwarves should have been played by Tom Cruise, though.
Seriously who is good with photo shop? Lets make that happen with the the Tom Cruise dwarves.
I know I said differently on Twitter, but I actually will contemplate this one. It could replace the Nicolas Cage as Every Character meme!
We might take over the world with that a little Tom Cruise meme
Glad I wasn’t the only one who thought of Boss Nass when the Goblin King came on. Undoubtedly my least favorite part of the film.
Poorly designed, I thought.
I did love it though. Could the fat have been trimmed? Definitely. Definitely would have made it a better film. But it was still an awesome journey back to middle earth.
Glad you all show Serkis the respect he deserves.
One of my Comic-Con highlights this year was when the moderator of The Hobbit panel asked him to do the Gollum voice for the audience, and he responded by cursing up a cloud of foulness! LOL 
Funny stuff!
Some talk Mark and perhaps I might finally make the con this year
Fogs have you seen Sir Phobos’ gamerscore ? He makes me look like a rank amateur
GTFO… that’s not even possible. Email me his gamertag and I’ll friend request him. He won’t mind.
And it’d be great to see you guys there, Comic Con is some serious stuff, man!
He’s on my friends list you will recognize him. I think he’s getting his skyrim on too.
I STILL need to see this. Didn’t hit in the theater because for some reason I just didn’t want to commit to sitting in those seats for that long. I will definitely watch it in the comfort of my home however. Sounds like it turned out to be a solid film, which is good news. I haven’t read the books but I loved the LOTR trilogy and was really looking forward to this.
I also have to give a shout out to Griff…..yes on the original Clash of the Titans. My roomies can’t understand my love of that film. They just don’t get it. Doesn’t mean I won’t make them watch it though
I just re-watched it on Vudu I think it was like $3.99 to stream it.