Martin Freeman’s Biblo Baggins leaves the Shire on a grand adventure in the first part of “The Hobbit” film trilogy. (Photo property of Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema & MGM)
By: Jacob Elyachar
If you plan on seeing The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, make sure that you are a true fan of the Lord of the Rings (LOTR) trilogy or have read J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit before seeing this film…. otherwise you might be bored and confused with the story.
Now with that out-of-the-way, here’s the basic plot:
Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman/Ian Holm in the pre-Lord of the Rings flashbacks) is a quiet hobbit that prefers the serenity of his home at the Shire. However, things change when he encounters Gandalf the Grey (Sir Ian McKellen reprised his LOTR role), who proposes the opportunity of an adventure. This adventure is to help Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) and the Company of Dwarves reclaim their homeland against Smaug the Dragon. While Bilbo is very hesitant against this idea, he sleeps it over and catches up with the group and joins them on this rocky journey.
There are several standouts in the cast including Martin Freeman’s Bilbo, who holds his own against both Richard Armitage’s Oakenshield and Andy Serkis’s tour-de-force performance as Gollum. In addition, hard-core Lord of the Rings fans should keep an eye out for Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Christopher Lee and Elijah Wood, who reprise their LOTR characters in the first film.
Another important part of the film’s success was the screenplay. Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens with help from fellow fantasy screenwriter Guillermo del Toro delivered an impeccable screenplay that was true to Tolkien’s work and will satisfy both veterans and newcomers alike.
One final key ingredient in this film was Howard Shore’s impeccable score. This is his best piece of work because he inserted the familiar themes of the Lord of the Rings score with new orchestrations that perfectly reflects the
Final thoughts: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is a wonderful film that captures the true legacy of J.R.R. Tolkien and is great start for the Hobbit trilogy. A-
