Movie Review: The Hobbit

The adventure follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands. Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum's precious ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities... A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Released: 2012
Runtime: 2 hours + 40 mins
Rating: 4/5 stars
Buy: Not Available Yet

REVIEW:
This was probably my most anticipated movie of 2012. I mean after LOTR we haven't actually gotten a decent epic fantasy movie and Hobbit was my favorite Tolkien book too sooo....I watched at the premiere and the only reason i didn't review it earlier (in case you don't follow at Facebook or Twitter) was the fact that i wanted to watch the 48fps 3D version too except the simple screening. So now here i am with me to have watched both versions now and my thoughts on the movie...

I could say the movie is simply fantastic. There were doubts for the movie (even from me) when Jackson announce it will be a trilogy since Hobbit is a stand alone book. Still he made it work. Taking parts of the story of the Necromancer and fitting them in the right places, he told the story of the wizards that was not told in the Hobbit book but existed anyway. So except the story of the Hobbit and Bildo's adventure, we get to see a little of how Saouron awoke too and the events that led to Lord of the Rings. The movie is almost 3 hours and i could still watch more of it. People who are not used to that kind of worlds or LOTR in general mind find boring, but for a nerd like me it was easy to watch..twice.

There is no question on the casting here. Old and new actors were simply perfect. There was no better choice for Bildo and Thorin and they delivered their roles perfectly. Of course seeing Ian McKellen as Gandalf once again brought back some amazing memories. Elijah Wood and Ian Holm start the film with reprising their roles as Frodo and old Bildo, and Galadriel, Elrond and Saruman make their appearance too (no sign of Legolas in that movie).

Do i really need to discuss the special effects and music here? We know what Jackson delivers with the LOTR world and it was as amazing as ever. Yes, he did use more special effects in this movie than LOTR but i don't mind since they were really good.

And now let's get to that 48fps thingy which is something never used before in a movie. 48 fps gives clarity and many were disappointed from the fact that gives so much clarity that it seems fake or that it tired them. I've no idea what they watched but it was one of the most beautiful things i've seen. It gave an entirely different meaning to the movie, instead of the usual screening version of 24fps. The 3D was actually really good and yes everything was clearer. There were a little few times that the special effects really stand out or the set was more visible as a set and i didn't mind (taking this from a person who can't see a movie older than 1995 because of the quality of the special effects). The faster moving scenes were a little tiring with my eyes but this is something that happening everytime with 3D since i have to wear two pair of glasses.

In the end? Loved it. Hopefully i will go watch it one more time and of course buying the extended version of it when it comes out. Yes, i've heard there will a bigger version available :D