The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 3DMovie Reviews

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So-so
Written January 16, 2013
The Hobbit in 3D

by dimalesha

For die-hard fans of Lord of the Ring I would probably rate it "Go", as for me, I was disappointed, especially with the 3D version. It is not worth an additional $4 per ticket since there was not much of a 3D effect. There were plenty of scenes where it could have been spectacular, but for some reason it did not come out that way. Also, the movie is telling only half of the story (presumably, the other half is in the making?...) and is really unnecessary long with lots of boring moments that could have been easily cut off.
- 7 out of 9 found this review helpful.
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So-so
Written December 14, 2012
What the....?????

by filmmusicbuff

Peter Jackson took so many liberties with the storyline that it didn't seem like a "telling" of Tolkien's story, but a "re-telling." He added unnecessary characters and characteristically focused too heavily on the violence in the story. My daughter just finished reading this book and I was excited to take her and share this experience with her, but Peter Jackson all but turned this children's story into a horror movie!
The movie was visually stunning and I loved Martin Freeman's performance. I was sorely dissappointed in Fran Walsh and Peter Jackson's screenplay. The acting, direction, cinematography, sets, costumes were all worth seeing.
- 7 out of 9 found this review helpful.
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Written December 15, 2012
Better than Expected

by Jemby2

Like many others, I worried about making it in three movies, but enjoyed this first one. Too many long battle scenes, too much falling down, down, down (come on and LAND already!); but the casting was excellent and scenes in Hobbiton and Rivendell felt like old home week. It's been 12 years since LOTR, but Gandalf, Elrond, and Galadriel all look YOUNGER than they did then. The 12 dwarves each get a chance so there is some good character development, and several iconic moments that played out very well.

Martin Freeman (Bilbo) and Richard Armitage (Thorin Oakenshield) do a great job - Thorin as Hero and Bilbo as Anti-Hero; they come to admire and respect one another as they work thru the adventure. I thought the dwarves' impromptu dinner party was funny, and probably fun for the actors. The bad guys were scary, but not too scary for younger kids. I loved Radagast as the ditzy Nature Boy wizard. The Riddle Game with Gollum was excellent; look forward to meeting Smaug!
- 6 out of 7 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 18, 2012
Tolkien paired with Jackson still a proven combination

by elemperador

I admit I was a bit worried hearing that the Hobbit was going to spawn three nearly 3 hour movies. I was pleasantly surprised that instead of feeling stretched, it felt natural and the time passed before I knew it. The visuals, as always, were spot on and the 3D helped immerse without feeling gimmicky. I loved how it started, tying in nicely with the start of the Fellowship of the Rings. I highly recommend.
- 6 out of 7 found this review helpful.
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Written December 16, 2012
Too much fluff

by jdubbya_nova

While I appreciate that some artistic license must be taken to adapt a book to film, they added some randomness and greatly exaggerated minor story lines to make enough filler for this to be a trilogy. I'm kind of disappointed, but as we all know, the movie is never as good as the book. I will still see all 3, but I probably won't purchase them.
- 9 out of 14 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 14, 2012
I didn't read the books but...

by

I thought the movie was amazing. I loved how they incorporated characters that you already knew from LOTR into this story. To me, it seemed a little to heavy on the CGI, but still, was definitely worth it!
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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No
Written January 13, 2013
WTF Was That?

by Witqueen

Man pick. To quote him, 'Well that was a bit far fetched don't you think? I mean how many times do you get rescued? It was a 3 hour walking tour of New Zealand" Might I add..he's a fan of Tolkien, I'm not, I pretended I was gaming since we saw it in 3d, so I could get through it. At one point..I dozed off. We will pass on the next two. Not worth losing another 6 hours of our lives.

The Hobbit. 320 pages. Split into 3 movies, 3 years, first one 2 hrs 49 min.

Les Miserables 1232 pgs Eng, (1400pgs French) 1 Movie 2.5 hours.

Take note Hollywood, You don't have to film every...stinking...page.
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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No
Written December 18, 2012
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

by ejarch

Overall, very disappointed.

I cannot believe the team that adapted LOR with such discipline and finesse could produce what appears to be an assemblage of illogical narrative plot lines and edits joined up with repetitive fight scenes.

For example, the change to the three trolls story makes no sense. The change from eating nothing but mutton yesterday, today and tomorrow (even though as the line is classic line is spoken one of the trolls is carrying a fresh pony who would realize that their riders were nearby) is incoherent. Even the strange move of negotiating terms so that all the dwarfs end up in sacks is odd at best. Gandalf's trickery (imitating the trolls' voices) is lost altogether. And what's the deal with discussions about parasites? It is but one example of a solid story line changed for no reason that I can see.

Am I a purist? No. There were many changes in the LOR that were needed and kept the sense of the narrative.
- 5 out of 6 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 29, 2012
The Hobbit is an unexpected journey

by

When I heard that Peter Jackson was going to split The Hobbit into three parts, I was skeptical. The Lord of the Rings was written in three volumes and lent itself naturally to three movies, but The Hobbit was only one volume. But what Jackson has done is to include in this movie much of the lore and "history" that J.R.R. Tolkien wrote into his novels. With these snippets of background, the movie flows nicely and follows a cogent path. There are also several funny moments in the film which I think highlight and increase the dramatic energy. To those who have complained of the long running time, I found the movie so compelling that I didn't notice. Jackson has done a remarkable job, as all his fans hoped he would, and ended this film in such a way that you will be slavering for more.
- 5 out of 6 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 14, 2012
Outstanding!

by

An incredible movie. Jackson's abilities have grown greatly and it shows in this film. The pacing is PERFECT, the drama riveting, the sets and scenery are spectacular. It is impossible to sit through the movie with a dry eye.

The film feels, moves, and looks more polished than the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The actors all fit their roles perfectly. Martin Freeman is the perfect Bilbo, much better than Elijah as Frodo.

Even if you have not read the books you will be enthralled by this film. This movie surpassed all of my expectations.

The only negative aspect is the wait until we get to see the other two parts!
- 9 out of 14 found this review helpful.
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Written December 23, 2012
The Hobbit, great and disappointing

by rossmon3

This story could have been told in one three hour movie. Ok, maybe two for those of us who love Tolkien and have read the books many times like me.
The story didn't need to be bloated out with extra stuff to make it better. The Hobbit was already great. The following is a text I sent to my son soon after we saw it.
Elrond had 6 paragraphs in the Hobbit. He described the 2 swords and read the map in 2. No meeting with Sauramon or Galadriel. No speculation that the dragon might join with the evil (necromancer) that would become Sauron. No Morghul blade or talk of the witch king of Angmar (future leader of the Nasgul) 2 things that were only part of The Lord of the
Rings. No attack by the Elves on the Orc's. I think all this was added to make the tale darker, and more exciting for adults as it was written for Tolkien's kids as a fairy tale. Or because Peter Jackson didn't think Tolkien had tied the hobbit to lord of the rings well enough.
I still enjoyed the movie!
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 16, 2012
Freaking Awesome

by

My entire family including grand kids are fans of Tolkien, truly a movie you don't want to miss.

But wonder If you or your family aren't into the LOTR that this would even interest you or you'd know what was even going on.

Started a bit slow during the "dwarf dinner" but geared up after that scene.

Thank You for the great afternoon!
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 16, 2012
Best 3D movie I have seen, best movie I have EVER seen overall!

by Tuck300zxtt

This movie blows the rest of the LOTR series out of the water! I may be biased because The Hobbit was my favorite book of the series however, this movie was VERY well done. The 3D was crisp and perfect, the movie was better cast than the others, and even though there were a few minor differences between the movie and the book... it was incredible! My wife went with me and she loved it! We want to go see Rise of the Guardians 3D, but we are unsure if we will go see it or go watch this again!
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 17, 2012
Hobbit

by KWProper

I saw the Hobbit in 3D. I loved it. I thought it followed the booked very closely. I even recognized lines from the book, which I am now rereading.

The 3D and special effects enhanced the story. They were not used as gimmicks.

I am very tempted to see it again, but may wait a week or so before I do.
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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No
Written December 26, 2012
It a pity when so much mass mayhem is simply boring

by shopping937

So disappointed in the amount of computerized mayhem (and blurry mayham at that) and so little character and plot development. As far as computerized special effects go, just because you CAN do it doesn't mean you SHOULD do it.
- 4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
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