The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Review

2003 marked the end of perhaps the greatest trilogy of fantasy movies ever produced. ‘’Lord of the Rings’’ was a truly remarkable achievement by fabled movie maker Peter Jackson. Now nine years later, he finally returns to the land that defined the fantasy genre in the 2000s to tell a new story of the time before Frodo Baggins set out on a quest to destroy the dreaded one ring.

A summary narrated by elderly Bilbo Baggins (Much like Galadriel at the beginning of LOTR) to his nephew Frodo establishes the tale that young Bilbo (Martin Freeman) becomes embroiled in; an ancient and powerful jewel was discovered in the Dwarven city of Erebor. Its king Thror however was corrupted by its power leaving the settlement vulnerable for the vicious dragon Smaug to decimate the great city, driving its inhabitants out and claiming the city’s vast stash of treasure for himself. From this the young Hobbit unwittingly becomes a part in a quest to reclaim the lost city when he is tricked by the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) into hosting a party for a band of dwarves led by the next heir to the throne Thorin (Richard Armitage). Fans of Tolkien’s works will immediately identify with the numerous links tie to the trilogy that follows; numerous characters return to the series including Elrond, Galadriel and even Saruman all played by the original actors having a role upon the characters arrival in Rivendale. With relevance to the title, audiences will still get their fair share of travelling over vast and varied environments packed with breath-taking views and detailed scenery. This is balanced out with a variety of memorable moments including the comedic close shave with three mountain trolls who want nothing more than to gobble up our heroes, a sinister encounter with a mysterious necromancer who is secretly pulling the strings behind the scenes and a riveting chase scene to escape a goblin infested mine in the film’s final act. However none of these can match the brilliance of Bilbo’s first encounter with the hideous Gollum played by Andy Serkis who once again makes an excellent portrayal of the creature’s two sided behaviour. On the other hand, the film’s final act in terms of pacing does drag a little; some audiences will be quite exhausted by the completed escape sequence, only to be abruptly thrust into another action scene that pits the dwarves against their arch-nemesis that seems to stretch the overall length of the film a bit too much. 

A wide set of varying performances round out the band of brothers setting out to complete their mission. Freeman and McKellen are by far the strongest actors with young Bilbo’s reluctance and mild-mannered nature combining to make him the most likeable character of the bunch whereas Gandalf is just as witty and wise as you remember him. Fans of LOTR will be delighted to meet up with old characters again though the new characters introduced in this entry will raise some eyebrows. The dwarves are a mostly humorous bunch, bantering often through all the danger they endure but besides Thorin and his wise advisor Dwalin (Graham McTavish) none are very developed or have their own unique moments to make the audience engage with them more. Radagast the Brown (Sylvester Mccoy), another member of Gandalf’s order fares better, with his endearing and charming attitudes towards the forest and it’s animals being put across but unfortunately we don’t see him enough for his character to develop, instead he tends to sweep in and out of most scenes on his rabbit powered sled when the time is right.

‘’The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’’ as with most prequels holds many similarities with the beloved trilogy that came before it and there’s sure to be many qualms over Jackson’s decision to split one book into three movies. Nonetheless, it’s a good and satisfying return to middle Earth sure to whet anyone fantasy lover’s appetite for adventure.

Rating 3.5/5 Stars