A Review Redux
by Hunter Isham
I used as the title for my review of Lincoln a quote from the film that is as follows: "I could write shorter sermons, but when I get started I'm too lazy to stop." I knew ahead of time that the quote would sum up the length of that review, but I may have gone overboard with my recent review of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. I had a ton of time to kill (I was on a car ride back from Los Angeles at the time), and simply kept writing... and writing. To make an excruciatingly long story short, my review became more of an analysis and explanation of the film as part of a greater whole (the eventual Hobbit trilogy). I've decided to take another stab at a more conventional (and God willing shorter) review, although my longer look at the film is still available to read. Enter with caution, as you may end up looking like Bilbo Baggins in the above photograph. But now for something shorter...
Peter Jackson's return to Middle-earth, the first of his three part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, will likely be an enchanting and exciting experience for those who truly relish the opportunity to visit this unique cinematic world. I count myself among the Jackson-Tolkien faithful (although I'm not a big fan of the books), so I was probably going to enjoy the film despite its flaws. The good news is that An Unexpected Journey is a fun adventure film, filled with humor, heart, and some spectacular visuals. The bad news is that this film feels a bit bloated as it works out a great deal of introductory and expository details that will hopefully pay off in the forthcoming installments.
For the unfamiliar, The Hobbit, Tolkien's first (and originally standalone) Middle-earth adventure, tells the story of Bilbo Baggins, the titular hobbit, as he is recruited by the wizard Gandalf the Grey to join a band of thirteen dwarves seeking to reclaim their homeland and fortune from the devious dragon Smaug. This tale is smaller in scale and gravity than that told in The Lord of the Rings, and the work Jackson and his writing partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens have done to expand the narrative (mostly based on additional texts by Tolkien, but sometimes by their own creation) helps to elevate the status of the story from fun trifle to relevant precursor. Although the modified story becomes this film's greatest detractor, there is too much to like, from the cast to the always great production values, for this film to be a disappointment. Is it Lord of the Rings? No, but then again it was never meant to be. It is, however, a perfectly charming return to Middle-earth.
An Unexpected Journey is an expectedly enjoyable romp due largely to the efforts of the wonderful cast, led by Martin Freeman (BBC's The Office and Sherlock) as Bilbo. He takes the eventually tired adventurer of Rings and makes him a fussy, reluctant hero coerced into embracing a spirited heritage of perilous exploits. Pushing Bilbo out the round door of his comfy hobbit hole is Ian McKellan's Gandalf, just as lovably grumpy and wise as he was ten years ago in The Return of the King. The band of dwarves is a colorful assortment of fun performances (and Academy Award nominated hair and makeup work), but their leader, Thorin Oakenshield, is the true standout with a regal ferocity afforded him by Richard Armitage. Returning cast members such as Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Christopher Lee, Elijah Wood, and Ian Holm all get nice moments to shine and further weave Hobbit DNA with that of Rings, and Andy Serkis is brilliant once more as the creature Gollum. Some new, non-dwarven faces pop up as well, including Barry Humphries (known to the world as Dame Edna) as the computer motion captured Great Goblin.
The accomplished group of actors who breathe life into The Hobbit are accompanied by the behind scenes artists who work their own kind of Middle-earth magic on the production. Sets, such as Bilbo's home (Bag End) and the Elven residence of Rivendell, are just as inviting and beautifully rendered on the screen as they were in the Rings trilogy, while the New Zealand locations continue to amaze viewers with their inherent natural beauty. The aforementioned Oscar nomination for hair and makeup is well-earned, giving each of the thirteen dwarves distinct faces and beards, not to mention the many other characters that populate this cinematic universe. Andrew Lesnie, Jackson's frequent cinematographic collaborator, once again captures every image with a beautiful sheen, creating images further enlivened by another fantastic score by Rings veteran Howard Shore. His work here is yet another piece of the cinematic puzzle that weaves together this developing trilogy with the previous films. The script by Jackson, Walsh, and Boyens, though somewhat erratically paced, is ultimately a humorous and adventurous one. Everything comes together under Jackson's swift direction, finding a nice balance between character and action.
I can feel reader fatigue setting in, so I'll start to wrap it up. As for the elephant in the room, Jackson and co.'s decision to make an elephant-sized trilogy out of a hobbit-sized novel (and the use of a higher frame rate), I will simply say that I don't feel cheated, and the future films seem promising. You can look to my longer write-up for more information and analysis than you'll ever want or need to know about the subject. I'm a long-winded writer, so even this shorter review isn't as short as it probably could be, but what can I say? I'm a fan of Middle-earth on the big screen, and I'm more than happy to journey there and back again... and again and again. If you loved Peter Jackson's The Lord of Rings then you will likely enjoy this film (with appropriately adjusted expectations), one which is filled with light-hearted fun and daring adventure. "From the smallest beginnings come the greatest legends," reads The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey's tagline, and while it may not be small, this film is no doubt the start of something big, bold, and wholly worth the long journey its makers embarked upon so long ago. 8/10
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