The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Review

Note: If this is too long, read my slightly less professional view by clicking here.

Overall, it's fairly safe to say that this cinematic year has been filled with more duds than a World War 2 museum. Some of them were even the ones that we considered to be the big players of the year, the summer blockbusters. The nuclear weapons of 2012's cinema. But even they, in some cases, failed to detonate and instead released a faint, anti-climatic puff of smoke. Prometheus, American Reunion and The Amazing Spider-Man immediately come to mind, and while they were all good, none really lived up to the hype.

If the nuclear weapon analogy were literal, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey would have just caused World War 3.

Not only does the first in Peter Jackson's new trilogy live up to its hype, it surpasses it, and shoots straight into contention for film of the year, only really facing competition from a certain Chris Nolan movie.

As with the first Lord of the Rings film, we are first treated to a bit of backstory, this time featuring some blazing (literally) action sequences that not only show us a glimpse of what might be to come over the trilogy, but also outlines the plot that will deliver it.

A secondary prologue follows, set directly before the events that unfold in Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. A 111-year-old Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm) has decided to write a book for his nephew, Frodo (Elijah Wood) that recounts an adventure he went on 60-years prior. An Unexpected Journey.

As the first prologue shows us, the dwarves of Erebor have long been evicted from their home and robbed of their treasures by the dragon, Smaug. Led by Thorin (Richard Armitage), aided by Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) and hindered by a reluctant Bilbo (Martin Freeman), the Company of Dwarves set out on the Quest of Erebor. Freeman does a fantastic job of playing the grumpy, fearful hobbit, and it's immediately clear why Jackson chose to work production of the film around Freeman's schedule rather than finding someone else.

It's a quest that isn't necessarily as daunting or desperate as that of Lord of the Rings, but the sense of urgency is still there. It's easier to feel compassion and sorrow for the Company of Dwarves than for the Fellowship. The Dwarves ooze personality, humour, brawn and bravery, yet they find themselves staring down the barrel of two dragon nostrils just to reclaim their home. There will never be a Middle-Earth quite so vulnerable as in Lord of the Rings, but Jackson has once again managed to perfectly capture that sense of immediacy and genuine threat that the characters are facing.

It's a good job, too, because it's a conflict that, despite being raised and settled in its entirety in just one relatively small book, will be stretched across three very long films. Admittedly, it's difficult to see how Jackson's going to make that work, but the fact that the main antagonist of the trilogy hasn't even been given any screen time in this instalment does wonders for reaffirming the faith.

One of the major controversies surrounding The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, both pre and post-release is the decision made by Peter Jackson to film in 48 frames-per-second, twice the normal rate. It's jarring at first, but after a few minutes it's easy to forget about. There's no doubt it's helped create a beautiful and vibrant Middle-Earth, but using 24fps would have still been completely fine and it seems to have caused a lot of commotion for nothing.

Another common complaint is the length and pacing of the movie, which is also a non-issue. It's a long one, for sure, but a trip to Middle-Earth is never a flying visit. As for the pacing, think of An Unexpected Journey as this trilogy's equivalent of The Fellowship of the Ring. It has its own sub-plot that it follows from start to finish, but ultimately it's about setting up the over-arching story that is to come in the next two films.

Despite the fact that Jackson took a fair few risks when putting this trilogy into production, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was definitely an unexpected total success. Look past the slightly odd higher frame-rate, the astonishing length of the movie and the fact that three instalments are being made from one book. Go in with an open mind, sit back and soak in the beauty and terror of Middle-Earth, and by the time the credits roll, you'll be more than ready for the Desolation of Smaug.

Overall: 4.5/5