Movie Review: The Hobbit: Unexpected Journey

I've always been a huge LOTR fan. I love the characterizations, the plot intricacy, the attention to detail. I also loved the movies by Peter Jackson. Sure, they had "Hollywood" elements in them, but for the most part they were exceptional. When I heard the Hobbit was coming out, I had mixed feelings. Each LOTR book is quadruple the size of the Hobbit. Yet the Hobbit is as long as the entire trilogy? The Hobbit was a children's bedtime story. Jackson turned the Hobbit into a long epic?

My doubts increased as the reviews started to pour in. People dissed the directing pace and the higher frame rate. LOTR fans disliked how the movie deviated from the text and added extraneous information. I went to see the Hobbit fully prepared that it may not measure up to the excellent first trilogy.

I was very surprised...

...It was MUCH better than most people are giving it credit for. I'll share some of my thoughts under a few general points:



Myth 1: The Hobbit Movie deviates too much.

The Hobbit, written before the trilogy, contains many strange plot issues. Sauron is just a mysterious "Necromancer". Gandalf is just an "ordinary" wizard with fire power. There are only goblins - not orcs.   I could go on, but the Hobbit is very much a prequel. Jackson had to tie these movies together carefully and does so by integrating plot links carefully. He brings out the Necromancer's connection to Saruman nicely, fills in the dwarf and orc backstories, explains the Saruman-Gandalf rivalry better, adds Radagast the Brown to fill in plot vagueness. I approve of all of these changes. Each one was tastefully handled and well-integrated.

Myth 2: The direction itself is very poor.

While some people may not care for the slower pace, Jackson uses the time to create portraits of exquisite beauty. There are many beautiful "scenery" shots. The opening half is devoted to the entrance of the dwarves, their carousing, and their beautiful song. I really appreciate that Jackson included the songs. Tolkien wrote some beautiful ones that deserve to be included. The added time gives Jackson the ability to bring the Hobbit to life more faithfully. Granted, a non-LOTR junkie may find these scenes boring - but you can't approach this movie like a typical thriller.

This movie reminds me of the way people watched back in the 50s - slow, drawn-out epics lavish with scenery, music, and contemplation. People went to the theater for the experience - not simply to sit at the edge of their seat for barely an hour-and-a-half. I did not watch it in 48 - just in 3D - which was stunning. Unlike many 3D movies today, this movie integrates 3D effects into every scene, to the point you stop noticing the effect and just enjoy the beauty of 3D rain or butterflies.

I admit I regretted the Goblin King scene - a bit implausible and silly. But a small blemish on an otherwise good start to the upcoming trilogy.

Myth 3: The Movie is too Hollywoodized,

Sure, turning it into a 9-hour production that parallels LOTR was going to detract from the quaint feel. But the new dramatization has been handled with respect to the source material. Although those seeking a verbatim text-to-screen adaptation will be disappointed, I hope people will appreciate this movie for what it is rather than what it isn't. All things considered, Jackson has captured the spirit of the Hobbit and the surrounding mythology around it very well. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Ultimately, Jackson offers a great moral for this first movie. As Gandalf remarks, great evil is never checked by great power. Rather, it is thwarted by the everyday actions of ordinary good people everywhere. To Gandalf, Bilbo represents the ordinary guy, the one untrained, unaware, and yet possessing character and a belief in good.

This first movie is really a quest story about cameraderie - similar to hundreds of movies already made. But the stage has been beautifully set for a much more nuanced and dramatic sequel. My hunch is that Jackson is trying to build each movie to a grand finale. Thus, while this movie does not wholly stand on its own, once the whole trilogy is complete, we will be much more impressed with the foundation laid.