The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - review.

The Lord of the Hobbits... The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Following on from his 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy, Peter Jackson has ventured on a new journey (pun intended) to explore J. R. R. Tolkien's prequel to the grand trio of films. He has decided to do the stupid thing rich filmmakers tend to do and is splitting the 310 page children's novel into three films. This personally is a ludicrously self-indulgent piece of nonsense and it makes you think, surely you'd gain viewers by tightening it all up. Boasting a whopping great 170 minute running length, it wouldn't get me dashing there but good reviews convinced me and I sat down to watch The Hobbit. Martin Freeman takes the role of Bilbo Baggins, previously owned by Ian Holm who has a nice cameo, and makes it his own, empathising the creature comforts Bilbo so loves and making him a foolish and incapable nincompoop. However as many great heroes do, he softens into a courageous man but seeing as this expedition is to last three full films, he is still full of cowardice and hasn't properly asserted himself into the prime role. Ian McKellen fits nicely back into the pointy hat, flowing robe and wispy beard whilst newcomer to the series Richard Armitage is the dwarf leader Thorin. This really is so like The Lord of the Rings it practically is The Lord of the Rings with reused locations, reused character elements and reused escape methods. The formula is the same, a group of Muddle Earth dwellers decide to journey to a mountain, in one case to destroy it and in the second case to reclaim it from a fiery dragon. Whilst it isn't refreshingly new and Jackson has had just under ten years to develop something original, it is enjoyable and the characters are entertaining in their own ways. The length prolongs the film greatly but none the less you find yourself lapping it all up.

4/5