The Hobbit is the only one of J.R.R Tolkien's books that I have read more than once. In fact I've read the book at least four times. Unlike the Lord of the Rings books, I found The Hobbit shorter, simpler, and much easier to enjoy. I liked how you could see events in the book shaping what was to take place in The Lord of The Rings. I liked the lighter tone of the book and the changes that took place to Bilbo Baggins as the journey went on, changes incredibly similar, but still remarkably different, to those that Frodo Baggins experiences.
It doesn't take long to realise how Peter Jackson has managed to turn The Hobbit into a trilogy. Jackson is drawing in material from The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings that make mention of happening that take place at the time of Bilbo's journey. Jackson has made some changes to the books plot, while still staying true to the books tone and particular moments from the book. No better moment stands out of this than the first encounter Bilbo has with the Dwarves at The Burrow. The Dwarves clean up after themselves in a way too thoroughly absurd to imagine taking place in The Lord of the Rings. As the Dwarves kicked around the dishes, coupled with blind behind the back passes, I was worried that An Unexpected Journey would be a massive disappointment. That maybe Jackson should have turned the films over to someone else.
I'd ask that everyone who can handle 3D films should ensure they experience the movie in all its 3D High Frame Rate (HFR) glory. I was shocked by the clarity HFR allowed, and was amazed by how the HFR boosted the CGI. Some have said that they have found the HFR distracting, taking away the polished Hollywood look and making the backgrounds look more like the CGI they are. I didn't for a second think this was the case. You have to give yourself a moment to adjust to the effects, but they certainly pay off. it's no surprise that James Cameron will be shooting his sequels to Avatar using the same HFR cameras that Jackson has embraced.
Martin Freedman does a great job in capturing the character of Bilbo Baggins. Freedman portrays every bit of the quiet, unsuspecting Hobbit that I remember from by reading of the book. It was great to see actors from The Lord of the Rings, such as Ian McKellan, reprise their roles. Andy Serkis is as good as ever in again portraying Gollum. The riddles game between Bilbo and Gollum is true to the book and perhaps the best scene in the film. Tolkien's dwarves provided a mix of frivolity and seriousness, and Jackson's are no different. The majority provide comic relief, while Richard Armitage's Thorin is as serious and intense as I remember.
My doubts about whether the film would do the book justice grew immensely as the plot of the film seemingly expanded to include the material from The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings. But Jackson does a tremendous job in fitting this in while still maintaining the original tone of the book. It took until the scene with Gollum for my doubts to be put at rest, but by then I'd also realised that I had seen one of my favourite childhood books portrayed on the big screen. Jackson does more than do the book justice, he works to help explain how Middle Earth became what it was at the start of The Fellowship of the Ring. Jackson's ambition could still be his downfall, but if the next films are as good as this, Tolkien fans will not be left disappointed.
9/10
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