The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey (2012)

The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey Review (PG-13) Review

"He's not the halfling he used to be"

Peter Jackson's revered Lord of The Rings Trilogy reset the standard for fantasy films.  The slow melodious narrative spread over 3 films won over few critical naysayers when it first opened but culminated in a glut of Academy awards upon its final entry.  Now, Jackson and New Line has gone back to Tolkien's well with The Hobbit, a shorter novel written by J.R.R. for his children and a worthy preamble to the greatest fantasy fiction trilogy of our time.

The tale of Bilbo Baggins' and his adventures with a company of homeless dwarves and one grouchy old wizard is a light piece of fluff when compared to the majesty of the LotR.  Jacksons' natural tendencies to lean towards the cartoony and outlandish serve the material well here, The Hobbit is a gay and lively affair but without all the gloom and doom his nephew Frodo and Sam had to slog through.  Whole passages of the text are translated over, with songs and lyrics intact much to my delight.  Things merely hinted at are now shown and Jackson's embellishments never jumped the orc (if you'll allow me to coin the phrase...).  Long?  Plodding?  Pointless?  As a movie yes, but as an avid reader of the source material since early childhood I revel in the idea of the actual whole book being filmed instead of the barebones to keep the narrative intact.

Now the movie is not all handkerchiefs and warm hearths.  The movie was filmed in 3D and seeing it flattened into normal vision lends a harsh flatness and unreality to the picture, especially with all the compositing and green screen being in heavy effect.  The CGI ranges from good-as-Lord of the Rings to bad bad student project and is way overused, most of the creatures are computer generated and the men in suits are far and few in between.  The incidental music is bland and unmoving (except for snatches of the LOTR score that mince by every now and then), a discernible musical theme wasn't present.  A tighter movie, say a half hour shorter, would be advisable I suppose.  Some may stick their noses up at the bawdy cartoony silliness of it all (belching Trolls, oh my).  After the high fantasy heights achieved by Fellowship, Two Towers and Return of the King, The Hobbit is a measly little tale without all the grandeur and pomp and circumstance.  In context however, nothing could be more important and its inherent earthiness and the filmmakers love of the source if very apparent.

And there lies the power of Tolkien, his creative fire to create this world and all the little details and whatsits and whys.  The Hobbit was an important first step into publishing his great works, and how odd it must be to now step backwards and setup what has already finished.  Admirably Jackson does just that and with fewer winks at the camera than I thought him capable.  They fill in the narrative spaces with things from the appendices and lost novels, Azog's resurrection being the most unsatisfactory but the White Council and Radaghast are welcome on screen anytime and are well known to fantasy fans.  The biggest surprise is not its additions, it is the films lack of exclusion.  The benefit of splitting a shorter novel into 3 movies is that the movie is not want of content, every scene every situation has survived intact.  The Gollum riddling is almost word for word, the ransacking of Bilbo's larder is exact in its tone and humor and pleasantries.  This is The Hobbit through and through and if it doesn't make the most exciting movie it is a rather pleasant tale about a small little man who lives in a hole in the ground who decides to break out of his rut and go on an adventure warts and all.

Unrealistic, goofy and colorful, the Hobbit is not the action movie of the year, but it does have a lot of heart buried under all that commercialism.  Its the equivalent of having the book read to you while you drowse off to sleep, safe under your covers.  The reader makes silly voices, over-embellishes certain characters and takes liberties by explaining things that aren't actually in the book.   It's time well spent with beloved well known friends even if it is just a frothy children's story, but it feeds the tributaries and underground rivers that become the ocean that is the Lord of the Rings.  And as for The Hobbit, the silly voices end and the well worn book closes on the bookmark mid chapter, saving your place for when you can go back to Middle Earth.

7 Saved by Eagles out of 10 (GOOD)