The Hobbit: An Unexpected JourneyMovie Reviews

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Written December 16, 2012
Quite Good, but Peter Jackson might be stretching too much

by TomHug

Great characterizations. The dovetailing with the events from the Lord of the Rings movies is artfully done as well. Mr. Freeman's Bilbo is great. We get a chance to see a different aspect of Smeagol/Gollum as well.

However, there are a lot of non-canon scenes and sub-plots that have been injected to a) stretch the plot material to last for three movies and b) show off the 3D technology. There are many action scenes that are frenetic and pointless.

It's all well -done and I can't think of anyone who could have done a better job with the story than Mr. Jackson.

In hindsight though, I think making only 2 movies and sticking more closely to the book would have been best.
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written January 23, 2013
Amazing

by teddybklyn

Amazing movie, amazing experience. EVERYONE should see this movie. Some say it was too long. It was a little slow in the beginning, but after that it moves quickly with tons of action. A lot of people say: "Why make three movies from such a slim book? Probably for money" That would be the ABSOLUTE WRONG thing to say. In the book of The Hobbit. Gandalf just leaves at one point. Later, in the appendixes of the Lord of the Rings, Tolkien (The author) puts in what Gandalf did, and more. He tried to rewrite The Hobbit that way, but he never had the time to complete it. There are literally 100 pages of notes on additional stuff. So they can turn those notes into more script, but there is so much in the appendixes, that if the had done two movies (let alone one), they would not be able to show everything. That is why there are three movies. It's the first time in Hollywood that they made three movies for the fans, and not for money. But critics just don't understand that. See it!
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 14, 2012
Go later in the week

by irfanhashmi

Awesome movie! Made it more comical and less dark than the LOTR Trilogy, but still an epic adventure.

I suggest seeing it later in the week because all the fake fan girls will start clapping at every other scene for some reason.

EDIT: Saw it again with my wife after New Years, was a lot more enjoyable without all the annoying fan girls. See it twice!
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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Written December 16, 2012
Under Done? - Not the Least Bit!.

by hellrazer1947

I recently read a review of this movie by a professional who proceeded to slam the movie for its failure to come up to the standards of the three previously done "Lord of the Rings". movies. After viewing the movie, for the life of me, I cannot understand what movie he went to see. This movie was absolutely fantastic in that it started very simply the way a movie or story ought to: Simple explanation of how Bilbo got into the adventure; The relationships he nurtured along the way; and lastly the climactic conclusion to the chapter of this movie. Very simply done, easily understood, and graphically explained by the actions of all the characters. It did have tinges of the other three preceeding movies yet kept them at a simple level, high enough to endear younger viewers to this beginning (?) trilogy. It also had the effect of reminding us, older viewers of why we loved the other previous movies, expressed by one of the characters-life is an act of goodness, kindness and love! .
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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Written December 30, 2012
Hobbit: Unexpected Journey

by rd2649

Wonderful movie. Scenery exquisite!! They should have made this one first. I sat waiting for the next scene to begin when it suddenly ended. Now I need to see the others to refresh my memory of what comes next.
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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Written December 24, 2012
Loved it but lacking

by MsReel

It was great fun to see familiar characters again and the beauty; the look of it all. It was great to see the set up for LOR. Gollum was really on his game and the scene with him and BB was expertly done. However 30 minutes could have been cut out of the film without missing anything important. Too much slow time getting started with unnecessary fluff and battle scenes that overplayed their value. I look forward to the trilogy but I hope Peter Jackson tightens them up with judicious editing and more meaningful content.
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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So-so
Written December 27, 2012
I should have waited to rent it.

by bhenne22

I had a weird experience - anytime there was camera motion I got dizzy, this was in the 2D version. I don't know if it was just that I'm weird, or if it has something to do with it being originally intended for 3D HFR, but it made the experience much less enjoyable for me, especially because I had never had that kind of effect before.

The narration at the beginning is excessively long - in general the movie is excessively long, I found myself wondering often how close to the end we were. i couldn't help feeling through the entire thing that there were parts that were totally unnecessary. I've heard some folks say it adds to the overall story and it makes it better for that, but I just feel like it's a money grab, simple as that.

The story itself is great, I enjoyed the acting for the most part, and it certainly looked pretty most of the time. I wasn't very impressed with the pale orc's CG, nor the very obvious 3D moments.
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 20, 2012
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

by mii2

Great movie! Loved the scenery, costumes, acting etc... Awesome as expected. May be a little scary for small kids, the Orcs are creepy. Can't wait for the next one to come out!
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 16, 2012
Well Worth the Wait!

by Sherlock_Holmes

I've waited for this movie from the first time I read the book, Peter Jackson did not disappoint. The film was beautiful just like LOTR, New Zealand couldn't have been a better place to shoot. A perfect representation of Middle Earth. Martin Freeman was an excellent Bilbo, and the actors chosen for the dwarves perfectly fit the book. Don't be fooled by the ads saying this is a much lighter movie then the LOTR, it's PG-13 for a reason. While yes it does have more humor, the battle scenes are just as intense, the orcs and goblins just as frightening, and the story is just as compelling. Looking forward to seeing the next two movies, just wish I didn't have to wait almost two years.
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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Written December 14, 2012
An unexpected treat!

by

( SMALL SPOILER ALERT) With the hype of an additional movie added to the already great showing of the original LotR releases, I was hoping for a good movie but I was a tad bit apprehensive. Peter Jackson did not let me down. There seemed to be a bit more frivolity in this one than in the previous three releases. But as I recall almost all of the funny parts in the Lord of the Rings trilogy was with Gimli..well there are now 13 more in this one, so it is to be expected. They are a merry little bunch.

I enjoyed the movie quite a bit. Eye candy out the wazoo, they stay very close to the book with some embellishment here and there. The chase through the goblin caves was absolutely frenetic. I felt myself squeezing my wifes hand harder than I should have been.

Very good movie. It's a must see for any of the fans of the original movies and a lot of eye candy!
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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Written December 28, 2012
Not the book - and that's OK

by knitwitter424

If you are expecting a word for word copy of the original text you will be disappointed. But if you are looking forward to a masterful retelling of the story you will enjoy it.

It's no longer a tale for children, I wouldn't recommend taking young kids, but neither is it as dark as "The Lord of the Rings."
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 17, 2012
Most unexpected indeed

by the1evilgenius

The first installment of the Hobbit left me wanting more. It avoided campy 3D effects and kept viewers interested. Even with my prior experience with the book and cartoon, the story was told in such a way that characters felt vulnerable.
- 5 out of 6 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written February 10, 2013
Incredible adventure with 1 major and 1 minor gripe

by

It is rare that I go to see a movie twice. It was engrossing. I was incredibly impressed by Martin Freeman's performance of Bilbo. I don't think anyone can emote without saying a single word as much as he can. I was also impressed by Richard Armitage's portrayal of Thorin. I was surprised when I heard he was playing that role b/c Thorin is supposed to be older, but he brought the weighty dignity and bearing that the role calls for and did it exceptionally well. He GOT it. Spot on. Andy Serkis absolutely shines again as Gollum. He's even better this time around! My daughter thinks the movie goes beyond awesome to an EPIC epic...We both had a major gripe of the pale orc, which didn't appear in the book. Why put it in just to stretch out the movie to 3 movies? The minor gripe is that it was a story line addition that did zip for the CGI effects. The effects were clearly visible in those scenes and the creatures didn't look real. That being said, it was excellent! Can't wait for 2 and 3!
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 17, 2012
Terrific

by jdstein11

For fans of the LOTR storyline, this movie was VERY consistent with previous films. I really liked being able to see Bilbo's transformation and how he embraced the adventure laid before him. The first of the movies presented camaraderie, battle scenes, adventure, and more, and was well worth the running time, which didn't seem long at all.
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written January 4, 2013
Critics don't know what they're talking about.

by

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was a very good movie in both visual and dialog.
The acting was really good.
Martin Freeman who plays Bilbo does a wonderful job match the movie's character to the book's.
I believe most of the critics went in seeing the Hobbit thinking it would be just as serious as the LOTR trilogy. But the Hobbit was written for younger audience, therefore it has more of humorous/childish feel to it. Adults will like this movie too, they just have to have an open mind.
Everyone should either read or listen (audio book) to the Hobbit before seeing the movie so they have some sort of idea of how different it should be from the LOTRs.
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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WoottenSam The Hobbit was awesome!

18 hours ago.

caoimhefcooke Today. 2.00pm. Sainsburys. Decided to treat myself to the Hobbit on DVD. After being unable to prove I was over 12, I was denied. #Whyme

19 hours ago.