Review of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) by Danny R — 28 Mar 2016

Sir Peter Jackson's brilliantly delightful and visually stupendous epic adaptation of J.J.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit," a prequel which has more humor and is lighter in tone and fresher in spirt than his classic "Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

" A magnificent and hugely enjoyable trip back to Middle earth that is really worth taking. It takes place some 60 years before the events of the "Rings," with Frodo's uncle Biblo, played wonderfully by Martin Freeman who is a revelation in this star-making performance, he is recruited by the wise, wandering wizard Gandalf the Grey, played again flawlessly by the great Sir Ian McKellen reprising his unforgettable Oscar nominated role, which remains one of the all-time great screen characters, he shows up at Bilbo's home with 13 dwarves on a quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which is now occupied by a fearsome fire-breathing dragon named Smaug.

Bibo reluctantly joins the 13 dwarves which are led by the legendary exiled king of the dwarfs Thorin Oakenshield, played impressively by Richard Armitage. Although their quest is east of the Lonely Mountains, they must first escape the goblin tunnels, where Biblo encounters the twisted and tortured creature Gollum, once again played by the incomparable Andy Serkis in unmatched, tour-de-force motion-capture performance that is truly stunning, Bilbo gains possession of Gollum's "precious," a magical gold ring that will change his life his forever and tied the fate of all Middle earth, it will also lead directly to the dark, apocalyptic times in Jackson's masterful "Rings" trilogy.

This film benefits greatly from the welcome appearances of a few characters from the "Rings" trilogy that included; Sir Ian Holm as old Bibo Baggins, Elijah Wood as his nephew Frodo Baggins, Hugo Weaving as the elvish royal Elrond, Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, and the magisterial Sir Christopher Lee as the wizard Saruman the White.

It must be said that Sir Peter Jackson and his real life wizards at his Weta Workshop have once again brought back Middle earth to vivid life, with rich detailing and breathtaking CGI visual effects that are peerless.

Jackson's direction is impeccable, the luminous cinematography by Andrew Lesnie is phenomenal, and Howard Shore original score is truly majestic. Jackson introduces a controversial new technology with this film, a stereoscope 3D format that is 48 frames-per-second, which is twice the rate of what is standard, which brings the images sharper and brighter to an almost hallucinatory level of clarity the likes of which we have never seen before, I found this new 3D format to be a truly amazing and memorable experience.

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is a rewarding, engaging, spectacular motion picture that is another triumphant for Sir Peter Jackson. A must-see! Highly Recommended.