Le Hobbit: Un Voyage Inattendu

First off I have never read The Hobbit, but from what I gather the book isn't all that long, so the fact that this film is the first of three, suggests they may be milking it a little. That being said however I was very excited to return to Middle Earth for a new story..and I wasn't disappointed in the slightest.

This is the Prequel story to LOTR following the adventures of Bilbo Baggins (Frodo's Uncle played by Ian Holm previously) and how he came to be in possession on the ring.

Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. .is quite simply a BEAUTIFUL film! I saw the movie in 3D and at the 48fps that Jackson intended and I was blown away by how it looked. It's a stunning film that left me with the same 'WOW' factor that the original trilogy did a decade ago. Set 60 years earlier than Lord of The Rings, We are introduced to a much younger Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman). He is a content Hobbit, not concerned with adventure of any sort. Until Gandalf (Ian McKellan) suddenly appears, along with a group of unruly Dwarfs and offers Bilbo the chance to be part of a great adventure. The dwarfs wish to reclaim their homeland, which has been taken over by a huge dragon named Smaug, It's a simple concept and one that probably shouldn't be stretched over 3 movies but as with any 'first in a trilogy' film, it sets the stage perfectly. The movie has some great scenes.. meeting the Dwarfs in Bilbo's house, the run in with fighting stone giants and the escape from deep within the goblins' mountain are particular highlights. I loved the scene in which Bilbo runs into a familiar face (for LOTR fans) in the caves: Gollum (who looks amazing with todays MOCAP technology). Much of the movie, is the journey of the troupe back to the mountain, but also the journey of Bilbo himself.. mild and timid at the start of the film, our hero finds his courage, several times over, through the course of this film.

Overall I loved this film, I thought it looked fantastic and the care of attention not just aesthetically but also in terms of continuity were obvious. These are Peter Jacksons films, no doubt. Much like he did with the previous trilogy, bringing us into a world full of heroes and villains, orcs and wizards this film literally (thanks to the 3D and FPS rate) literally transports you into Middle Earth.

I am already excited to see the next instalment but to keep me satisfied until then..i may go and watch my LOTR boxset again . And them maybe this film again!

Great stuff!!

Let me start by saying that i have never watched any of the Lord of The Rings movies before.I was told to start with the hobbit. I was amazed at how cool this franchise must be as i loved every minute of it.I kinda feel ashamed for not giving this series a try earlier. 8/10 from me ,yeah that good.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) is a movie I originally saw in theaters, is in my DVD collection and I recently rewatched with my daughter on HBOMAX. The storyline for this picture involves our old friend, Bilbo Baggins, as a youth when Gandalf the wizard shows up at his door about an adventure. Bilbo says no but that night 12 dwarfs show up at his door and tells him a story about a dragon that stole their homeland and gold. They would like to return home, regain their kingdom and need Bilbo's help to make that happen. Bilbo will try to say no, but we all know he can't.

This movie is directed by Peter Jackson (Bad Taste) and stars Martin Freeman (Black Panther), Ian McKellen (X-Men), Andy Serkis (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), Richard Armitage (Into the Storm), Graham McTavish (Rambo) and James Nesbitt (Match Point).

The settings, cast, special effects, attire and props in this are absolutely out of this world. The introduction of the characters is hilarious and very well done. I adored how well the perception of the characters of each other is depicted and how that evolves over time. There's some war scenes in this that's awesome and every scene with the orcs riding the wolves is tremendous. The goblin king sequence in the cave is well executed and it's impossible not to love the riddle game with Gollum. The final battle at the cliff was perfect.

Overall, this is an underrated gem that gets overshadowed by the greatness of Lord of the Rings. I would score this a 9/10 and strongly recommend it.

A very good start to the series. Very sensitive for the rest of the process, even though the movie was slow for the first half hour, it didn't affect my experience that much. The story is fun and interesting. Most of the film's protagonists were fun and watching Gandalf bring back memories of The Lord of the Rings. Filming and directing dazzles you and makes you wish to live in the world of cinema, especially in the Elf area. Although the film is not at the level of The Lord of the Rings, it is still excellent.

It's definitely no LOTR...But it's still a pretty cool movie. Sure, it took it's time to try to tell the story and dragged on for a little too long, but other than that, the special effects were great, and it was entertaining as hell. It's a good introduction to The Hobbit franchise.