For those who don't know the story or mythology behind the "Lord of the Rings", "The Hobbit" is about a very small person (a hobbit) named Bilbo Baggins, who doesn't go on any adventures or ever dreams about leaving his comfortable home in The Shire (a place in Middle Earth). Until one afternoon when he is greeted by a strange wizard named Gandalph, who sees more in him than even Bilbo himself could have imagined. So Gandalph "invites" him to take part in a quest to help a band of Dwarves to reclaim their home. Along the way are many dangers, and stark circumstances. What fun!
Martin Freeman makes a charming Bilbo Baggins, also he looks a lot like Ian Holm (the old Bilbo) which is nice for obsessive compulsive people like me. He is very likable in his performance, and is much more pleasant to watch than Elijah Woods. Although that could be because Bilbo is written differently. Ian Mckellen steps right back into the role of Gandalph as if he never left, but one thing that bothered me were the cameos by Christopher Lee, and Cate Blanchet, as if they were saying, "Yes, here we are, we wanted to be in this movie too...".
One of my fears going into this movie, was the concern I had with connecting with so many characters. In the book it is very easy to forget many of their names/personalities because of the size of the party. Surprisingly enough it was much easier to remember who was who than reading it in the book. Peter Jackson made efforts of not cutting much out, (if anything at all) hence having three movies. Jackson does however make some liberties which could disuade many loyal fans. Speaking for myself I was not bothered by these decisions, and I don't even think they are worth pointing out in this review. (If you are a Tolkien fan you'll know what has been added)
Okay, now for some critical thinking. I missed a lot of the on location filming in this movie. Unfortunately we were spoiled on "The Lord of the Rings" with the beautiful scenery, and Weta Workshop monsters that have been replaced by CGI orcs, trolls, and goblins in "The Hobbit". Another thing that bothered me was the color seemed a little too vibrant. Overall it didn't have the same realism that the other Lord of the Rings movies had. I knew it was all fake, but with all the work that went into set design and make-up I felt a part of Middle-Earth in the earlier films, not so much in this one.
I give it three and a half stars for being a stand-up movie but slightly not living up to my expectations.
Wyn's Review:
Andrea's Review:
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