The Hobbit: An Unexpected JourneyMovie Reviews

Poster art for "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey."

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Showtimes + Tickets

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So-so

Avg. Critic Score: 58 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore^® based on all critic reviews

Information for Parents:

OK for kids 11+

Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

83

Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum
I'm holding the filmmaker responsible for getting us all back again - to feelings of excitement and delight. Vital as they are, Gollum and Bilbo can only do so much to keep us enchanted. Is Jackson able to sustain the magic in two more installments? I peer into Tolkien's Misty Mountains and embrace the journey. Read full review
75

NPR | Bob Mondello
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey isn't "unexpected" at all, though between its lighter tone and a decade's worth of improvements in digital film techniques, there should be enough of a novelty factor to delight most fans. Read full review
70

Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern
An overlong adventure enlivened by wonders. Read full review
63

Rolling Stone | Peter Travers
What saves the day is the spidery, schizoid Gollum, again performed by the great Andy Serkis through the craft of motion capture. Read full review
63

Boston Globe | Ty Burr
The downside is that "The Hobbit" no longer looks like a movie at all. It looks like a video. Read full review
63

USA Today | Claudia Puig
While the production design is impeccable and the journey intermittently involving, The Hobbit is overlong and lacks the enchantment of the Lord of the Rings films. Read full review
60

The Hollywood Reporter | Todd McCarthy
A purist's delight, something the millions of die-hard fans of his Lord of the Rings trilogy will gorge upon. In pure movie terms, however, it's also a bit of a slog, with an inordinate amount of exposition and lack of strong forward movement...There are elements in this new film that are as spectacular as much of the Rings trilogy was, but there is much that is flat-footed and tedious as well, especially in the early going. Read full review
60

New York Daily News | Elizabeth Weitzman
It's one thing to sit on your couch watching football in HD. It's another to view one of literature's most enduring fantasies in the same manner. The experience that felt so breathtakingly cinematic in Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" series now seems frustratingly fake. Read full review
50

Philadelphia Inquirer | Steven Rea
This is not about a reluctant hero drawing courage from some deep personal well. It's not about dread and danger. It's about visual effects. Read full review
25

San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle
If you loved the earlier films, these are moments you will hold on to, but they're very few, and they're not enough. Read full review

Metacritic link View more reviews for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey on Metacritic

Information for Parents

Common Sense Media says OK for kids 11+ Tolkien tale isn't as great as LOTR, but better for tweens.

What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, director Peter Jackson's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's stand-alone quest through Middle-earth, is less violent than the scarier Lord of the Rings trilogy. But there are definitely some frightening sequences, like the battle between the dragon and the dwarves of Erebor, during which one character is decapitated, another has an arm amputated, and there's mass destruction. The group of Bilbo, Gandalf, and 13 dwarves is often tracked and pursued and nearly killed several times, but they manage to avoid death -- at least in this installment. Bilbo (like Frodo and his friends in the LOTR movies) again shows that size doesn't matter when it comes to making a difference.

Families can talk about how The Hobbit compares to The Lord of the Rings. How are the stories similar (a hobbit joins a dangerous quest), and how are they different? Which adventure do you prefer?
For those familiar with the book, how does the movie adaptation differ? If you haven't read the book yet, does the movie make you want to delve into Tolkien's classic?
What does Bilbo learn about himself throughout the journey?
Why do you think Tolkien's fantasy tale has withstood the test of time?

The good stuff

Positive messages: As in The Lord of the Rings, the message of The Hobbit is that even the smallest person can make a huge difference. Gandalf even says "it's the small things that keep the darkness at bay" in reference to Bilbo's involvement in the dangerous mission. Gandalf advises Bilbo that it's not knowing how to take a life that takes courage but knowing when to spare one. The dwarves' quest reminds viewers of the importance of home, kinship, and belonging somewhere.
Positive role models: No one except Gandalf thinks that Bilbo can be of much help, but Bilbo rises to the occasion by summoning his courage when the time calls for it -- except for the fact that he fulfills his destiny as a "burglar" by stealing Gollum's precious ring. Thorin is dedicated to his fellow dwarves, and they in return revere him as their faithful leader.

What to watch for

Violence: Less violent than The Lord of the Rings, but there's still some carnage: a battle between the dwarves and the dragon leads to the dwarf king being decapitated, an orc leader's arm amputated, and a multitude of dwarves and their property destroyed. There are several close calls when Bilbo, Gandalf, and the dwarves are pursued or nearly die on their journey across Middle-earth, usually by orcs and their beasts. The orc leader is a frightening sight -- particularly with his claw-like prosthesis, and he's bloodthirsty. A group of goblins/orcs tries to kill the group as well.
Sexy stuff: Not an issue
Language: Slang use of "jaxie" (meaning "ass").
Consumerism: Although there are no product placements in Middle-earth, the Tolkien books and Peter Jackson film adaptations have spawned a ton of merchandise: apparel, video games, LEGO toys and board games, role-playing games, special movie tie-in editions of the books, and more.
Drinking, drugs and smoking: The dwarves are a voracious lot -- even more than hobbits. They ransack Bilbo's pantry and consume large quantities of drink (and food). Gandalf and Bilbo smoke the mellowing pipeweed.

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