[While I write this review in 2013, the film was one I saw in the last week of 2012.]
I first read Tolkien’s The Hobbit in 1972. I enjoyed the quest formula and Tolkein’s creation of a comic-book type world filled with dwarves, goblins, trolls, elves, giants, dragons, and spiders. Many of the plot details have faded, but I do vividly and with pleasure remember the opening with Gandalf and the dwarves invading Bilbo’s home, Gollum and his ring of invisibility, Bilbo’s escape from the spiders in the trees and from the goblins in a barrel, and the ending with the big battle with Smaug.
By taking only about a third of the book to create the new trilogy, Peter Jackson concentrates on the comic-book charm of the dwarves and Bilbo.
The film begins with a lot of exposition about the former magnificent dwarf kingdom, diminished by battles with the Orcs (goblins) and finally captured by Smaug under the Lonely Mountain. Another important point explained is the Arkenstone, a white stone which reflects great light, originally discovered by Thorin’s grandfather, recrafted by the dwarf artists, and eventually lost when Smaug claims the mountain.
As Gandalf’s choice for the "burgler" that the dwarves need to help them, quiet-living hobbit Bilbo Baggins ends up with his home being invaded by Thorin Okenshield and his 13 dwarves ready to set on their quest to reclaim their homeland. The opening visit to the world of the Hobbits is charming and greatly enhanced by the characterization of Bilbo. The wry humor of Gandalf and the invading dwarves allows us the chance to adjust to the use of 3D in the highly detailed hobbit house.
As the dwarves sing their mysterious song about the Misty Mountains, Thorin produces a map which shows a hidden door in the side of Lonely Mountain where they can re-enter their kingdom. The once reluctant hero Bilbo ends up deciding to join the adventure. And as we expect, he grows with each adventure they face, until he is fully accepted in his role by the dwarves at the end.
Once the group reaches the woods, the plot becomes a somewhat standard quest adventure filled with narrow escapes from trolls, cave-dwelling goblins and Wargs (giant wolves), the elves of Rivendell, and eventually they are saved by giant eagles.
Watching the film, one must suspend the disbelief of an adult and allow the Saturday-afternoon fun adventure to unfold.
Martin Freeman's Bilbo is charming. Thorin's band of dwarves are great comic-book fun, with Richard Armitage playing a powerful Thorin. Ian McKellen's Gandalf becomes a commanding presence who becomes the wise parent of the entire troop. Andy Serkis' Gollum seems much more malevolent than in Lord of the Rings.
Seeing the film on an IMAX screen and in 3D was magical. The vast glorious vistas of New Zealand as middle-earth and the shire play out beautifully in the IMAX scale. The camera tricks to suggest the relative sizes of Gandalf, the dwarves and the hobbits are effective in Jackson's storytelling.
If you're willing to become a kid again for a couple of hours, the film is highly enjoyable--a definite must-see.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) ****
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