Here we go again!
First of all. . . WOW!! The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is an amazing movie! I made sure I didn't go in with any high expectations, but now that I've watched it I can safely tell you that it is safe to set the bar as high as you want. Peter Jackson has lived up to his promise of delivering a spectacle and then some. Sure, there are some minor technical issues and a lot of it depends on what you are expecting but at the end of the day THAUJ (yes, that's what I'm going to call it henceforth. For one, because it's easier, and mostly because it sounds somewhat like a dwarven name - THAUJ THE TERRIFIC) sweeps the floor with its competition.
Adapted from Tolkien's "The Hobbit" - the precursor to the LOTR, THAUJ is the first in the part of a new trilogy. Stretched and extended by heavily borrowing from the original book's footnotes and appendices, the movie is a much more detailed (and at times more tedious to some) retelling of the original.
As the first movie in the new prequel trilogy based on Tolkien's "The Hobbit"- the precursor to the LOTR - , THAUJ tells the story of how Bilbo Baggins (Frodo's uncle if you wish), a rather well-to-do and happy-as-you-please hobbit ends up being unsuspectingly sucked from his quiet home in the shire and thrown into a merry troop of dwarves on a quest to regain their lost homeland from the dragon Smaug the terrible - all courtesy of a familiar old wizard.
Riding on the back of something as magnificent as LOTR trilogy, it was always going to be an uphill task. But it is a task made much easier with an expert cast and the indelible Peter Jackson back at the helm. Seriously, we should just make a law that says any epic work of fantasy must and only must be handled by this man. This is his calling. This is his maksat in life. He brings to life Tolkien's works in a way no one else ever can.
Adapted by the very skilled team-up of Peter Jackson and Guillermo Del Toro, THAUJ is the first of a sprawling three-part epic. While anyone who has read the book can you tell you that the original is not nearly as extensive to warrant three movies, let alone three, three-hour long movies, it is in this extension the true magic of THAUJ lies. The Hobbit book was never as nearly as descriptive as the LOTR and Peter Jackson has done well to pull in extra bits (which end up being more of the majority here) to weave another compelling journey tale.
THAUJ does well in all aspects of what a fantasy adventure should be —great characters, fantastic action, sufficient comedy and a well crafted world—and if there is one quibble most movie-goers will go home with is that it's a bit childish. Then again, so was the book — deal with it! There is no point in comparing this with its much superior and sterner cousin, instead just enjoy enjoy it for what it is — another delectable romp through the realms of Middle Earth.
Though the choice to go complete CGI might be a bit of an off-putter (as compared to the LOTR where CGI and old-school effects were mixed in equal quantities), as CGI has the uncanny ability of looking great in the present but ageing really fast over the years. There's a good chance that in a few years you will be laughing how fake the white orc looks.
But besides that, it is a thoroughly enjoyable movie—as long as you are ready to drop your LOTR based predilections. I am already looking forward to the next installment (which might have something to do with a certain Mr. Benedict Cumberbatch) Plus, its got an utterly hummable theme song that has the tendency to make you want to go hunting for lost magic rings yourself. Here you go...
