On Thursday night I was lying in bed, jealously reading all the Facebook statuses of my friends either on their way or already in the theater to see Peter Jackson's latest trip to Middle Earth, THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY. "Well," I thought," at least I'll get to see all their review updates tomorrow morning!" I was excited at the prospect of having some of my trepidation about the film quelled by what I hoped to be singing praises and much rejoicing. However, what I woke up to was nothing of the sort.
What greeted me as I logged on mere hours before Elizabeth and I were about to make the journey to Huntington for a day of shopping and movie-going, was instead a resounding silence. I looked and looked, but none of my friends who were so jubilant about seeing the film at midnight had posted any reaction statuses. "Oh, God," I though to myself, "My worst fears have been realized! It must be a tragedy of a film!" But I am a hardy cinema-goer and on Elizabeth and I marched to Huntington, me trying to keep my excitement up despite the extreme nervousness I felt that my return to Middle Earth might be a treacherous one.
For those of you not familiar, Peter Jackson's eventual trilogy of films, THE HOBBIT, is an adapation of J. R. R. Tolkien's 1937 fantasy children's novel of the same title. It tells the story of a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins who is recruited by the wizard Gandalf the Grey to assist (and share in the treasure should they be successful) in helping a group of dwarves led by King Thorin Oakenshield to retake the dwarf city of Erebor and the treasure guarded there by the usurper and malevolent dragon, Smaug.
Leaving the film I was relieved that the echoing silence of Facebook feedback was just a fluke. Though the film was not as good as I had hoped, it wasn't as bad as I feared. All of the actors embody their characters perfectly with particular note going to Martin Freeman's Bilbo being both nervous and courageous, serious and funny -- his talent for mannerisms used to its utmost potential. The dwarves also collectively and effectively translate and further the humor that Gimli brought to the three LORD OF THE RINGS films (one of my favorite touches) and the film as a whole (like the book) is much more fun and lighthearted than the more serious LORD OF THE RINGS and had me openly chuckling throughout. That being said, for the most part the film also manages to capture the most intense moments appropriately -- perhaps the most noteworthy example being the handling of the dwarves essential homelessness.
The film also reinforces Peter Jackson's status as technical wizard. Though we were regrettably unable to see the film in 48 fps, we did see it in 3D (getting Elizabeth to agree to it was no small feat). That being said, the film has some of the best and subtle uses of 3D I've seen in quite some time and I can only imagine what they would be like with a higher frame rate. Also, though the film has a much higher quantity of CGI landscapes and effects, Jackson does not shy away from them. In one particular instance with the Goblin King, the camera lingers on a closeup of the disgusting visage of the festering ruler. Jackson wants you to see every boil and pustular, scar and pock mark. And it looks frighteningly and nauseatingly gorgeous and realistic. There are a few scenes with landscapes that appear flat and lifeless, but for the most part all of the myth and wonder is there (complete with another wonderful score by Howard Shore).
That being said, this film is no LORD OF THE RINGS. Going in, I (as most people did) knew that Jackson's task would be a difficult one. When THE HOBBIT was originally two films it seemed more manageable. However, when Jackson changed it to construct another trilogy, it worried many people. A trilogy for LORD OF THE RINGS made sense. Three films for three books. Even I can do that math! THE HOBBIT, on the other hand, is one book and is shorter than any of the LORD OF THE RINGS books. Attempting to stretch that amount of material across three films is nearly impossible. And you really feel it. At almost 3 hours, the runtime for AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY is nearly unforgivable. Though I (who am fairly well versed in the lore) and Elizabeth (who is not) felt that what was presented was enough to keep the audience interested for the most part, little happens. The film is (as it has to be) mostly exposition. And when it is not setting up what will occur later in the story, it reverts to a pattern of brief fight, run away, brief fight, run away. Lather, rinse and repeat.
Many things could have easily been cut from the film and it would have not only been stronger, it would have accomplished the same purpose in far less time. At one point I had to run to the restroom and chose a particularly uninteresting (to me) scene between Gandalf and Saruman. When I returned a few minutes later, the two were still talking and remained talking for what seemed like a while after. Nothing in this film is quick or concise. Even down to the names. It is always Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, King Under the Mountain, which is interesting the first couple of times, but at a certain point the lineage is established. And although I am not necessarily complaining as he was one of the better parts of the film, adding elements from the SILMARILLION (in this case a story arc with Radagast the Brown) though fun, seem like padding more than anything else.
All of this being said, I think it's important to note the one thing that the film did that I believe is its strongest point. Earlier yesterday, an indescribably horrible tragedy occurred in Connecticut. No matter whether you were connected directly to the event or not, it made you think and reconsider what kind of world we live in and it really affected both Elizabeth and I throughout the day. However, for the 169 minutes that I sat in the theater in Huntington, WV, I wasn't in the United States. I didn't have to deal with tragedies or ask any deep and unnerving questions about my fellow men. No, for 169 minutes I was in Middle Earth, watching a group of dwarves and a hobbit and a wizard that I know all too well. For 169 minutes I was with them as they banded together, supported one another, and fought the forces of evil. And for 169 minutes I got to witness the start of a journey that will span the next three years of my life. It's a world where good inevitably triumphs over evil. Where even the smallest of creatures can makes an enormous difference. Despite the problems it may have, Peter Jackson's THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY does what makes cinema one of the major loves of my life. And it did it at a time I needed it most.
7 out of 10
