A Reel Review: THE HOBBIT - AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY

 

After director Peter Jackson swept the Oscars with his LORD OF THE RINGS finale in 2003, the cries for “more Middle-Earth” went up and never died down. With his first part of JRR Tolkien’s THE HOBBIT (sub-titled AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY), Jackson gives us a remarkable looking, jam-packed monstrous sampling of that beloved fantasy world; a massive helping which may be too much for most common-folk to swallow.

Sixty years before the events of THE LORD OF THE RINGS, the wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) recruits a homely hobbit, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), to assist a company of 13 dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), to retake their homeland which has been invaded and occupied by Smaug the dragon.

The source material which Jackson is working from is a very simple, 500-page children’s’ book with a quaint A to Z storyline. Looking to beef things up and give his built-in audience their demands of “more Middle-Earth”, Jackson delved into the extensive Appendices and post-RINGS writings which fill in the blanks of the history of Middle-Earth. THE HOBBIT is not just the story of “how” things happened, but also the “why”. As much as many filmgoers may hate the term, THE HOBBIT is very much a prequel, with many pieces and parts moving towards what will eventually become THE LORD OF THE RINGS.

The many plots and moving parts often seem like a distraction from the main story of Bilbo and his struggles to cope with his very first adventure in a big wide world full of danger within a company of dwarves who don’t want him there in the first place. The detours often seem unnecessary, but most of them do pay off by movie’s end, with the promise of the loose threads being picked up in the next two films. Amidst all the plot and mythology going on, Bilbo’s story as a character often takes a back seat, and his development seems to come in large spurts spread throughout the film. The technique works, as Bilbo’s little arc does pay-off with a fair bit of emotion.

Fans of Jackson’s RINGS trilogy and Tolkien’s writings will lap up every last detail of THE HOBBIT. Jackson has once again breathed life into Middle-Earth, with remarkable photography and near-perfect blending of practical effects and CGI. The amount of detail in the sets and characters, real and artificial, is astonishing. Middle-Earth has never looked more beautiful. Jackson also once again proves his talent as an action director; crafting together some excellent action sequences full of breathtaking moments and eye-popping visuals. THE HOBBIT is a great ride and more fun than a gaggle of drunken dwarves.

Each one of Jackson’s Middle-Earth films have been landmarks in CGI characters, and THE HOBBIT continues that tradition. The computer-generated characters, from goblins to trolls to eagles to wolf-like characters (and that just scratches the surface of the population) have an astonishing amount of detail and have a real-world presence and weight. The highlight of the CGI cast is once again Andy Serkis’ motion-captured Gollum, who looks absolutely incredible; he has never looked more life-like, menacing, and tragic.

The large cast is outstanding and seems to be having fun with their roles. Ian McKellen steps right back into his old grey cloak as if no time at all has passed. It is a joy to see him back along with Elijah Wood, Ian Holm, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, and Christopher Lee; so good it feels like going home for the holidays. Martin Freeman is a perfect Bilbo, having picked up many little movements and inflections that Ian Holm had when he first had the role in 2001. The film is nearly stolen by Richard Armitage’s Thorin, who gets most of the screentime and character development.

The total enjoyment of THE HOBBIT depends on just how much the viewer really loves their Middle-Earth. Non-fans of THE LORD OF THE RINGS won’t be sold any further here, as it is very far from an accessible, straight-ahead, A to Z film; plus its lightness on character and thickness on plot makes for a challenge to latch on to something. The story of THE HOBBIT is simple, but the world it is set in is massive, and it comes at you in heaps on the big screen. It is exactly what a journey should be: long and fulfilling.

BOTTOM LINE: See it