I would like to get right to it and address the oliphant in the room by stating the fact (not opinion) that “The Hobbit” is not and cannot be as good as the phenomenal trilogy that captured the world over a decade ago. It is not possible for one simple reason: In the LOTR films, the fate of the world is at stake as the burning eye of Sauron burns atop it’s tower, gazing upon the landscape ready to destroy all that is good. In “The Hobbit” our heroes are simply going to a mountain to kill a dragon. Some weight is lost when the two are compared and that cannot be denied.
And, apparently with the announcement that “The Hobbit’s“ journey to the big screen will now take three films to complete, it’s going to take us quite a long time for a much smaller trip. There has been much talk of this decision to make another trilogy out of a roughly 300 page book as merely a greedy grab for money and, in many ways, it must be. I can think of about a billion reasons why 3 billion dollars are better than 2 billion of them. But personally I don’t care as all sequels, prequels, spinoffs and remakes have a monetary troll pushing the cart to get them made. “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” reminded me that Peter Jackson’s Middle Earth is a wondrous and fantastic place and I’ll take any and all that I can get.
And Jackson gives us plenty, as his adaptation is meticulous and micro-detailed. This results in a very slow starting film with a molasses-paced exposition that mirrors what the director did with his retelling of “King Kong”. There, he took an hour to get to the island and here with “The Hobbit,” he takes his time getting Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) out the door of his Hobbit Hole.
Bilbo has been recruited by Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) to help a band of 13 dwarves reclaim their kingdom under the Lonely Mountain. Bilbo is reluctant to go on such an unexpected journey but the possibility of adventure gets his little hairy feet moving down the path. We meet many new characters and some of the favorites from the other films. Of course, we get to spend some quality time with our emaciated pal Gollum (Andy Serkis) who I didn’t realize I missed so much until I saw those giant eyes again.
Once the movie gets going, there are many sequences that deliver the tension and excitement that we have grown to expect with these films. There is a decidedly more cartoony vibe this time around and that can be blamed on the source material. “The Hobbit” is a children’s novel and this adaptation is more of a children’s film, albeit with many decapitations and a Goblin King that looks like he has a scrotum sack dangling from his chin (what?).
Martin Freeman was a perfect choice as Bilbo. The actor is very high profile in Britain and has contributed to some classic television series (the original version of “The Office” and the current “Sherlock” are both hits that have found an audience here in the States). “The Hobbit” is sure to catapult him into international stardom and he is more than deserving. McKellen, on the other hand, seems tired and a little reluctant this time around. It’s as though the weight of expectation kept him up at nights during the long shoot.
To High Frame Rate or not to High Frame Rate?
As you probably know, Jackson decided not only to film the new trilogy in 3D but also in a ‘frames per second’ rate that captures twice the information as the normal 24 frames per second. Think of it as High Def Cinema. The results are an extremely detailed and crisp image that I never got used to during the films 2 hours and 50 minutes. While much of the footage was fine, anytime there was any quick movement, the film took on an artificial quality that looks like it was pulled from your television. I suggest you watch the film in the standard frame rate first and then maybe seek out the HFR presentation if you are interested.
So what we have here in “The Hobbit” is a lovingly bloated film that takes us back to Middle Earth and overturns every rock and searches every crevice for more stories to tell. While Peter Jackson may be in need of an editor with enough chin testicles to tell him when he needs to stop, this really is the cinematic equivalent to the storytelling style of J.R.R. Tolkien who never spared a detail in his wonderful novels.