I’m a huge Lord of the Rings fan but was careful not to let expectations take the better of the Hobbit hype that has taken over the world. Raking over £52 million in the US alone, The Hobbit is set to be one of the biggest movies this year, however fans may be left wanting more, and not in a good way. An unexpected journey? More like a boring journey.
The Hobbit is set before the Lord of the Rings (LOTR) trilogy and tells the tale of Bilbo Baggins (the hobbit) who goes on an adventure with some dwarves to help them reclaim their mountain which was taken over by a dragon. Sounds like it could be quite the enchanted tale, full of mysterious creatures, foreign landscapes and some pretty impressive special effects. Sadly, I found myself drifting off during the film which takes a long time to get into. Don’t get me wrong, the special effects are brilliant and Martin Freeman (Bilbo Baggins) is brilliant but the film felt like a calm version of LOTR which was disappointing.
Although The Hobbit is a completely different story to LOTR it is impossible not to compare them. Both set in the same location with familiar faces popping up throughout the film, it’s difficult not to see the resemblance. Both films also have similar scenes which I won’t go into in case of spoilers but if you walked into the movie during some moments, you wouldn’t know the different between that and LOTR.
If you’re a fan of the books however you may actually love this movie. Apparently (so I’m told by my Tolkien-mad friend who was with me), the movie is a great adaptation of the book, however it’s uncertain how director Peter Jackson will be able to create another two gigantic films from about half a book which is left. I’m keeping an open mind Pete!
One of the best things about The Hobbit was the acting. As mentioned before Martin Freeman is perfectly cast to play the bumbling hobbit, but it’s the roles of the dwarves that were also particularly brilliant. Irish funny-man, James Nesbitt, plays one of the hearty dwarves and is probably the best in the film. Staying true to his comedy roots Nesbitt, who plays Bofur, outshines the other twelve dwarves and creates a great humour which adds to action-adventurous nature of the film.
Cinema’s favourite CGI creature Gollum (Andy Serkis) is also back and gives the film some purpose. Brilliant as always, Serkis puts on an even better performance than those in LOTR and the onscreen chemistry between his character and Freeman’s is perfect. This was Gollum’s only appearance in the original story but I’ll be surprised if he’s not seen again in the rest of the trilogy.
I’ll definitely be going to see the next two Hobbit installments mainly because Britain’s favourite detective-playing actor, Benedict Cumberbatch (who I love) has been cast in two roles which take centre stage over the next part of the story. Overall, if you’re a fan of the books then you’ll love this movie however if you were expecting another LOTR, you might feel let down. The Hobbit is a mixture of stunning special effects, skillful acting and a charming sense of humour. The only thing letting down this film is the story which was stretched too thin over its 169 minute running time.
[rating=3]
