The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) – Movie Review

27th May 2021 Written by Trisha Walkden

The-Hobbit-An-Unexpected-Journey-Main-1 — MARTIN FREEMAN as the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins in the fantasy adventure “THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY,” a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), released by Warner Bros. Pictures and MGM.

For all who loved The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit trilogy was an exciting prospect. Beginning with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in 2012, we were gifted a movie each successive year with The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in 2013 and finally The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies in 2014.

The-Hobbit-An-Unexpected-Journey-Main-2 — (L-r) PETER HAMBLETON as Gloin, DEAN O’GORMAN as Fili, JOHN CALLEN as Oin, KEN STOTT as Balin, MARTIN FREEMAN as Bilbo Baggins, JAMES NESBITT as Bofur, AIDAN TURNER as Kili, STEPHEN HUNTER as Bombur, WILLIAM KIRCHER as Bifur, JED BROPHY as Nori and MARK HADLOW as Dori in the fantasy adventure “THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY,” a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), released by Warner Bros. Pictures and MGM.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey tells the tale of Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), a respectable hobbit, and his unforeseen adventures with thirteen dwarves. When the Wizard, Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen), volunteers Bilbo as a Thief to a company of dwarves, Bilbo learns that he is capable of far more than he realised.

The-Hobbit-An-Unexpected-Journey-Main-3 — IAN McKELLEN as the Wizard Gandalf the Grey in the fantasy adventure “THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY,” a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), released by Warner Bros. Pictures and MGM.

The film is packed with adventure as Bilbo, Thorin (Richard Armitage), and his twelve Dwarf companions head to the Lonely Mountain in a quest to retake the kingdom of Erebor. Filling the film to the brim, there are many characters for us to enjoy. Peter Jackson’s direction has the characters introduced to us fairly quickly and with clever depth. With a core cast of thirteen dwarves along with Bilbo and Gandalf, this is important.

The-Hobbit-An-Unexpected-Journey-Main-4 — MARTIN FREEMAN as the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins in the fantasy adventure “THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY,” a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), released by Warner Bros. Pictures and MGM.

The fact that one small book has been turned into three long films can lead to the question of where all the content comes from and natural concerns that the pacing will be slow. This, however, is not the case, with the movies adding in additional information and depth from the appendixes rather than strictly following The Hobbit text. For fans of the books, the inclusion of small details like songs such as ‘Blunt the Knives’ and the haunting rendition of the history of Erebor and the Misty Mountains through song are standouts. Indeed, the introduction of the dwarves and their eerie song is one of the most memorable moments of this film. The soundtrack by Howard Shore is filled with memorable and haunting music. The world created in The Hobbit is just as beautiful and rich in detail as the original Lord of the Rings franchise.

The-Hobbit-An-Unexpected-Journey-Main-5 — (L-r) MARTIN FREEMAN as Bilbo Baggins and GRAHAM McTAVISH as Dwalin in the fantasy adventure “THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY,” a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), released by Warner Bros. Pictures and MGM.

Overall, for those who loved the original franchise, this series is a can’t miss. For those who found the original trilogy a hard slog, The Hobbit trilogy is much more accessible. Filled with fun moments, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is an excellent adventure to launch into. Make sure to turn up your surround sound for the beautiful soundtrack and songs.