The Hobbit: An Unexpected JourneyMovie Reviews

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So-so
Written December 15, 2012
(Shaking Head) Oh, Peter Jackson...

by DAMProductions

Will someone please explain to Peter Jackson that length does not equal epic!
He we be well served to learn:

Extended chase/battle sequences that do nothing to further the story, do not make the moving exciting.

Added geek fluff (material not in the original book) does not add to the movie (and I'm a geek).

Trust your actors more than your effects wizards. You have such a talented cast given fantastic performances that you have a great movie. Cramming more spectacle in only adds length, slowing the pace and diminishing the heart of the movie. Now, Gollum is an amazing merge of both, but the wargs and goblin caves look like a lame video game.

There. I have ranted. The Hobbit was a beautiful movie with lovely performances, but plagued by PJ's penchant for length. Go see it, but pack a lunch and know that anytime Gandalf says "Run!" you have 5-10 minute to visit the restroom without missing anything.
- 173 out of 267 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 14, 2012
Gollum is better than ever!

by pedsarq

Peter Jackson does it again! The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is an excellent movie that takes its time to be true to the book and sets up the trilogy nicely for the next films. The adventure involves a vicious, gold-loving dragon by the name of Smaug, but before we get to his mountain and all that treasure, we get plenty of action involving orcs and, best of all, a younger, more realistic Gollum. This movie is a prequel to The Lord of the Rings (occurs over 60 years prior to the story in that trilogy) and there are several scenes where the two trilogies share characters and mythology. So, it's no surprise that time is spent tying the two together. In my opinion, some of those scenes could've been shorter, or omitted entirely. In fact, you'll find that the first 45 minutes of this film are slow and long-winded. I was still at the edge of my seat from the beginning and am now looking forward to the next two! BTW, I may see it again.
- 94 out of 150 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 15, 2012
amazing..excellent! action packed epic!

by nng

im not a LOTR fan and didnt really watch most of the movies completely..i didnt know much about hobbit but after the first 30 minutes was of course pleasantly surprised. the journey just got more and more intense, interesting, suspenseful full of action exciting with of course the same characters and some concepts. there were lots of action packed battles, evil people, and really the dwarves there to reclaim their homeland. I had no idea that this was probably the first of a trilogy or more...so i was disappointed to find the ending not really being the ending, however the 2.5 hours goes by really fast...it is an extremely exciting interesting entertaining awesome movie... you can't miss it for sure....
- 78 out of 122 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 15, 2012
Lives up to the Legend

by ardensia

While it's not LotR, The Hobbit is a wonderful romp through Middle Earth. It is good to spend some time there before the character's hearts grow heavy with the weight of the war against Sauron. Martin Freeman is brilliant as a young Bilbo Baggins, and while it's a bit difficult to keep so very many dwarves straight, they are enjoyable and wonderful to watch as a group.

If you're not sure about the high frame rate + 3D technology, go see it without 3D. It is still beautiful and a very well-told story even without our gimmicky technology.
- 74 out of 115 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 15, 2012
The Unexpected Journey: A long-anticipated quest

by thomas_j_gracie

As a whole, Peter Jackson and cast did a great job with the first Hobbit film. As a self contained movie, The Hobbit was fairly powerful and provided a very rich visual experience (I viewed it in 48 frames without 3D). That being said, the Lord of the Rings cinema enthusiasts might find that the application of CGI was a bit liberal relative to and distinct from what they experienced with the original trilogy. The script and acting were exceptional--a respectable balance between faithfully scripting from the book and giving dramatic hard-hitters like Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis a chance to really shine. To comment on the family viability of the film: the level of violence is comparable to Lord of the Rings, but I note this: The Hobbit was scripted with some comedic relief in mind--all the better reason to bring younger siblings/kids if in doubt. To make things brief, I believe that The Hobbit accomplished its goal: recreate the heartwarming but intrepid Hobbit story.
- 70 out of 117 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 15, 2012
Beautiful!

by ksanabia

All I have to say is go. Just go. It was amazing, they did a very good job and I can't wait for the last two movies XD
- 44 out of 72 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 14, 2012
simply amazing!

by x4elizabeth

I've read the book and was really hoping that the movie would match up pretty well and it did!! of course they added a few things but thats just to make the movie interesting. and that it did! I loved the added scenes and for things that were in the book it was spot on! I loved it and if you love the book and the Lord of the Rings series you'll love this movie!! Defiantly a must go!!!
- 60 out of 108 found this review helpful.
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Written December 15, 2012
Of course LOTR fans must go.....

by Nacho Baggo

The story is fun and there is nothing else like this series.
However, the beginning is awkward and long, the chemistry between the characters is weird, and much of the CGI is too exagerated. The CGI was very ambitious and after a while, it was a problem to me. I can tell it is a Peter Jackson call to be this ambitious. It reminded me of the silly dinosaur segment in his KING KONG.
Andy Serkis and Ian McKellen are great. Martin Freemen is not so good. He is charming, but some of his lines were poorly done.
The stopping point for the ending is fitting for the start the second film, but it is also awkward. It didn't climax and I thought more was coming instead of ending.

I am very critical of the quality. I expect more from these films and PJ is not so great.
- 45 out of 78 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written January 6, 2013
Unexpected Treats

by

Great movie! I enjoyed the 'extra fluff' and have always wanted the 'Extended Editions/Director's Cut' kind of movies to played on the big screen. Yes, I know that this was not classified as either of those, but it felt great to see it 'all'!
- 19 out of 27 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 14, 2012
Don't miss the chance to go on this journey!

by Lucyabigailseward

"The Hobbit" is a wonderful film from beginning to end that truly transports the audience on a magical adventure. I was a little dubious about seeing it in 3D, but it allows a really evocative immersion in the world of the film -- particularly some of the views through the arches in Rivendell. There are certainly some wonderful new characters -- Richard Armitage has been one of my favorite actors for years, and his portrayal of Thorin is very powerful -- but there is also something wonderful about the feeling of "coming home" that is conveyed by the use of the familiar theme music from 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy. The fight scenes are epic, the dwarfs are hilarious, and there are a few tearjerker moments too -- what more do you need from a film?!
- 49 out of 87 found this review helpful.
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Written December 14, 2012
Great for Fans of the Books!

by makogurl

Make sure you brush up on your Unexpected Tales and Silmarillion lore! There's a lot of it in this movie, which makes it kind of slow for regular movie-goers. But if you're familiar with the stories, its a blast!!! Radagast the Brown, who is barely a character in the books, is brought to life in a HUGE way and you can't get enough of him. The dwarves are great fun, just like the books. Silly but tough!
- 62 out of 114 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 17, 2012
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

by mariastyles

Part I of 3: If you're a Tolkien Fan and a Peter Jackson Fan, or not, you won't be disappointed.
If you haven't read the Hobbit in a while, you may miss how the movie differs from the book. You may notice omissions, a change in character focus (Orcs instead of Goblins), character embellishment, and even more back story as in the case of Gandalf and the Necromancer.

It was also wonderful to experience the continuity of the same great actors in the same
roles we grew to love, hate, suspect, and cheer in the Lord of the RingsTrilogy.
It's a must see if you're a fan.

Can't wait for part 2!
- 32 out of 54 found this review helpful.
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Written December 17, 2012
Whimsy and action

by libilou

While Peter Jackson has departed from the story in major ways, I feel he kept the true feeling and nature of the book. The Hobbit is a book of whimsy, fantasy and friendship. While some adults will find the musical numbers a waste of time, they truly are in keeping with Tolkien's first book, which was written for children ages 8-10.

If you fell in love with the book, then you must go see the movie.
- 11 out of 15 found this review helpful.
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So-so
Written January 23, 2013
what were they thinking

by taranis

There was way too much special effects added into this movie. More time and money should have been spent on trying to keep the script and the story lines consistent with the book. I dont know what the heck they were thinking on some of the scenes. For example gandalf cracking a rock and exposing the sun on the trolls to turn them to stone. That was not in the book so why would you add that. What happened in the book would have been more entertaining. It makes no sense to me why it would be changed. Also the dwarfs are portrayed as great warriors in the movie fighting their way out of problems; in the book they were bumbling and inexperienced and did very little fighting. There are countless other examples. The scenes that worked were the ones that stuck to the book. I am a great fan of tolkien and was very disappointed with this movie.
- 15 out of 23 found this review helpful.
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Must Go!
Written December 15, 2012
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

by Wanda0161

Enjoyed the movie. Excited to see some returning characters especially Gandalf. Acting was great. Was surprised by some of the humorous additions but feel it didn't take away too much from the film. Definitely recommend for others to see.
- 6 out of 6 found this review helpful.
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WoottenSam The Hobbit was awesome!

4 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

4 hours ago.