The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit."

          The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was directed by Peter Jackson and is based on The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J. R. R. Tolkien. I was very skeptical when I first heard Jackson was adapting The Hobbit into a trilogy. After all, The Hobbit is shorter than all three of the Lord of the Rings books and he only made one film for each of those. After having seen it, however, I'm still skeptical, but much less so.

          You see, The Hobbit isn't just about The Hobbit. Jackson takes things that were only briefly mentioned in the book and turned them into major plot points, particularly the War of the Dwarves and Orcs. For example, Azog the Goblin is a major villain in the film despite never even making an appearance in the book. Furthermore, it looks like the Necromancer (who, like Azog, is only mentioned in a single line of dialogue) will be important in the next two films. Also, Radagast the Brown. He was in Lord of the Rings, not The Hobbit, but Jackson took him out of Lord of the Rings and put him in The Hobbit. He has a sled pulled by Rhosgobel rabbits.

          As should be expected from Jackson at this point, The Hobbit is gorgeous. The effects (both practical and CG) are very impressive and the scenery is breathtaking.  Like Lord of the Rings, this movie will make you feel like it was really filmed in another world.

Shot in the mystical land of New Zealand

           It should be said that this film isn't as good as the Lord of the Rings trilogy, as it doesn't really do anything Lord of the Rings didn't. Still, The Hobbit is a fun movie and if you are a fan of Tolkien, Jackson's adaptations of Tolkien, or you just want to let sexy, sexy New Zealand make sweet love to your corneas, it's worth seeing.