Director Peter Jackson returns to his successful well for another go-around with hobbits, wizards, dwarves, elfs, and a dragon named Smaug.
“THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY”
Warner Bros. Pictures
Rated PG-13 for extended sequences of
intense fantasy action violence, and frightening images.
Cast: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Hugo Weaving, Elijah Wood, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Billy Connolly, Andy Serkis, Lee Pace, Ian Holm, Aidan Turner, Mikael Persbrandt, James Nesbitt, Barry Humphries, Ken Stott, Sylvester McCoy
Directed by Peter Jackson
Produced by Carolynne Cunningham, Zane Weiner, Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson
Screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Guillermo del Toro
Based on The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
Studio Synopsis:
From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” the first of a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien.
The three films tell a continuous story set in Middle-earth 60 years before “The Lord of the Rings,” which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in the blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the Oscar®-winning “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.”
The adventure follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Sorcerers.
Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain, first they mustescape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever… Gollum.
Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of ingenuity and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities… A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.
Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf the Grey, the character he played in “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy, with Martin Freeman in the central role of Bilbo Baggins, and Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield. Also reprising their roles from “The Lord of the Rings” in “The Hobbit” Trilogy are: Cate Blanchett as Galadriel; Ian Holm as the elder Bilbo; Christopher Lee as Saruman; Hugo Weaving as Elrond; Elijah Wood as Frodo; and Andy Serkis as Gollum. The international ensemble cast of the trilogy also includes (in alphabetical order) Manu Bennett, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen, Mark Hadlow, Peter Hambleton, Barry Humphries, Stephen Hunter, William Kircher, Sylvester McCoy, Bret McKenzie, Graham McTavish, James Nesbitt, Dean O’Gorman, Conan Stevens, Ken Stott and Aidan Turner.
The screenplay for “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” is by Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson & Guillermo del Toro. Jackson is also producing the film, together with Carolynne Cunningham, Zane Weiner and Fran Walsh. The executive producers are Alan Horn, Toby Emmerich, Ken Kamins and Carolyn Blackwood, with Boyens and Eileen Moran serving as co-producers.
Under Jackson’s direction, “The Hobbit” Trilogy has been shot in 3D 48 frames-per-second and will be released in High Frame Rate (HFR) 3D, other 3D formats, IMAX and 2D. Production has taken place at Jackson’s own facilities in Miramar, Wellington, and on location around New Zealand.
Among the creative behind-the-scenes team returning to Jackson’s crew are director of photography Andrew Lesnie, production designer Dan Hennah, conceptual designers Alan Lee and John Howe, composer Howard Shore and make-up and hair designer Peter King. The film is edited by Jabez Olssen. The costumes are designed by Ann Maskrey, Richard Taylor and Bob Buck.
Taylor is also overseeing the design and production of weaponry, armour and prosthetics which are once again being made by the award-winning Weta Workshop. Weta Digital take on the visual effects for the films, led by the film’s visual effects supervisor, Joe Letteri. Post production will take place at Park Road Post Production in Wellington.
“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” and the second and third films of the trilogy areproductions of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), with New Line managing production. Warner Bros. Pictures is handling worldwide theatrical distribution, with select international territories as well as all international television distribution being handled by MGM.
[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmgHzkw1ln8′]
J.P.’s Take:
Peter Jackson and crew brings us a classic tale 75 years in the making: “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” springs to life in its cinematic debut.
J. R. R. Tolkien drafted the famed “Hobbit” and “Lord of The Rings” volumes as children’s fiction; with a sense of wonder and adventure. Now in the capable hands of writer/director Peter Jackson along side co-writers Fran Walsh, Guillermo Del Toro and Philippa Boyens, the story evolves into a lite hearted, lively silver screen epic. And epic it is, thanks to some advances in cinema technologies, we can enjoy this vividly detailed journey at 48 frames per second and in 3D.
With the enhancements of crisper visuals in combination with excellent story telling, the audience is wisked away on this trip just as Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) himself. Yet that’s the fun of a movie like this, it’s much more interactive than ever before. The sharp resolution gives the movie a stage presence, almost like you’re watching a play. Yet, you’ll find mixed reactions to the HFR (higher frame rate) format, as some viewers felt like they were watching a video game when it came to the creatures that appeared on screen. I happen to agree with them, although that didn’t kill the fun for me. There were also scenes that felt sped up due some of the character erratic movements, but I believe some of those scenes were presented that way on purpose. But despite the mixed reviews about the format, it’s none the less highly entertaining.
As I mentioned above “The Hobbit” has the ability to weave a great story, with bar raising character development, however, it also feels slight imbalanced as the second act is loaded with endless battle scenes. At every turn, it felt like the characters were placed in peril just because.
With a 2 hour 49 minute running time, much of those mini wars could have been left on the cutting room floor for a more efficient character drive story. At the end, yes it was an exhausting trek, but none the less one worth traveling.
I love stories that are fully fleshed out paired with exciting visuals. I’m quite positive fans will be flocking to the theaters to revel in the experience as well they should. I’m looking forward to the second chapter, whether in 2D or 3D.
Richard’s Take:
I was never the biggest fan of “The Lord of The Rings” trilogy, so I viewed this as a regular moviegoer with some knowledge of the previous films (I also should mention I never read the books either). I only saw the original films once in the theaters
As a prequel, I compared this to George Lucas’ “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace,” another go-to-the-beginning film that tries to outdo its previous (or future) incarnations. While Lucas’ story had many elements with some new characters, “An Unexpected Journey,” I believe doubles it…then triples it. In the “Lord” trilogy, there were like six main characters led by Frodo Baggins (played by Elijah Wood, who is seen in the opening minutes of “Journey”), while this latest offering, there are 13 dwarves who are now on their adventure to reclaim the Lonely Mountain and its treasure from the dragon. I could follow the characters of “Phantom” and “Lord” because of the smaller amount of players; this one had too many at once (of course, the other characters, hopefully, will play important roles in the forthcoming parts 2 and 3). Sometime more isn’t better.
Based on the “sometime more isn’t better” theme, “An Unexpected Journey” really doesn’t give the viewers a time to breathe. It’s pretty non-stop action as the characters (or run and fall) into scene after scene. I can’t even remember everything that happen (even if I wrote it down), which ranges from rapid dogs to hungry rock creatures and fighting mountains. There are some “talking” and narrative scenes, especially in the first 30 minutes or so, but it’s pretty much lets see what we can do here and make it glorious in amazing CGI and 3D.
Some of the characters return to “An Unexpected Journey” from the original trilogy: Ian McKellen (Gandalf the Grey), Hugo Weaving (Elrond), Cate Blanchett (Galadriel), Christopher Lee (Saruman the White), Ian Holm (older Bilbo Baggins), Andy Serkis (Gollum), and Wood. I liked the character of young Bilbo Baggins (played perfectly by Martin Freeman), a hobbit who is seeing all this type of adventure for the first time. It helps for someone like me who is also following the journey with open eyes, a similar concept that Frodo (Wood) had previously.
As with the trilogy, the film’s running time is a long 169 minutes. While you will get your money’s worth, you will get exhausted watching “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.” I know I’m in the minority here when it comes to truly enjoying the epic of this story. Honestly, it’s not a bad film, but I think the original three were paced better, along with a smaller set of characters. Of course, I may change my mind until you see the entire story unfold. For this novice “Lord” viewer, I have to rewatch the first three films, then I can enjoy the next set, “The Desolation of Smaug” (coming in 2013), and “There and Back Again” (2014).