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

I saw this movie and LOVED it! As a fan and a "Hobbit" alum myself, I was very pleased with the performances. That being said, I did have a problem with pacing. There were times where nothing was happening and I lost interest.

I'm not saying at all that I wanted all action all the time, I just wish things picked up more quickly. That's why it got a 4 star rating from me verses a 5 star rating. I loved the performances and thought that Martin Freeman was brilliantly cast as the lovable but timid Bilbo Baggins.

His performance seemed to be true to the book. I was also excited to see that Ian McKellan and Andy Serkis came back to reprise their roles from "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. As a Gollum alum, I can say that those two characters apart from Bilbo and later Frodo are what really holds the story together for me.

Counting "The Hobbit" as part of the series, they are the only two characters that remain constant throughout the series. If two other actors played those parts, not only might they have lost some continuity, but some fans.

It's hard to imagine any other actors playing those parts. Apart from the pacing though, I thought the movie was spot on!