Overall rating

2 / 5

Disappointed

PostedDecember 15, 2012

Kelly3

Avid Movie-Goer
This content was submitted by an avid movie-goer
Avid Movie-Goer

from Louisville, KY, USA

Age:35 to 44

Gender:Female

Goes to the movies:weekly

Dialogue

3 / 5

Special Effects

3 / 5

Art Direction

3 / 5

Acting

3 / 5

Story

3 / 5

Camerawork

2 / 5

I was so excited for this movie and wanted to love it, however it was the exact opposite, This movie actually bored me for half of it , it seemed to drag on forever. The last 45 minutes redeemed it a little but not enough to want to ever review it like I have with the previous movies. It was very campy and silly at times, unintentional I think. They seemed to use a lot more CGI characters that wer e more cartooned than scary. I really hope the next installment is better.

Cons slow

No, I do not recommend this movie.

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Overall rating

5 / 5

Great movie, mostly accurate the the book

PostedDecember 15, 2012

Fingolfin

Dialogue

5 / 5

Special Effects

5 / 5

Art Direction

5 / 5

Acting

5 / 5

Story

5 / 5

Camerawork

4 / 5

First off I read the Hobbit twice, amongst other Tolkien books, and I thoroughly enjoyed it's movie counterpart. Although it does deviate somewhat from the book, some scenes (Eg An Unexpected Party, Riddles in the Dark) more or less quote the book. The Hobbit, both book and movie, is a more lighthearted and comical adventure than The Lord of the Rings, but still present are moments of tension, and mystery. There's more comic relief, especially with the Dwarves, but it usually works. One good addition was the White Council scene. In the book, the reader is told that Galdalf's offstage business does not come into the story, but the movie fleshes out how he, Galadriel, Elrond, and Sauraman, were contemplating if Sauron had returned. The only bad things were that some of the camera work was dizzying (and I saw it it regular film, not the new fps) but this isn't too often. Also, Thorin is too suspicious and sometimes downright mean to Bilbo up till the end of the film, and I felt this change from the book was unnecessary. Overall, The Hobbit was a great movie, and I recommend it! (and the book too!)

Pros great story, great actors, great art, great script

Yes, I recommend this movie.

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Overall rating

5 / 5

Expectations Met

PostedDecember 15, 2012

ViraMari

from Warrenton, MO, USA

Age:18 to 24

Gender:Female

Goes to the movies:monthly

Dialogue

5 / 5

Special Effects

5 / 5

Art Direction

5 / 5

Acting

5 / 5

Story

5 / 5

Camerawork

5 / 5

Stayed mostly true to the book and everything was splendid as usual. Would definitely watch again. Looking forward to next installment.

Pros well paced, great story, great actors

Yes, I recommend this movie.

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Overall rating

5 / 5

Peter Jackson Does it Again

PostedDecember 15, 2012

AGS13

from Pa

Age:45 to 54

Gender:Female

Goes to the movies:once every few months

Dialogue

5 / 5

Special Effects

5 / 5

Art Direction

5 / 5

Acting

5 / 5

Story

5 / 5

Camerawork

5 / 5

I am a big Tolkien fan, and I was a little worried about splitting The Hobbit into 3 movies, but I think it works. Peter Jackson obviously knows and respects Tolkien's works and it shows. Don't know how someone who hasn't read his books would like this movie, but this fan liked it.

Yes, I recommend this movie.

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Overall rating

4 / 5

Decent Movie

PostedDecember 15, 2012

kbishop

from East Brookfield, MA, USA

Age:18 to 24

Gender:Female

Goes to the movies:monthly

Dialogue

3 / 5

Special Effects

4 / 5

Art Direction

4 / 5

Acting

4 / 5

Story

5 / 5

Camerawork

5 / 5

I really enjoyed the movie, it was just very long, and some of the dialogue was tedious as was the time gap between action scenes.

Pros great story

Cons slow

Yes, I recommend this movie.

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Overall rating

5 / 5

Much better then I expected!

PostedDecember 15, 2012

Flippi25

from Xenia, OH 45385, USA

Age:25 to 34

Gender:Female

Goes to the movies:monthly

Dialogue

5 / 5

Special Effects

5 / 5

Art Direction

5 / 5

Acting

5 / 5

Story

5 / 5

Camerawork

5 / 5

Ok so the Hobbit has been my favorite book since I read it in the 4th grade. This year the movie came out on my birthday so what could be better? I was a little bit nervous about the movie and the "changes" that I had heard rumors about, because it was a beloved classic in my mind and I didn't know if the changes would fit in to the story or just totally ruin it. After seeing it last night I am glad to say it was a wonderful movie! It had all the parts that I loved in the book as a child, they kept it light hearted and fun as it should have been because it is really based on a children's book. Now on to the added bits. For me personally I didn't mind what they added, for the most part. They do a lot of foreshadowing for the LOTR movies.... which the way they did it wasn't terrible, and if Tolkien had written the books in a different order he might have added that as well. I will warn you though it is a little bit weird trying to follow the story in your head and the suddenly there is a new part. All that being said I think that the casting was fantastic for this movie! They really have some top notch actors, and in my opinion they picked the perfect Bilbo. Anyway I hope you enjoyed it as much as i did.

Pros well paced, great story, great actors, great music

Yes, I recommend this movie.

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Overall rating

4 / 5

Mostly a Win

PostedDecember 15, 2012

RacheltheWriter

from Ohio

Age:25 to 34

Gender:Female

Dialogue

4 / 5

Special Effects

5 / 5

Art Direction

5 / 5

Acting

5 / 5

Story

4 / 5

Camerawork

5 / 5

Most movies of that length feel like just too much, like a waste of time. Every scene of The Hobbit is well executed, indeed, is what would normally constitute a blockbuster shot in a regular movie is what happens in every damn scene. Other reviews were pretty searing about the look: namely, the high-def 3D, but I saw this on a regular screen, and the visuals merely enhanced the story rather than overshadow the brilliant performances. The effects in this film are such a joy, which means there are multiple things to love in each shot, and so I understand why the editors were perhaps loathe to leave out several scenes that they definitely would have were purged when The Fellowship of the Ring first came out in theaters. Fellowship was clearly edited to move quickly and introduce people, especially those who had not read the books, to Middle-Earth. Let's face it, though---nowadays, it is difficult to find someone who has not heard of the original film trilogy. Those of us who saw LOTR don't need much of an excuse to entice us back to Hobbiton, to Middle-Earth.

Yes, there are also things that I, as a story-teller, felt could have been tweaked. The Hobbit could have begun with the flashbacks of the fall of the dwarven city, and that would introduce that story before we get to see Hobbiton. Then the scenes there would have been filled with tension rather than just nostalgia. The theme of home-coming and finding a home, the note that the film ends with, could have been seeded earlier on in every story-line. One scene of Gandalf talking about how he came to be a wandering wizard could have accomplished the task. Galadrial could have talked about home to Bilbo----something he and Gollum would definitely find common ground to discuss or fight about. The LOTR films had clarity because the story throughout was clear: it was Frodo-centric. Also, there were three books to draw material from rather than one, slender volume. The Hobbit is burdened solely on a narrative level because of less source materiel, and the story-tellers had to re-create from scratch more often than not. They succeeded---mostly.

It is a film that really deserves to be seen, especially on days like today when real tragedies invade our safe homes, our consciousness. Often, such acts of violence come from a failure of imagination. That is why we need places like Middle-Earth. Maybe we can begin to prevent such things by getting more people to imagine ourselves in other people's shoes, or in this case, boots---bare feet. Strangely enough, it seems to make us more human.

Most movies of that length feel like just too much, like a waste of time. Every scene of The Hobbit is well executed, indeed, is what would normally constitute a blockbuster shot in a regular movie is what happens in every damn scene. Other reviews were pretty searing about the look: namely, the high-def 3D, but I saw this on a regular screen, and the visuals merely enhanced the story rather than overshadow the brilliant performances. The effects in this film are such a joy, which means there are multiple things to love in each shot, and so I understand why the editors were perhaps loathe to leave out several scenes that they definitely would have were purged when The Fellowship of the Ring first came out in theaters. Fellowship was clearly edited to move quickly and introduce people, especially those who had not read the books, to Middle-Earth. Let's face it, though---nowadays, it is difficult to find someone who has not heard of the original film trilogy. Those of us who saw LOTR don't need much of an excuse to entice us back to Hobbiton, to Middle-Earth.

Yes, there are also things that I, as a story-teller, felt could have been tweaked. The Hobbit could have begun with the flashbacks of the fall of the dwarven city, and that would introduce that story before we get to see Hobbiton. Then the scenes there would have been filled with tension rather than just nostalgia. The theme of home-coming and finding a home, the note that the film ends with, could have been seeded earlier on in every story-line. One scene of Gandalf talking about how he came to be a wandering wizard could have accomplished the task. Galadrial could have talked about home to Bilbo----something he and Gollum would definitely find common ground to discuss or fight about. The LOTR films had clarity because the story throughout was clear: it was Frodo-centric. Also, there were three books to draw material from rather than one, slender volume. The Hobbit is burdened solely on a narrative level because of less source materiel, and the story-tellers had to re-create from scratch more often than not. They succeeded---mostly.

It is a film that really deserves to be seen, especially on days like today when real tragedies invade our safe homes, our consciousness. Often, such acts of violence come from a failure of imagination. That is why we need places like Middle-Earth. Maybe we can begin to prevent such things by getting more people to imagine ourselves in other people's shoes, or in this case, boots---bare feet. Strangely enough, it seems to make us more human.

Pros great actors, great visuals

Cons story issues

Yes, I recommend this movie.

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Overall rating

4 / 5

Great film

PostedDecember 15, 2012

lisle

from Los Angeles, CA, USA

Age:35 to 44

Gender:Female

Goes to the movies:monthly

Dialogue

3 / 5

Special Effects

4 / 5

Art Direction

5 / 5

Acting

5 / 5

Story

4 / 5

Camerawork

5 / 5

Peter Jackson did a great job of creating the "Tolkien" world. But the film was a bit hard to follow at times, dialog-wise. Other than that, incredible cinematography. Well done.

Pros great story, great actors, cinematography

Cons slow

Yes, I recommend this movie.

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Overall rating

5 / 5

Great Prequel

PostedDecember 15, 2012

ArielLJ

from Iowa, USA

Age:18 to 24

Gender:Female

Goes to the movies:once every few months

Dialogue

5 / 5

Special Effects

5 / 5

Art Direction

5 / 5

Acting

5 / 5

Story

4 / 5

Camerawork

5 / 5

I loved this movie. I was a bit worried when I heard The Hobbit is going to be done in three movies, but this first of them calmed my fears. I highly recommend The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey to all Tolkien fans.

Pros great story, great actors

Yes, I recommend this movie.

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Overall rating

5 / 5

The Hobbit: An Expected Success

PostedDecember 15, 2012

Toro2011

Avid Movie-Goer
This content was submitted by an avid movie-goer
Avid Movie-Goer

from Mesa, AZ

Age:18 to 24

Gender:Male

Goes to the movies:weekly

Dialogue

5 / 5

Special Effects

5 / 5

Art Direction

4 / 5

Acting

5 / 5

Story

5 / 5

Camerawork

3 / 5

Fans of Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" Trilogy will not be disappointed with this film.

The movie was very true to the novel, with added features like backstories to characters, details of the Middle-Earth universe to set the stage for "the Lord of the Rings." This movie was like "The Fellowship of the Ring" in a sense that it told more of the story and set it up for the future films in the saga.

Very well done over all however, some parts of the camera work were fast and blurry in certain scenes and it was a little bumming that a lot of the orcs/goblins were CGI instead of live action like in the "Lord of the Rings."

Now unless your 12-13 year old child has read the books or seen the other films, I would not recommend taking them to see it. Like "The Lord of the Rings," there are scenes of violence, scary creatures (goblins, orcs and wargs) and the scene with Gollum involving eating Bilbo if he lost the riddle contest and his intense rage about loosing the Ring.

This movie was amazing and this movie-goer is waiting on pins and needles for the next film.

Pros well paced, great story, great actors

Cons camera work is a little fast and blurry at points

Yes, I recommend this movie.

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Overall rating

5 / 5

Jackson dose it again

PostedDecember 15, 2012

mglpost

from Mt Vernon, NY, USA

Age:55 to 64

Gender:Female

Goes to the movies:once every few months

Dialogue

5 / 5

Special Effects

5 / 5

Art Direction

5 / 5

Acting

5 / 5

Story

5 / 5

Camerawork

5 / 5

SPECTACULAR SPECTACULAR SPECTACULAR SPECTACULAR NUF SAID

Pros well paced, great story, great actors

Yes, I recommend this movie.

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Overall rating

5 / 5

Exactly as I expected

PostedDecember 15, 2012

frankie1bear

from New Mexico, USA

Age:65 or over

Gender:Male

Goes to the movies:monthly

Dialogue

4 / 5

Special Effects

5 / 5

Art Direction

4 / 5

Acting

5 / 5

Story

5 / 5

Camerawork

5 / 5

Great Movie. Very good message Liked it, Will buy it

Pros well paced, great story, great actors

Yes, I recommend this movie.

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Overall rating

3 / 5

Too much of a nerdy fan

PostedDecember 15, 2012

Margaritadolan

from Lewisburg, WV 24901, USA

Age:35 to 44

Gender:Female

Goes to the movies:monthly

Dialogue

3 / 5

Special Effects

4 / 5

Art Direction

3 / 5

Acting

4 / 5

Story

1 / 5

Camerawork

3 / 5

I am too big of a fan of the true Hobbit to give this a good rating-a simple story has been turned into a gory, goofy mess of a movie. I don't think it was translated for a younger audience as much as a dumbed down one. I enjoyed the scenery and and the few parts that were true to the book or at least could have been if you use your imagination. I honestly don't think I will even see the remaining movies. And to note-I thought he did a great job with the other LOTR movies.

Cons not the true hobbit

No, I do not recommend this movie.

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Overall rating

2 / 5

Boring

PostedDecember 15, 2012

TicTacToe3inarow

from Little Rock, AR

Age:35 to 44

Gender:Female

Goes to the movies:once every few months

Dialogue

3 / 5

Special Effects

5 / 5

Art Direction

4 / 5

Acting

5 / 5

Story

4 / 5

Camerawork

4 / 5

I do not think The Hobbit needed to be made into 3 movies. I think Jackson is getting greedy. I loved all of the LOTR movies. Hobbit needed to be condensed. I enjoyed the last 45 minutes or so. The rest of the time I was waiting for it to get moving. The plot was weak. I did not feel invested in the characters or particularly care what happened. Just one battle after another. Right when it was getting good, it ended. The first hour and a half was BORING.

No, I do not recommend this movie.

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Overall rating

4 / 5

The Hobbit

PostedDecember 15, 2012

Suze713

from Magnolia, TX, USA

Age:55 to 64

Gender:Female

Goes to the movies:once every few months

Dialogue

4 / 5

Special Effects

5 / 5

Art Direction

5 / 5

Acting

4 / 5

Story

4 / 5

Camerawork

5 / 5

The only problem I had with the movie was the dialogue between Bilbo and Gollum, was very difficult to understand. Beautiful sceneryand wonderful special effects for the most part.

Pros well paced, great story, great actors, gorgeous scenery

Yes, I recommend this movie.

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Overall rating

5 / 5

Hobbit

PostedDecember 15, 2012

EGrace15

from Warren, MI

Age:18 to 24

Gender:Female

Goes to the movies:monthly

Dialogue

5 / 5

Special Effects

5 / 5

Art Direction

5 / 5

Acting

5 / 5

Story

4 / 5

Camerawork

5 / 5

A little long and slow but loved it just the same.

Pros great story, great actors

Cons slow

Yes, I recommend this movie.

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Overall rating

5 / 5

In some ways better than the Trilogy

PostedDecember 15, 2012

AddisonX

Age:25 to 34

Gender:Male

Goes to the movies:few times per year

Dialogue

5 / 5

Special Effects

4 / 5

Art Direction

5 / 5

Acting

5 / 5

Story

5 / 5

Camerawork

5 / 5

Another fantastic portrayal by Peter Jackson. He knocked this one out of the park. I was told by a friend that this movie came off as more "cartoonish" and the use of CG in this feel is definitely more heavy handed. But the truth is, their quest isn't the world ended over burden of the LotR, so in general it is going to be a lighter fair.

Everything about this movie just sings. The movie flew by. And Martin Freeman was a PERFECT choice.

The tie in to the originals and setting up exactly how Martin is was done very delicately. I highly recommend this movie, and wouldn't mind going to see it again.

Pros well paced, great story, great actors

Cons more heavy handed cg

Yes, I recommend this movie.

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Overall rating

5 / 5

The Hobbit

PostedDecember 15, 2012

Sirwilly

Avid Movie-Goer
This content was submitted by an avid movie-goer
Avid Movie-Goer

from Chicago, IL, USA

Age:25 to 34

Gender:Male

Goes to the movies:weekly

Dialogue

5 / 5

Special Effects

5 / 5

Art Direction

5 / 5

Acting

5 / 5

Story

5 / 5

Camerawork

5 / 5

Excellent, a must see. Can't wait for the next installment.

Pros well paced, great story, great actors, added story;ine

Yes, I recommend this movie.

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Overall rating

5 / 5

Another Great Portayal

PostedDecember 15, 2012

Tlb2

from San Antonio, TX, USA

Age:35 to 44

Gender:Male

Goes to the movies:once every few months

Dialogue

4 / 5

Special Effects

5 / 5

Art Direction

5 / 5

Acting

4 / 5

Story

5 / 5

Camerawork

5 / 5

For Tolkien fans you won't be disappointed. For all others, you'll enjoy it just the same. The movie was well planned and you can tell by the length they tried not to miss too much of the true story. End was a bit shocking if you go in unaware of the plans they had for the movie but the overall experience was great! I will definitely go watch it again and hope they come out with extended versions of this to go along with my LOTR collection.

Pros well paced, great story, great actors

Yes, I recommend this movie.

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Overall rating

1 / 5

Silly

PostedDecember 15, 2012

JonnytheYoung

from Wichita, KS, USA

Age:35 to 44

Gender:Male

Goes to the movies:monthly

Dialogue

2 / 5

Special Effects

3 / 5

Art Direction

3 / 5

Acting

3 / 5

Story

1 / 5

Camerawork

4 / 5

I've been a fan of Tolkien's since childhood. I enjoyed Jackson's LOTR movies and watch the extended versions regularly. Went to the midnight showing of The Hobbit, Part I, and walked out about 45 minutes into it. I had better things (like sleep) to do with my time. It's as if Jackson was aimed at making a VeggieTales version of the story using live actors. "Silly" is the best one-word description of the movie. I could not recognize any of my dear friends I know from the books. From the outset, when the dwarves show up at Bilbo's and begin eating like slobs, I was disappointed. However, things became too much when I encountered a drug-crazed hippie riding through the forest on a bunny-pulled sled and was then told that this was Radagast the Brown, a person treated with respect in Tolkien's work. I left. If you have any respect for Tolkien, or literature in general, don't waste your time or money. If you're a small child in search for a silly adventure story and a way to waste three hours, maybe you'll not be disappointed.

Cons silly, destroys original story, disrespectful

No, I do not recommend this movie.

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Overall rating

5 / 5

Finally - The Journey Begins!!!

PostedDecember 15, 2012

Metsoid

from Sutton, MA, USA

Age:55 to 64

Gender:Male

Goes to the movies:monthly

Dialogue

4 / 5

Special Effects

5 / 5

Art Direction

5 / 5

Acting

4 / 5

Story

5 / 5

Camerawork

5 / 5

I've been waiting for this movie since I read the book over 40 years ago. IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT! Plenty of development of the characters and plot made me see that 3 movies were going to do justice to the book. Adulthood teaches us the importance of delayed gratification, but I'm feeling like a school child before Christmas. Bring on the next movie!!!

Pros well paced, great story, great actors

Yes, I recommend this movie.

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Overall rating

5 / 5

Wildly exceeded expectations

PostedDecember 15, 2012

HydroThunder

from Iowa City, IA

Age:35 to 44

Gender:Male

Goes to the movies:once every few months

Dialogue

5 / 5

Special Effects

5 / 5

Art Direction

5 / 5

Acting

5 / 5

Story

5 / 5

Camerawork

5 / 5

For full disclosure, let me state right off the bat that I am a huge Lord of the Rings fan. I not only love but cherish the previous Tolkien trilogy of movies, and by significant margin would likely consider them my favorite movies of all time. That said, I had some doubts about The Hobbit. While I was excited to see it, I didn't like that it's been broken into three films, I thought the Dwarves looked slapstick in the commercials, I thought the movie sounded too long for 1 of 3 (for one book!), and I just simply didn't think it would live up to the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

I am very, very, very glad to say I was wrong. The Hobbit is just simply a fantastic fantasy movie by any account, a wonderful adventure and drama, an action-packed thrill ride with magic and creatures from the wildest parts of art and imagination, and is more than a worthy pre-pre-prequel to the Lord of the Rings. It may even be one of the best of the four movies (though that's hard to judge based on only one viewing).

Martin Freeman is beyond incredible as Billbo. He's not trying to be Ian Holm or Elijah Wood, he's his own Billbo, and is believable, funny, serious and fantastic to watch. Ian McKellen is more serious, harder-edged (as Gandalf would have been at the time in the story) and simply perfect again as the wizard. The dwarves are also very good, even if some of the characters are bit roles (with 13 dwarves, obviously each of them is not fleshed out in full and thank goodness they are not).

The special effects are a few steps beyond what they were in the LOTR trilogy. Every texture is notably more real, more tactile, and the animation is so smooth, believable and seamless that you very much cannot tell when you are seeing people in costumes vs models vs CG.

And to be fair and honest, I think this movie _may_ hold up as well or better than the LOTR trilogy. After watching the LOTR trilogy a million plus times, there are parts that do start to drag. But only after a million watchings.... such as the long and ardous travels of Frodo, Sam and Gollum in Two Towers. Or the fact that "second breakfast" is charming and funny only the first 20 or so times you see it. The Hobbit...doesn't really have much of that. The first half hour to an hour has some humor that may get old later, but that's it. The entire movie is an incredible adventure with stirring dialogue, wonderful creatures and characters, swords and sorcery, and spectacular battle scenes.

It's just simply incredible. I couldn't have been more impressed.

Pros well paced, great story, great actors, great special effects, wonderful music, great action scenes

Yes, I recommend this movie.

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Overall rating

2 / 5

Thr Hobbit

PostedDecember 15, 2012

aleknator

from Vassar MI USA

Age:35 to 44

Gender:Male

Goes to the movies:monthly

Dialogue

2 / 5

Special Effects

3 / 5

Art Direction

5 / 5

Acting

4 / 5

Story

5 / 5

Camerawork

5 / 5

I'm a big Lord of the Rings Fan. However the slow start was so bad I walked out on my D-Box seat 45minutes into the movie. Leaving my Popcorn and Drink behind. I just couldn't take it any longer, I had almost fell asleep 3 times and the thought of someone pointing me out sleeping in a D-box seat was too big of a risk! I'm sure things would have been different had I took the 3D option.

Cons slow

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Overall rating

5 / 5

The Hobbit: A Masterpiece

PostedDecember 15, 2012

Isilwen83

from Maytown, PA, USA

Age:25 to 34

Gender:Female

Goes to the movies:once every few months

Dialogue

5 / 5

Special Effects

5 / 5

Art Direction

5 / 5

Acting

5 / 5

Story

5 / 5

Camerawork

5 / 5

Peter Jackson has done it again. First with LOTR and now with The Hobbit. The filming of this movie is so vivid and life like that you get sucked into Middle Earth. There not enough words to fully express my astonishment of the environment and the entire cast is simply amazing. You cannot replace a single role with another actor. Everyone fits perfectly. This is a must see trilogy.

Pros well paced, great story, great actors, great visual effects

Yes, I recommend this movie.

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Overall rating

5 / 5

The Hobbit Delivers!

PostedDecember 15, 2012

IsildursBane

from Dallas, TX, USA

Age:45 to 54

Gender:Male

Goes to the movies:once every few months

Dialogue

5 / 5

Special Effects

5 / 5

Art Direction

5 / 5

Acting

5 / 5

Story

5 / 5

Camerawork

5 / 5

Intro:
First of all, context is important. I have read the Lord of the Rings countless times since 1980 - I almost have them memorized, and have pictures I took myself of Tolkien's house in Oxford (ok, I'm a bit crazy about this stuff :). I favored those books over The Hobbit, which I have only read once. I really loved Jackson's interpretation of the LOTR Trilogy, and was eager to see what he would do with the Hobbit.

I saw the 3D HFR Version. Jackson is one of the first directors to film a feature in 48 frames per second - that's twice as fast as a normal movie camera. What this means is that the picture is crystal clear, with no blur at all between frames. The result is that you see everything on the screen as if you were right there.

3D I don't care much for, but because my whole family went, we had to do that bit. I think I'll see it again in a couple of weeks just in HFR - that would be my recommendation.

Ok, on to the movie itself.

Pacing:

It starts of very very very slowly. There's a voice over to give background on the situation that the main characters are going to be in - like Fellowship, the back history is provided at the beginning. Then we have the arrival of the Dwarves at Bilbo's house. Much time is spent in his house before the adventure even begins, but this is necessary for character development. After that it speeds up and doesn't stop, with one chase scene and impossible escape after another. This is the only fault I would point out. I think that in order to keep everyone's attention, Jackson felt it necessary to keep the pace up. Personally I would have liked more character development throughout the film (there is some, but more would have been nice).

Script:

Very well put together with witty lines throughout. I never had any doubts on this dialogue going in, what with the LOTR under Jackson's belt. Where dialogue is concerned, Jackson is as far from George Lucas as you can possibly imagine :) The writing credits for the film are as follows: Peter Jackson, Guillermo Del Toro, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens.

Acting:

Impeccable throughout, each character is really very well done by the actors - no complaints here. Gollum - yes, the character we love and hate at the same time (much as he loves and hates himself!). I really think Andy Serkis should get an Oscar for his portrayal of Gollum, given that all the physical movements and his voice are Andy's. I think this time we'll see him get something (even if it's at the end of the Trilogy).

Story:

This is an adaptation, so it's to be expected that Jackson would stray from the book - I'm not going to give a list of the differences. I wanted to view the movie for what it was, not compare it to the book - that's why I didn't read it before going to the theater. That being said, The average movie goer should be able to follow the story even if they haven't read the book. There are some nice touches for fans, like including another wizard that was left out of The Two Towers (Radagast the Brown).

I was VERY worried when Jackson announced that he was going to make 3 movies instead of the originally planned 2. The original idea was to have 1 movie for The Hobbit, and a second movie to depict events that occur in the 60 years between The Hobbit and Fellowship. I think that would have been perfect. But as a rabid fan, more movies in Tolkien's universe is a good thing :)

Conclusion:

Overall I really loved it - Gollum is definitely the highlight. This is a fantastic movie for kids - and that's what it's supposed to be. Remember the Hobbit was Tolkien's first book and was written specifically for his own children - it's not an adult book. LOTR was written after the success of the Hobbit, and at the insistence of his publishers. His intent in LOTR was completely different - he wanted to write an entire mythology, not just a children's book. That being said, Jackson has done a great job of making it entertaining for us older folks as well.

I highly recommend this movie for the whole family. It's a fun romp through a somewhat already familiar corner of Middle Earth that we can all enjoy.

Pros great story, great actors, great for kids

Yes, I recommend this movie.

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Overall rating

5 / 5

Just Go!

PostedDecember 15, 2012

mshaynes

from Las Vegas, NV, USA

Age:55 to 64

Gender:Male

Goes to the movies:monthly

Dialogue

5 / 5

Special Effects

5 / 5

Art Direction

5 / 5

Acting

5 / 5

Story

5 / 5

Camerawork

5 / 5

An amazing bit of film making and story telling. Epic.

Yes, I recommend this movie.

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Overall rating

5 / 5

My First Tolkien on the Silver Screen

PostedDecember 14, 2012

Pandachan915

from Ohio

Age:18 to 24

Gender:Female

Goes to the movies:once every few months

Dialogue

5 / 5

Special Effects

5 / 5

Art Direction

5 / 5

Acting

5 / 5

Story

5 / 5

Camerawork

4 / 5

I was not so fortunate to experience The Lord of the Rings Trilogy in theaters. Back then,I barely knew what an Elf was let alone a Hobbit. I am now a little more learned in the ways of Middle Earth,having read The Hobbit and seen the Lord of the Rings on DVD (still reading the books)
I adored reading The Hobbit. Tolkien had such a unique gift for storytelling that I was sucked in from the beginning. So naturally when I heard that they would make it a film I was delighted. Now the question is: did it live up to all the hype?

YES!

With the first few seconds of the film, I felt like I was home. My beloved Shire was here, and there was Bilbo Baggins and even Frodo, just as I had left them. The score of the film, the details of Bilbo's home, everything was true to what I envision Tolkien's world to be. Now we have the look of Middle Earth, but what of its inhabitants? No disappointments there either.

The casting was brilliant. Ian McKellen reprises his role as Gandalf the Grey, along with Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, and Christopher Lee, who also took up their old characters from Lord of the Rings. My two favorites were Martin Freeman, who played an exceptional Bilbo and Andy Serkis, who brought back the troubled Smeagol/Gollum. Serkis' role in particular really touched me. We interacted with Gollum before, but this is where is started. We see how Bilbo came by Gollum's "precious" ring and what drove Gollum to find our heros later on in the other films. It truly shows the skill of an actor to make such a complex character come alive on screen. There were 13 Dwarves to keep track of, even I couldn't quite remember which one was which, but that didn't make them any less interesting. Supplying the comic relief all the way through, the dwarves actually had some good fighting scenes.

The scenery, as always, stunning. New Zealand is truly beautiful and I would give anything to see it for myself. The only flaw I had with the film were a few camera shots during a fight scene. During some of these battle scenes, the images would go by so fast that it would almost seem to blur. I kept squinting at the screen to make sure it wasn't my eyes that were causing this. Aside from that, I have nothing bad to say.

Yes, the movie ran for a good 3 hours (literally) and yes my poor boyfriend and I were sleep deprived and almost fell asleep through the previews, but that only shows how good a film can be if it sucks you in for 3 hours and keeps you going with energy you didn't think you had.

Fans of Tolkien, you will not be disappointed. Never read the Hobbit? Don't let that stop you from seeing a really good film. There was literally a guy in front of us who asked his neighbor what a Hobbit was and he still enjoyed it. The history and names might be a bit hard to follow, but the flow and direction of the film tied everything together perfectly so even then, you know what is going on.

Now I just have to wait for the second film in this new trilogy. I guess I can use some of that time to watch the film again...and again :)

Pros well paced, great story, great actors

Yes, I recommend this movie.

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