Review of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) by James D — 16 Feb 2017

Whilst the Extended Edition of 'An Unexpected Journey' does not herald any whole new scenes in a departure from what its 'Lord of the Rings' predecessors gave, the extensions add a bit more meat on the bones to the theatrical addition, fleshing out the back story to the film. Whilst purists will no doubt continue to decry it for its departures from Tolkien's original novel, most of the additions are in keeping with Tolkien's notes in his Appendices as well as the Unfinished Tales.

'The Hobbit' iself is a rather sparse text, and the purpose of the new movie trilogy has always been to flesh it out into an adaptation that fits into the 'Lord of the Rings' series. The Extended Edition serves its purpose in that regard, and certainly helps to explain more of what happens in the sequel, 'The Desolation of Smaug'.

All in all, the Extended Edition is an improvement upon the theatrical version.