The Hobbit: An Unexpected JourneyMovie Reviews

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Must Go!
Written December 16, 2012
They brought the characters to life.

by mcclellanmp

I went to the midnight premier with my two daughters and several friends, all of us in costume, all of us Tolkien freaks and nerds. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and can't find a single fault with it. I enjoyed the addition of lore from the appendix of The Lord of the Ring and the Silmarilian in the movie, it added depth to the story and played quiet well, especially the inclusion of the Necromancer and Radgast the Brown. After the movie we all went to Denney's for something to eat and during the ensuing conversation about the Dwarves I pointed out that Ballin was killed in Moria and it was his tomb that Gimli stood on while fighting the orcs. One of my daughters friends, a young lady in her twenties, started to cry. Peter Jackson, you brought the Dwarves to life.
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Written January 5, 2013
Editing, please

by Satchel2011

BORING... Too many long battle scenes.... If you seen one orc getting slashed, you've seen them all. Cinematography, animation was great. Loved sets and costumes. Left halfway becasue it was too violent for my son. Even he was getting bored.

Why would anyone make a HOBBIT movie PG-13? It is unfortunate that the editing was so poor because the actors were terrific.
- 5 out of 5 found this review helpful.
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Written December 23, 2012
Expected and delivered

by dj_fabulous

The Hobbit was a well done rendition of the beginning of this story. Long movie for how far into the story it actually got, however.

I was heartened to see that compassion, love, loyalty, and forgiveness all got leading roles. While my socks stayed on, I really liked this flick way more than the critics thought I should. Boo to them.

Yay for Bilbo and Gandalf and the forces of good in the world. Well, at least the "up with my side" rendition.
- 5 out of 5 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 19, 2012
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

by silversurfertx

the pace varied, the characters had minutes to expose their motivations, the development scenes mostly worked well. For a long movie, I did not notice the time. And I have read the original book. Very enjoyable. Must Go. David R.
- 5 out of 5 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 14, 2012
The Hobbit: The Unexpected Journey

by

I grew up with the Rankin-Bass animated movies, and the Hobbit was a book I re-read a few times. So I am a bit biased. I'm not a hard-core fan the way some are, but the Hobbit at least was something I grew up with as a story that influenced me life. So Yes, I am partial.

That said, I was pleased by the cinematography. It was classic to the previous movies. Beautiful scenes, well angled shots, amazing blending of live action and 3d as well. The characters were given a life, and lived/breathed/were more then what I remember from the books (in a good way).

I liked how he used elements from the appendices to flesh out more of the movie in the way we have come to expect from movies. This wasn't just us following along with Bilbo. Nor did we see things strictly from Bilbo's perspective. Instead we get to see the action how it plays out, parallel to other events.

The lead up to the end scene had me on the edge of my seat as well. Over all, aside from a few nit picks, I love d it.
- 5 out of 5 found this review helpful.
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Written December 14, 2012
Tries to do too much

by jckline

Fun, beautiful, and with great performances from Freeman and Armitage. The set pieces are great, but there's too much filler, and Jackson tries too hard to make a Lord of the Rings prequel instead of just making The Hobbit.
- 5 out of 5 found this review helpful.
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Written January 11, 2013
Surprising!

by ShebaLatray

I wasn't sure what to expect. We had warning some thngs had been added......
I love that they kept the song the dwarfs sang about their home when they were at the Shire.
I love that the ponies were so cute!
The rock creatures were new and it added excitement to the movie....that was cool.
That was an awesome angle on the view of Rivendale! Love it.
The white ork was a twist, but he was scary if that's what they were going for.
- 5 out of 5 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 17, 2012
You gotta go...

by gesswurker

If you loved LOTR, you have to go (obviously). The Hobbit isn't groundbreaking like LOTR was, and much of it feels a bit like a do-over. There were times when I thought they just spliced up the original music score and "re-applied" it willy-nilly (not a major complaint though). Also, some scenes go on too long -- they feel a little indulgent -- like Peter Jackson "knows" he can go on as long as he wants, so he does. Neverthess, in the end, I was won over. Can't wait for the next installments.
- 5 out of 5 found this review helpful.
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Written January 7, 2013
It will stand the test of time.

by catmint3

I admit it has to be seen, it IS Tolkien and will remain a classic. It is well done and I look forward to the remaining 2 in the series. It is rich eye candy true but I also agree the fight scenes are over-done. They are long, especially running to get away from the Orks. I wouldn't have thought the Hobbit needed 3 movies as compared to the LOR but I guess it does...love the actors. Saw it in the new Living Room setting theater and had a salad, it was great!
- 5 out of 5 found this review helpful.
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Written December 26, 2012
If you liked Lord of the Rings, you won't be disappointed

by

Over the holidays I made my way to my favorite theatre and sat down for the first in a prequel of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey. Yes, the movie is long at almost three hours and yes it is a little slow but wasn't that exactly what Lord of the Rings - Fellowship of the Ring was. I mean come on, how many of us really watch the Fellowship of the Ring when there's the Two Towers and Return if the King. The Unexpected Journey is the Hobbit's Fellowship of the Ring. It lays the ground work for the next two movies, introduces us to new characters, new lands, and new villains. Peter Jackson does an fantastic job in blending both trilogies together and some of the characters don't seem to have aged a day. I give it 8 out of 10 stars even though its a little slow. Have patience, I'm sure this is only the beginning :)
- 5 out of 5 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 14, 2012
Beyond amazing

by chazzk

Let's get this out of the way: the movie is not a perfect 1:1 retelling of the book. There are changes. This is inevitable, and every change is for the better (except maybe cramming Galadriel in there). The pacing is slow enough to let you absorb everything and feel the weight of the journey without it being plodding and unwatchable, antics of the Company are entertaining as anything, and the FEEL of everything is just... Delicious. I cannot wait until the next one.
- 7 out of 9 found this review helpful.
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Written December 17, 2012
Better than Expected

by cina-ma

I was not especially interested in seeing this film. However, I was really pleasantly surprised. Yes, we whiz through dozens of exciting adventure, one after another; excellent graphics and creativity, but a tendency to get tedious after almost 3 hours.
What saves this movie, however, is that the story revolves around wonderful characters who are lovingly portrayed, and their growing connection to each other. And yes, the battles whiz by, you get the impression, but do not suffer through excessive graphic violence.
- 5 out of 5 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 17, 2012
The Hobbit: An unexpected Journey

by s kokatay

Visually stunning, completely engrossing, first rate entertainment, it followed the book religiously, good story telling - it's a masterpiece of a movie. Woww... It is better than all the 'Lord of the Ring' series movies.
I would like to see it again to relive it and soak it all in. Hollywood - take note and inspiration - this is a great example of what movies should be like.

I heartily recommend this movie to viewer of all ages. Enjoy.
- 5 out of 5 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 15, 2012
Been There and Gone Back Again

by mattsenn

The style and aesthetic are very familiar to Jackson's first trilogy, which resonates like a worn pair of shoes: comfortable but not as exciting as when you first tried them on. With a run-time approximating that of any one of the extended cut DVD releases, I have to admit I wanted the film to wrap up halfway through the third act. Jackson might consider releasing a special "abbreviated cut" on DVD, next year. The decision to pad the films into a trilogy five months prior to release are obvious, with even more dry exposition. If I could change any single thing about the film, it would be the action scenes. The digital effects in the first film were appropriately subtle, but in The Hobbit action scenes are overlong and flamboyant, more worthy of Gore Verbinski than Peter Jackson. However, the performances and characterization are top notch. The costumes and scenery are nothing short of what we expect from these films. Compared to any other film than Fellowship, it was outstanding!
- 5 out of 5 found this review helpful.
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Written December 19, 2012
Great movie, but was expecting a little more.

by broadwaybud87

The cinematography was gorgeous. The special effects were superb. The music was enchanting. The acting was great. It was refreshing to see familiar characters from LotR especially Elrond and Galadriel.
I would have to say that Gollum was the best part of the movie. Out of all the characters in this movie, he had the most depth. I truly sympathized with Gollum. I cannot say the same for any of the other characters. On a whole this movie was very weak with character development. I don't really feel like I got to know the characters like I did in Lord of the Rings. I think this was not the mistake of the actors, but rather the screenwriters and director. Hopefully, this won't be a weakness in the next two movies.
- 5 out of 5 found this review helpful.
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