The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - An IMAX 3D ExperienceMovie Reviews

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Must Go! Based on 10,580 reviews
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Written December 16, 2012
Fun movie, but no star trek trailer

by canttouchmyname

Liked the movie, but was disappointed that the longer star trek trailer was not shown - that is why I bought the imax tickets, instead of regular tickets.
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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Written December 15, 2012
WHAT DOES IT HAS IN IT'S POCKETSES?

by ICEMAN007

saw the IMAX version. a little slow for the first 1/3 of the movie. Jackson brought back a few familiar faces, and added a few items not in the original story. necessary for those who saw the LOTR trilogy, but didn't read the book ( Hobbit). effects were great. ashamed to admit it's been a while since i read "the hobbit". so i temporarily forgot a few characters, and story lines. gollum stole the show. was nice to see a happier version of the "Bi-polar kid", and the riddle scene was awesome, and left mostly intact. definitely a lot less depressing than LOTR, as this is a child's story. although the battle scenes are just as gruesome. bonus 9 minute preview of the Star trek movie. that looks real good. almost three hours long, it was a long trip to the end of the movie. first part ends right about where it should in the story, using the three movie formula. disappointing it is going to take three years to see the finished product. go see this on the big screen, and take your kids.
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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Written December 18, 2012
All the professional critics are wrong - THIS IS A SPECTACULAR MOVIE!

by art_in_sf

If you have even a smidgen of fun or adventure or imagination in you, you'll love this movie. It's exactly like the book. GREAT. Go see it, you'll not be sorry. Unless, you're one of those idiots who whine about movies being too long, or too many special effects, or silly stuff like elves and dwarves. You know it's long, it has special FX and has elves and dwarves - it's by TOLKIEN for heaven's sake! Don't see it if you won't like those things. It's not rocket science - people - it's FANTASY. Let loose and have fun!
- 5 out of 6 found this review helpful.
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Written December 15, 2012
visual spectacle with story intact but broadened in scope

by munirshaikh

Jackson does a great job overall of telling the core story with all the major beats from the book and a few adjustments for film structure/format. He puts the Hobbit into a broader Middle Earth context and weaves it into the LOTR films. Most significantly, Jackson has a knack for expanding the scale of scenes in his translation from the books to cinema. Overall, a very entertaining first entry in the trilogy.
- 5 out of 6 found this review helpful.
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Written December 15, 2012
Not quite there and back again.

by

For Tolkien fans, this movie is wonderful. With dialogue straight from the book, scenes from the appendices, and allusions to the Lord of the Rings; the movie is brimming with nods to Tolkien fans.

However, if someone did not know the story line, it could be an incredibly confusing adventure that abruptly ends on a mountain peak.
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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Written January 7, 2013
A Must See for Fans of the Genre

by

I saw this movie twice now. The visuals were outstandingly, amazingly, crisp. Let me start by saying that I have never read The Hobbit but I did read LoTR and watched those three movies at least 20 times or so each That being said people that I know have read the book, said that this movie was turned into less of an adaptation of the Hobbit book and more of a prequel to the LoTR movie trilogy. It has the same characters as the book but throws in some of the (younger versions of) characters from LoTR. You'll see older Bilbo before his 111th birthday, you'll see Elrond, Saruman, Galadriel, and Frodo as well. The tone was more upbeat and comical than the LoTR series. The dwarves were hilarious and their humor fed off of each other. Gandalf was much more interesting and less dark. Perhaps he hadn't earned his title of Storm Crow yet. Lots of action, great 3D, 3 hours long, laughs-a-plenty, not very true to the book, definitely a must see for you fans.
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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I'm In
Written December 17, 2012
IMAX sucks?

by duderanger

This was the first movie i've ever attempted to watch in IMAX 3D. The only reason I even cared to see the movie this way was the Star Trek preview. Saw the previews, watched my 9 mins. of Star Trek and was happy. The movie starts, the 3D pooped out and i watched it, sans glasses, for 45 min. Then they stopped the flick, refunded our money and gave us free IMAX passes. What I saw was slow and i blame them for trying to make 3 movies out of a small book. Cannot pass complete judgement until i go back for round 2. For free... I guess i can't complain.
- 5 out of 6 found this review helpful.
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Written December 31, 2012
Jackson did it again

by Friar Tuck 40

Anyone familiar with the book, The Hobbit, knew that there would have to be a lot of filler to extend the story to 3 movies. Peter Jackson and crew used the extra material to tell the backstory that leads up to LOTR. As was true with the Ring movies all of the back story is from J.R.R. Tolkiens works.

The genius is that rather than being pendantic or boring the movie does an excellent job keeping you glued to your seats whether you know the story or not. I can not rate this movie highly enough when it comes to recreating a fantastic setting and making it seem real.

See it! We did in Imax 3d and it was well worth the trip!
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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Written January 3, 2013
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey-IMAX 3d

by wpelk

I rate movies 0-10 (10 being the best). I'm a pretty tough critic, I rarely give movies a 10. So I give The Hobbit a solid 8 It was really good in 3D and had some good effects, but some of the movie felt like it was part of a video game and then the lighting in some parts was like LED lights, you know, that bright white light. So I gave it an 8 because of the acting and the story. I don't think I'll see the next one in 3D.
- 5 out of 6 found this review helpful.
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So-so
Written December 16, 2012
Extravagant, exciting and completely destroys the spirit of the story

by

After creating such a spectacular movie while remaining true to the story and spirit of LOTR, I am so incredibly disappointed with the travesty this movie has has made of The Hobbit.

If you have never read the book or if you only care about the fantastic fight scenes and breathtaking cinematography, then this movie will just be the prequel to the LOTR that you hoped it would be. Go see it in IMAX 3D or whatever they best quality theater you can. It is worth the ticket price to see.

For those of us who have loved this story since childhood, it is heartbreaking to know that Peter Jackson has sold out the Tolkien story just to show off his CGI "talent" and make as much money as possible.
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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Written December 17, 2012
Most of the critics have it backwards.

by

It seems to me that the problem most critics have with this film is the pacing. They didn't like that there is a lot of time spent introducing characters and fleshing out the story. I thought those were the best parts. The movie included quite a bit that wasn't in the Hobbit but was taken from other Tolkien works. I think it makes the story better and gives it more scope. The parts that lost me were the battles. They are just so CGI heavy and unrealistic that my brain would just turn off until the battles stop and the plot starts up again.

Peter Jackson recaptures the feel of LOTR perfectly. I thought it was a solid and entertaining movie. The humor worked, the acting performances were great and it was really pretty to look at. The 3D even worked and I normally hate 3D. Definitely worth watching on the big screen.
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written January 5, 2013
STELLAR!!!!!!!!!!

by ladyhunt

I loved it to the MAX.......you gotta know...My Grand-Daughter had seen it(13) and said "you gotta go Gramma!!!" Also my husband,(We're in our 60's) mother in law(86) ......Totally all of us were impressed!!! Stellar film...Can't wait till the next!!!
- 5 out of 6 found this review helpful.
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Written December 17, 2012
Watch it at least twice!!!

by derek609

I have been a fanatic of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films for years. The Hobbit has been a top priority movie for me to see since before they were planning on making it. It won't seem like LOTR the first time you watch it. That's partially because the plot of the story is a bit different. It's also because you think Gandalf is crazy for the first part of this film (which would be pretty out of character). However, if you watch it a second time, you realize that Gandalf is in this sort of massive, mental chess game with the forces of darkness. Watching it a second time is definitely a must. This really does feel a whole lot like Fellowship of the Ring once you get used to a few new characters. I can't wait for the next two installments of this movie! Jackson will really make the connection with the LOTR movies in both plot and sensation. If you are planning to see any film saga in theatres, see this one!
- 5 out of 6 found this review helpful.
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Written January 7, 2013
The Hobbit--the critics were out to lunch

by menondiamond

I've seen this movie in every format now partly to see the differences and partly because I just enjoy it. Whenever I've gone with others, even the ones who have not read the books, finds it very entertaining and says the time flies by. By the way I prefer the HFR of 48frames per second despite what the out to lunch critics have said. As I remember, they all panned Fellowship of the Ring for the same reasons they panned The Hobbit. Don't miss this movie in the theaters, because it won't be the same at home.
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written January 7, 2013
Breathtaking scenery and action.

by Doctor Quack

Peter Jackson did not disappoint us. The only criticism I have was the initial dwarf scene in the Shire. It was funny but dragged on a while. It did establish characters for everyone though. Important for those not familiar with the book. Very exciting after that-- totally engaging. Awesome scenery and action. Might be scary for pre school kids.
- 5 out of 6 found this review helpful.
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