The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is a 2012 fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson. It is the first of a three-part film adaptation of the 1937 novel The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien to be followed by The Desolation of Smaug and There and Back Again, due for theatrical release in 2013 and 2014, respectively.
Set in Middle-earth sixty years before The Lord of the Rings, the story tells of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), who is coerced by the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) to accompany thirteen dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) on a quest across Middle-earth to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from Smaug the dragon.
The movie is in theaters now and has much of the same feel of The Lord of the Rings. I had my reservations of even making the movie why was it needed, but now I see that it adds to the beautiful novels by J. R. R. Tolkien and complements the films that were made over 10 years ago. Life on middle earth is explained in greater detail and and we see trolls and elves and wizards and dwarves and of course hobbits in a more personal light. And we revisit the tormented creature Gollum possessor of the The One Ring to rule them all. The Hobbit’s ability to be relatively unscathed by the greatest evil in middle earth is amazing. The simple life and values that some would call boring are what makes them happy. Tolkien’s masterpiece is preserved in this story of this small band of adventurers and how they overcome overwhelming odds against the evil of middle earth to reach the Lonely Mountain.
Definitely a must see for the fantasy of The Hobbit has been brought to the big screen as only Peter Jackson can do. Stay tuned comic and movie faithful for more. 🙂 Walt
I thought Tolkien wrote the Hobbit as a children’s book pretty gruesome for children. Just kidding I really liked it.