The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
WHAT: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
WHEN: In theatres starting Friday, December 14
DIRECTOR: Peter Jackson
LANGUAGE: English
RUN TIME: 169 Minutes
OUR RATING: Do it!
Last night, we were invited to the special pre-screening of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and began our own overwhelming journey into the world of Middle-earth once more. For those of you who did not read the book (and shame on you for missing such a classic — go buy it now!), The Hobbit is set before The Lord of the Rings trilogy and is centered around Bilbo Baggins, a home-loving Hobbit who is unwillingly drawn into a quest led by a Dwarf band seeking to reclaim their gold and home from the evil dragon Smaug. Of course, with this film being in a trilogy, we only get the first segment.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (photo courtesy of thehobbit.com)
Our immediate impression of the film was a sense of comfort: here we were, back in the Shire, listening the the story of Bilbo’s first adventure. Action soon follows, as you are plunged into the map beyond the Shire, were Bilbo must face all manner of foes, from the brutish Orcs, to the conniving Goblins and even living mountains themselves. Peter Jackson also manages to deliver us a healthy serving of humor throughout the adventure, more than enough to satisfy the most Dwarven of appetites.
Adam: The two star performances certainly come from Sir Ian McKellen (Gandalf) and Martin Freeman (Bilbo Baggins). Sir Ian’s marvelous good humour smattered with his wise and measured acting create the image of the archetypal wizard, who is both friend, grandfather and sage all in one. Freeman acts in his usual Freeman-esque style, with observations and exclamations in that tone of Watson we have become so familiar with during Sherlock. However, this translates well into the character of Bilbo, who somewhat mirrors Freeman’s transition from the Shire of the small screen to the Middle-earth of the big time.
I know a lot has been said about the choice to use 48-frames per second instead of the standard 24 frames per second, but I would like to get my two cents in briefly. It was certainly a daring move and one that should be applauded, for we must always experiment to move forward. Nevertheless, I felt that it removed from the epic nature of the film in some ways, and perhaps highlighted certain elements too much (such as make-up and sets).
Overall, the film was very good and I would highly recommend it. Go for it and have fun!
Alicia: If you really want to see this film, do it. I am so very glad I did, and I don’t want to ruin anyone’s expectations or desire to see this movie. However, ultimately, I was a bit disappointed, but I think that’s because my expectations were set so high because of how amazing the book was and how epic the LOTR film trilogy was.
Adam and I had the opportunity to discuss the film last night on the way home, and it was crazy how similar our reactions were to the film. There were two key elements that really degraded my experience. The first was what Adam mentioned: the choice to use 48-frames per second. Everyone is talking about it, but I have to admit I fully agree with A. A. Dowd from Time Out Chicago:
Long touted as the next frontier in filmmaking, the choice is meant to amplify the clarity of the 3-D effects. What 48fps mostly does is give the entire picture the too-smooth, hyperreal luster of a daytime soap.
For me, much of the magical fantasy (especially of the Shire scenes) was ruined because of these effects. I felt totally taken out of the movie in a very uncomfortable way. But not only was the film reminiscent of a soap opera, at the same time it was alarmingly similar to the world of, dare I say it, Harry Potter. The dwarves, the set, the filming. I wasn’t in the Tolkien universe anymore, but rather that of Rowling’s, especially with the comical nature of the Dwarven makeup and the Weasley-esque looking home of Radagast the Brown.
It’s much too painful to go further into this film’s ailments. I’ll stay on Jackson’s journey through the next two movies out of my nostalgic love for the story of The Hobbit, out of loyalty to the LOTR books and films, and of course the sheer desire to watch Sir Ian McKellen et. al. on screen.
The final say: Do it, no matter what we say.
Our ticket and special 3D glasses for the pre-screening!
P.S. We saw the screening for The Hobbit at the Kerasotes ShowPlace ICON Theatre in the South Loop. A very disappointing venue with extremely rude staff. Great seats with amazing armrests, but overwhelmingly a terrible experience due to poor management. Skip it and see The Hobbit elsewhere. This theater simply doesn’t deserve your patronage.