Review of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) by Bailey S — 02 Feb 2015

Where there is a Middle Earth, there is a Peter Jackson ready to take it to the biggest scale possible. Coming off the masterpieces that are the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Jackson tries to recapture that cinema magic in a new trilogy that both has its strengths and weaknesses.

Unexpected Journey is the weakest of the three films, but that doesn't mean it's not enjoyable. The pace is a little off at times, but you can tell there was a lot of care in making a detailed story.

Set-pieces like Take up Arms are very stunning to look at, while mixing intimate moments perfectly such as Riddles in the Dark with Bilbo and Gollum. Some set-pieces feel a bit excessive and noticeably CG, though Jackson has been known to do this in his other films and thankfully don't last long.

The performances are outstanding, with the only weak link being the character Radaghast, which barley lasts 7 minutes. Martin Freeman as Bilbo is the heart of this movie, quickly becoming one of the series best characters ever and holding his own to the likes of Sir Ian McKellan and Andy Serkis.

The film works well as an introduction to the series, with far more great to outweigh the meh. It's a journey worth taking and should be quite fun to experience along the way.