But this dumb idea just may have worked out after all. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey may be only the first third of a single story, but it doesn't actually feel that way. Instead, it stands on its own. It really is the first movie in a trilogy, not the first incomplete fragment of a single film.
Bilbo Baggins, the hobbit of the title, lives a peaceful, quiet life in the rather small hobbit community of the Shire. He's fond of food, relaxation, and visitors- but not adventure. Oh, certainly not adventure! Alas, adventure finds him, in the form of a wise old wizard named Gandalf and a band of 13 dwarves. The dwarves, led by one Thorin Oakenshield, are out to reclaim their gold and land from Smaug, a nasty dragon that stole it from them many years prior. Hobbits are naturally small and quick creatures, so Gandalf is convinced that Bilbo would make the perfect "burglar" to help them steal back the riches. At first, Bilbo balks... but the lure of a new experience wins him over, and he finds himself running off to join the quest.
The real heart of Tolkien's universe isn't the beautiful locales or the exotic creatures, though those certainly are cool- it's the many (many, many, many...) distinct characters, with their own detailed journeys, quirks, and depths. The Lord of the Rings films did a wonderful job of portraying a variety of interesting people, and so does The Hobbit. Martin Freeman, best known as Watson in The BBC's Sherlock, was perfectly cast for the role of Bilbo, especially the Bilbo that we see in the film. In Tolkien's novel, Bilbo felt like a crotchety old man with all his griping and grouching, and was a real load. Until he found the ring, he was of no use at all to the dwarves. The movies, by contrast, portray him more like an awkward twentysomething- he rarely knows just what he's supposed to be doing or saying, and handles himself poorly along the way. Freeman has portrayed this sort of character in the past, and does it well here - the initial scene, where Bilbo stands frozen in disbelief as a dozen strangers trash his house, is especially hilarious - but the really interesting part is how we see Bilbo mature and evolve into something more. He's barely able to ride his pony at the beginning, but by the end, we've seen him outsmart dangerous monsters, traverse hundreds of miles with nary a scratch on him, and leap into the field of battle to protect his comrades. It's a side of the character you don't expect to see, but once you do, it's greatly satisfying.
Ian Holm, who portrayed Bilbo in the Rings trilogy, also appears, as a 60-years-older version of the hobbit that narrates the story. Holm has a great voice, like an old Oxford scholar, and he's the perfect choice for the narrator of a fairy tale like this one. Holm isn't the only Ian to reprise his role from the last trilogy. There's also Sir Ian - Sir Ian McKellen - as Gandalf, who still has all of the charm and wittiness that we saw of him in Lord of the Rings. Unfortunately, he really doesn't have much to do in this one. For the most part, Gandalf stands around, looking wise, occasionally saying smart things, and disappearing for long stretches, only to return just in time to get the cast out of a bad scrape. Granted, that's the same way that he was portrayed in the book- but that was one of the book's bigger flaws! And it doesn't help that McKellen seems distressingly old in An Unexpected Journey- his voice is scratchy and occasionally mumbling, and he moves a lot slower than he did only a decade prior. It's still a pretty good performance, but it also served to remind me of the mortality of a really great actor- and it makes me sad.
Despite the greatly-expanded length of the story, Jackson and co. apparently didn't think to give any more development to the company of dwarves, who are all completely indistinct and mostly unmemorable. I honestly can't remember most of their names (it doesn't help that many of them are very similar- there's a Nori, a Dori, AND an Ori), and the attempts to give them any sort of distinct personality traits are quite weak. It'd have been nice to see more of them. The only real exception is the leader, Thorin, played by Richard Armitage. Thorin is the grandson of a dwarf king, and he defeated the great Orc leader Azog in a massive battle to reclaim the dwarves' gold. Obviously, the quest failed, but it made for a great battle scene that showed off Thorin's deterministic spirit and status as an excellent fighter. I really felt for Thorin and his cause throughout the film, and he's practically the second protagonist next to Bilbo. And what a great co-protagonist he is!
But yet again, the guy who really steals the show is that good old skinny freak, Gollum. Andy Serkis returns to voice and motion-capture him (in, sadly, only one scene), and it's awesome to just see him again. Gollum's game of riddles with Bilbo is fun to watch, for the thrill of watching the two characters bounce off of each other for a while- and you're given enough time to try and solve the riddles yourself, which is a nice bonus. Serkis is a remarkable actor, and he gives Gollum an impressive amount of character and personality in his limited screen time. When Gollum suddenly goes from scowling anger to cheerily announcing that, if Bilbo doesn't win their game, then "we eats it whole!", it's really funny. Serkis has already won a sizable amount of awards for his work- which is a real testament to his enormous talent, considering how rarely voice and mo-cap actors are given any respect at all.
While Gollum's cameo is welcome (and necessary), others are... not so much. See, in expanding The Hobbit and turning it into a trilogy prequel to Lord of the Rings, Jackson decided to bring back classic characters from that trilogy, such as Christopher Lee's Saruman and Cate Blanchett's Galadriel. I suppose it's neat to see them again, but their jarringly brief appearances are superflous, existing only to forward a subplot foreshadowing the return of Sauron- which is also superflous! It's exciting, I suppose, to witness the first rumblings of Rings' story, but it's also unnecessary. The Hobbit is about the hobbit! Not the adventures that come after his!
One thing that has been buzzed about regarding The Hobbit is its use of 48 Frames Per Second. This means that it's been filmed at twice the frame rate that the majority of movies are shot in (24 Frames Per Second). It allows for a heavy amount of detail, and for a visual look that closer resembles real life- or, as some other critics have criticized, a TLC reality show. I saw An Unexpected Journey in 2D and in 24 Frames Per Second, so I can't comment on those elements- but I can certainly say that it's quite obvious that it was meant to be seen that way. The battle scenes, when shown at 24 FPS, look a bit jerky and unnatural, as if it's been sped up. The 2D conversion really doesn't work either. Many foreground or background elements seem unusually flat, and it feels like you're watching a 3D movie with one eye closed. It's quite a shame, because for the most part, the special effects are spectacular.
The first part of The Hobbit has some problems, relating mostly to extraneous technical or storyline additions. But it's also a very fun movie, and one you won't regret seeing. Bring on Part 2!
Stars: ****
Awesome
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