Review: The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey (2012)

By Jason McKiernan


Cast: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage
Director: Peter Jackson
Country: USA | New Zealand
Genre: Adventure | Fantasy
Official Trailer: Here


This review will not be a raving fanboy monologue of verbal kisses – that’s never been my pop culture entry point. It also, I should note, will not be a screed against High Frame Rate – since, gracefully, the theater hosting my screening wasn’t prepared to project HFR on the evening I screened the film. Under the circumstances, I find myself in the unique position of being able to critique The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey without obstacle or bias, which is ideal. On that basis, the film is…good, certainly an experience die-hard fans will love taking, and a little more tedious for the rest of us – until Gollum shows up, and kicks off a third act that saves non-fanboys from slipping into a Middle Earth coma. 

…the film is…good, certainly an experience die-hard fans will love taking, and a little more tedious for the rest of us – until Gollum shows up…

Honestly, this is the problem many of us identified when it was announced that, rather than a two-part Hobbit saga helmed by Guillermo del Toro, there would instead be a trilogy directed by good old Peter Jackson. The fear was that protracting a single book into three long movies would result with thinly spread material with only the trademark moments standing out. Some labeled it a case of myopic megalomania, while I tend to think it was more a case of Jackson being unwilling to sacrifice his babies. Either way, this initial installment, An Unexpected Journey, begins to suffer from its overstretched material, resembling a less engaging Fellowship of the Ring until the most memorable portion of the material – the Gollum-Bilbo confrontation – kicks the film off in earnest and holds us in its grasp until the credits roll.

Jackson throws familiar fans a bone right from the opening, with an older Bilbo (Ian Holm, reprising his role from the original LOTR trilogy) sitting down to write the story of the adventure that defined his life to his nephew, Frodo (Elijah Wood, also back for a brief appearance). We jump back in time, when a younger Bilbo (Martin Freeman) is content to live a quiet life on the Shire, tending his garden. But of course, Gandalf (Ian McKellen) has bigger ideas for the unassuming Hobbit – specifically, aiding a group of dwarves in a journey to Lonely Mountain, where the dwarves are determined to reclaim their treasure – and their home – from the evil dragon Smaug. All this fantasy is a little too Tolkienian for my taste, but I’m certainly willing to go along, as a civilian who was won over by Jackson’s original trilogy. And this first film is – eventually – enough to pique my interest for this new trilogy.

The first two acts of the screenplay – by Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Phillippa Boyens – feel a bit like treading water; it’s not merely the standard expository information that slows down many “first films” in trilogies, but rather a pointless extension of conflicts before zeroing in on the meat of the story in the third act. And what a third act it is, with Bilbo stumbling upon Gollum (Andy Serkis, in his most brilliant work to date) and engaging in a limerick contest that vibrates with tension, as odd as it may sound. The effects work on Gollum is better than ever, and Serkis’ performance is also on another level. It’s also clear that this is the stuff Jackson and Co. really wanted to dig into, as all the tedious tertiary details fall away and we focus on what makes this material sing. The Bilbo-Gollum ring tussle gives way to a series of epic final battles that prepare us for the second installment, which we hope will sustain the same excitement level over its entire three-hour running time.

The effects work on Gollum is better than ever, and Serkis’ performance is also on another level. It’s also clear that this is the stuff Jackson and Co. really wanted to dig into, as all the tedious tertiary details fall away and we focus on what makes this material sing.

I’m divided over the eventual direction of this Hobbit franchise. On one hand, having a singular voice handle all six LOTR films feels purposeful and right, a far cry from the way most lengthy franchises are directorially bifurcated several times over; there will certainly be no lapse in style or theme. On the other hand, based on the first two acts of An Unexpected Journey, maybe a new voice would’ve worked best. The Hobbit is a different story with a slightly different tone than the LOTR trilogy proper. Guillermo del Toro would’ve brought a slightly skewed perspective, a sharper edge, and a kinkier twist to the humor that might’ve fueled the narrative, whereas Jackson’s style seems stalled in a world we’ve already fully experienced. Nevertheless, the final act reminds us of how good these films can be when the material is engaging, and we hope that same wizardry extends into the next installment.

HFR Note: My Hobbit experience was in 24fps, and because of it, I feel like it was a pure experience, truly cinematic. Yes, Jackson’s intent was for the film to be viewed in 48fps, which is intended to smooth the motion blur, but all it really does is speed it up. I have yet to see all of The Hobbit in 48fps, but I’ve seen enough to strongly advise you away from it. An Unexpected Journey is a piece of cinema…and 48fps is the very opposite of cinematic.

69/100 ~ OKAY. After spinning its wheels for the first two acts, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey kicks into gear with a staggering third act that sets Middle Earth back on its axis.

Sr. Staff Film Critic & Awards Pundit: I married into the cult of cinema at a very young age - I wasn't of legal marriage age, but I didn't care. It has taken advantage of me and abused me many times. Yet I stay in this marriage because I'm obsessed and consumed. Don't try to save me -- I'm too far gone.
  • http://twitter.com/Bryan_C_Murray Bryan Murray

    I will be watching the Ottawa advance screening in 11 hours and can’t wait to see what Mr. Jackson’s interpretation of the Tolkein novel is … As for the 48 fps I will have to be the judge

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Chris-D-Misch/28134555 Chris D. Misch

    See it tomorrow evening myself. Nearly tens in waiting.

  • http://www.facebook.com/shari.begood Sharon Ballon

    Just got back from the premiere in Ottawa. A great movie. Can’t wait to see the next one in the series.

  • Jane Chen

    Just watched the Hobbit for the second time last night, it was fantastic all over again. I will wait patiently but impatiently for another 348 days to see the next one.