‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ is eye candy for Tolkien enthusiasts

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first movie in a planned trilogy, takes its time telling this iconic tale by J.R.R. Tolkien. Peter Jackson’s movie is thoughtful and methodical, and amazingly it never seems to drag. Yes, the source material is stretched out and small events become grand spectacles. But isn’t it refreshing to have a franchise that cares so much about its original text that it attempts to display every word on the screen?

Granted, you do need to love Tolkien to appreciate the enormity of it all.

For fans of The Lord of the Rings, the movie is a welcome continuation of the story. For newcomers, especially younger audience members, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is a fitting entry point into a convoluted story of hobbits, wizards, dwarves and elves.

Whereas the original trilogy followed Frodo (Elijah Wood) from the Shire to Mount Doom, this one follows a younger Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) on a journey with a group of dwarves seeking to reclaim their homeland. Gandalf (Ian McKellen) is along for the ride, always leaving on some mission and coming back to save the day.

The ringleader of the dwarves is Thorin (Richard Armitage), the head of the community who seeks to avenge the death of his forefathers. He’s a king without a country, a strong-willed dwarf with fire in his eyes. At first, he doesn’t appreciate why Gandalf has asked Bilbo to tag along. How could a hobbit help their journey? The hairy-footed, constantly complaining Bilbo seems like an intrusion.

The purpose of Bilbo’s presence on the journey is kept a mystery for the entire length of the movie. The dwarves, probably summoned by Gandalf, simply show up at his little house in the Shire and expect the hobbit to become their “burglar” for the long road ahead. For a movie that pays a lot of attention to detail, there seems to be some lacking characterization on exactly why Bilbo is a necessary component.

Of course, fans will know why he needs to leave his homeland for the distant Lonely Mountain. He’s not concerned with the dragon that lives there or the monsters he’ll meet along the way. The reason for Bilbo’s trek is because of the gold ring he finds in the lair of Gollum (Andy Serkis). The Hobbit is laying the foundation for The Lord of the Rings.

The acting is enjoyable, especially from Armitage, Freeman and McKellen. There are so many dwarves on the journey that the script doesn’t try to distinguish their individuality. We know they like to eat and drink, and they have a lot of pride for their fallen land, but there’s not much beyond these first impressions.

The visuals are stunning, as to be expected. Whenever a new landscape is shown, it can take minutes to appreciate all the details. The special effects are similarly engaging. The various monsters that the ragtag trekkers meet along the way are brought to life by Jackson’s team with the finest of details. There are angry trolls and craggy mountain beasts that hurdle boulders across the sky. It’s hard not to love these creatures.

It’s safe to say that Jackson has performed his magic again. There’s enough visual splendor in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey to make up for any questionable plot points.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

• 2012

• Directed by Peter Jackson

• Written by Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Guillermo del Toro

• Based on the book by J.R.R. Tolkien

• Starring Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen and Richard Armitage

• Running time: 170 minutes

• Rated PG-13

• Rating: