Anyone that has followed my blog for any amount of time would be able to tell that I am a complete sci-fi/fantasy movie geek, so when I learned that The Hobbit finally was being made I looked forward anxiously to when a release date would be announced. So naturally, I became even more excited and knew I would definitely be seeing The Hobbit as close to the release date as possible. With movies like The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey I am kind of like a kid in a candy store or even my wife in a shoe store. While there has been a lot of criticism with Peter Jackson making The Hobbit into three movies, for me it only added to the joy because I know that I have two more movies over the next two years to see, and this just allowed Jackson to lay out the story and even tie in the time between The Hobbit book and The Lord of the Rings books. And after seeing the movie I was not even close to disappointed and I ended up seeing it in the 48 frames per second format with 3D and I was simply blown away by the visual experience in the theater.
Martin Freeman play Bilbo Baggins our brave Hobbit that goes on this journey with the Dwarves quest to recapture their home at Lonely Mountain from a dragon. Freeman plays the role perfectly and captured in my mind the essence of a hobbit perfectly, starting with the unknown to him dwarf meeting that took place at his home. Ian McKellen in the reprisal of his role of Gandalf once again just fits and he seems to be the perfect fit for the role. His character is one that he is a wizard that is just likable by the audience. Richard Armitage in the role of Thorin the leader of the clan of dwarves works really well. While many may not recognize Armitage the past roles I have seen him in he has been great and really seems to become enveloped in his role. The chemistry that these main characters have onscreen between themselves as well as with the other characters all feel perfect. The rest of the supporting cast all do a good job and I am sure that over the next two films the other dwarves will become known better to the audience.
The story for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey takes Tolkien's source material and tell the story so masterfully. Jackson has a a great ability to take this tough to read book and makes the story easy for anyone to follow and so enjoyable to watch. While I felt that the story lagged slightly at first, the flow still worked in regards to the rest of the film and I love how Jackson has been able to so greatly capture the world of Middle Earth in my mind and transform it visually so perfectly. Jackson is so meticulous with his use of sweeping panoramic shots mixed so perfectly with the amazing musical score brought to life by Howard Shore. While a lot of movies use amazing visuals and stunning music, they rarely use it to really help strengthen the story. I think it also really helps the story be told properly by Jackson splitting the story into multiple movies, it ends up allowing for all the important events to have proper time and not just get glossed over. Also with so many interesting characters Jackson is able to give the audience a little more then just surface on the characters, but instead we get a little depth. Even more I am a big fan of Jackson's ability to mix action sequences with the story and how you do not feel like once the action starts that is all that you are going to get, but he takes breaks to not only advance the story but strengthen the characters as well.
The action in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was paced perfectly. The high frame rate 3D version that we saw it in blew me away as not only did it make everything more clear and crisp, but it really made me feel like I was an actual observer of the events as they were happening and not that I was a viewer watching the movie. Yet still with this movie being a fantasy we get some great over the top sequences, my favorite was that of the escape from the Goblin King. It was so well laid out and it is one of those great moments where a lot of over the top things have to happen. The action sequences throughout the movie were well though out and the pale Orc leader is probably the best Orc villain that have been in either the LOTR or Hobbit movies. To me the action sequences may not be as grand as the last two LOTR movie, I put the action on par with that of The Fellowship of the Ring. Also, one of my favorite action sequences was the Riddle duel that takes place between Gollum and Bilbo. It was expertly paced and worked so well to the entire sequence of everything that was happening at the time.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was one of the most anticipated movies for me this year and it definitely lived up to the hype. The use of the High Frame Rate technology is definitely the next step in movie technology because it really made a difference see it in a frame rate that is nearly that of what the human eye actually processes. I am anxious to see how this technology proceeds forward. The acting was exactly what was needed in the film and it really was precisely what I expect from a Peter Jackson film as the actors truly embodied their characters. I am still amazed at Jackson's gift for melding story and action together perfectly. I am giving The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey four and a quarter buckets of popcorn out of five. This is one of those movies I would highly recommend for movie goers to not only see in theaters but to pay for the HFR 3D. This is one that will for sure end up in the movie collection.
-The Movie Man
