A little while after the final movie in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (The Return of the King, 2003) was released, there was talk of a movie based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, which is a prelude to the popular fantasy trilogy. Director Peter Jackson was intent upon displaying the adventures of Bilbo Baggins on the silver screen.
Unfortunately there were many legal battles over the making of the film. This caused Peter Jackson many expenses to get The Hobbit into theaters. But he finally managed to make it into not one, but three movies, with a cast of Martin Freeman (Bilbo), Ian McKellen (Gandalf), and Richard Armitage (dwarf prince Thorin Oakenshield).
SUMMARY
The actual story follows the first part of an adventure in which the main character—Bilbo Baggins—joins thirteen dwarves to set out on a journey to reclaim their mighty kingdom, as it had been attacked and taken over by the terrible dragon Smaug. Their guide is the wise wizard Gandalf, who comes in to help when their need for him is truly greatest.
An Unexpected Journey—being the first of three movies—covers roughly a third of the book and the complete adventures. Therefore, some may be surprised at the length of the film, nearly three hours. Actually, though, there are many things added which were not in the book, but most of them can be found in other Tolkien works.
CONTENT
There is the matter of violence in the movie. This is not a film intended for younger viewers, but more for teens and adults. The Lord of the Rings movies were much darker in content than An Unexpected Journey, but this will not be something you would want younger children to view. The orcs—the villainous monsters—are depicted as savage human-like beasts, who ride large, vicious wolves. Also, the cavern-dwelling goblins may not appear to teens and adults as very life-like, but they will likely scare most children. There are also instances of violent battle scenes between the heroes and the orcs and goblins.
Apart from the violence, there is the matter of magic in the movies. There is definitely a use of wizardry and magic portrayed in the film. The evil wizard known as the Necromancer (or sorcerer) is mentioned several times. We are also shown him when the wizard Radagast goes to investigate an abandoned castle. There is one redeeming quality of this, though, as the sorcery and dark magic used by the Necromancer is depicted as evil and not something to tamper with. On the other hand, some of the heroes are shown using magic. This is not to be confused with the dark magic. Even in the book, Tolkien meant for it to be something entirely different than sorcery.
The final thing to say is that I was very pleased with the lack of bad language and immorality. I only remember one offensive word, but thankfully they did not take the Lord’s name in vain. Other than that, the film is clean in that area.
On the lighter side of things, An Unexpected Journey teaches some good lessons concerning mercy, loyalty, and not judging someone before you get to know them. Bilbo shows mercy to the miserable, tormented creature Gollum. Also, the dwarves show an admirable display of loyalty to one another and, by the end of the film, they all come to accept Mr. Baggins.
In conclusion, I highly recommend The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey for any Tolkien fans, as well as anyone who enjoys a good fantasy story. I eagerly await the next two movies to see how they progress with the story!
Review for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Extended Edition)
SUMMARY
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| Cover for the 2013 extended edition |
The storyline of the extended edition is the same as the original film, just with a few extra tidbits from Erebor, the Shire, Rivendell, and Goblin Town.
CONTENT
There is no extra violence in the extended scene, except that the gruesome Great Goblin king has a new song.
In one scene at Rivendell, the dwarves seem to be wrestling in an Elvish fountain. They are obviously naked, but the camera shows them from a distance, and nothing can be clearly made out. The dwarf Kili also winks at a female elf, and also mistakes a male for a female (though nothing happens beyond that).
The Extended Edition certainly provides some scenes that give a better background of the main story (including the rift between the dwarves of Erebor and the elves of Greenwood/Mirkwood).
GENERAL INFORMATION
Length: 169 minutes (original edition), 182 minutes (Extended edition)
Ratings:
Original edition: PG-13 (for extended sequences of intense fantasy action violence and frightening images)
Extended edition: PG-13 (for extended sequences of intense fantasy action violence, frightening images and fleeting nudity)
Director: Peter Jackson
Producers: Carolynne Cunningham, Zane Weiner, Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson
Music: Howard Shore
Year of release: 2012 (original edition), 2013 (extended edition)
Audience: Teens, Adults
This Movie was excellent! I liked it a lot. I recommend.
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