People need to stop thinking about The Lord of the Rings when they go to watch this film. The Hobbit wasn't even written the same way as LotR by Tolkien. It's not a dark, epic drama that portends the end of an age, ultimate evil, and the tragedy of life lost: not just in battle, but of those who's souls are never the same after the grand journey (Frodo).

It's a fun adventure featuring the races and monsters that birthed contemporary fantasy. If you go in expecting that, you will be MORE than satisfied by this film. It gets better as it goes along. It was accurate to the book, and gave us just enough of a LotR tie-in without overshadowing the main quest of The Hobbit.… Expand

It has angered me critics are disgusted at the films drawn out length in terms of being a part of the lord of the rings franchise. But at the end of the day the story telling ability in this film and the beauty you find in the scenes makes it a fantastic film which definitely deserves a 10. This is a film review not a business case review!

I sometimes wonder whether or not the critics watch the same movies we do.

The Hobbit is the first in a 3 part story based on the novel of the same name. For those who have read the story we know that The Hobbit is a movie of great grandeur and true to the story it retells. The acting, the script, the visuals, the music... all create a whole that is greater than the sum of their parts, delivering to use a great beginning to an unfolding epic story. Don't miss the movie, you'll ask yourself "did I really just sit for nearly 3 hours? It went by so quickly!"… Expand

I hate how the reviewers base their reviews on comparisons between The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

Next time you write a review, focus on the movie itself and not the elements outside of it.

Can't believe the critic score, what the hell is this 58? It is an excellent and brilliant movie, technically and brilliantly directed. The first thing that we need to do is to see this movie without the idea that we are seeing Lord of the Rings because it is based in a novel that was made for child. Evidently it is not a movie for child but it has points of humor and a different essence from the las triology. Personally, I found this film one of the best of the year and I don't understand how films that are completely bullshi* has good punctuations and this one no.… Expand

Best movie since Lord of the Rings: Return of the King! And thats for sure it is so brilliant! Peter Jackson is really the only man to do this! I really look forward to the next chapter!

The Hobbit: A Relatively Expected Journey

Peter Jackson has submitted his first installment to the highly anticipated Hobbit Trilogy. Though i was not a huge fan of his previous work LOTR included, i was particularly interested in The Hobbit due to its resonance with me as a child. The book is sublime but the film lacked a certain depth that we have seen Jackson produce before. The acting is fantastic with Martin Freeman's performance being fulfilling and most certainly understated yet the other characters were simply unable to recreate the same level of interest and intrigue as those in the book. One can only hope that these characters are explored further in the sequels. As for the 48 FPS it was beautiful with scenery exploding vividly onto the screen and yet i cannot help but think it was just too much as if looking into an oil painting, thus some of the dialogue and action was lost amongst the various stunning backdrops. Finally and most annoyingly i must mention the length. For what is only a relatively short children's book, i cannot see how 3 films of such considerable length will be able to keep the focus of the audience whilst remaining true to the book throughout. So far so good but i expect more can come from this series and i hope that The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug will not be the unwanted middle child of the trilogy and emulate The Two Towers.… Expand

Wow, i almost didn't go to watch this film, what with all the bad reviews! I'm so glad, i did now! To be honest it was a fantastic film! Welcome back to middle earth, only a year to wait for part 2! :( :(

For a movie that lasted almost 3 hours so little seemed to be accomplished, but this is truly the least of the problems. To sum it up, everything that was so magical and wonderful about Middle Earth seemed to be gone. The scenes seemed staged, the pacing was bizarre, the action wasn't unique, and there seemed to be not center plot in sight. The biggest flaw above all is how this movie felt so emotionless, contrived, and anything from genuine, which is something that made his previous trilogy so beloved. With a movie with dozens of characters only about 3 of them receive any worthy character time. There were very brief moments that reminded me of what this film could have amounted too, but those don't compensate for everything else. Not just a disappointing film, but for the most part, a pretty bad one too.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Honestly I had doubts about this movie, I thought Peter Jackson could lose the "touch" after all this years, but The Hobbit: An unexpected journey" it's an amazing movie! It brings that nostalgic feeling watching the same actors from ten years ago, the 48fps seems quite nice and easy to adapt to it, good soundtracks from Howard Shore, good acting & setting, they included parts (and will keep including parts) from other Tolkien stories for example The White Council, the investigation of Dol Guldur, etc etc..I LOVED this movie.

But yes, its not perfect, it have flaws...very slow paced movie (at the first half of the movie) some details were irrelevant and could have been omitted until the Extended Edition release, Radagast felt weak portrayed, there were more-than-necessary cheesy quotes that I hope they avoid in the next films..
I understand if people didnt like this movie but after reading some reviews most of them have biased "facts" and a 0 score, really? Anyways...it is a great movie, I expected less but it surpassed my expectations, I recommend it.… Expand

Is it just my impression or have these critics been drinking a lot lately? Cmon, their low knowledge about the middle earth and Tolkien's works almost freightened everyone i know away from the movie. It's an amazing movie, with plausive adaptions from the book, and just as LOTR it looks like it will get even better on the next movie. Dont you waste your time reading 'noobs' reviews, just go watch the movie. Its worth the money. A lot.… Expand

First and foremost, I did not, will not and don't suggest you see this film in 3D in any form. Watch it as it was intended. That being said, this was a HELL of a kickoff for the upcoming movies and was just downright great to watch. The beginning prologue with the Fellowship tie-in was a nice addition, and the acting at all levels was superb. I will admit, there were moments where I had to keep myself awake (I'm not a midnight person at all), but that's to be expected in a film that is the first of multiple. It's a pity the Metascore is so low, somewhat shocking; this was a great film and any LOTR fan will recognize every single location in this movie - Jackson did an incredible job recreating Gollum's Cave, Goblin Town, Dale, Hobbiton, Rivendell, etc., etc.… Expand

If what you crave is a Lord of the Rings sequel featuring a sight gag wizard with bird poop in his hair who rides a rabbit sleigh, orcs (or like creatures) who deliver one-liners after being disemboweled, humorous beheading sequences played for cheap laughs, extended dish-cleaning footage, and lots of fight-scene ideas lifted straight out of Pirates of the Caribbean...this is your movie.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. For those who have seen the film...Why it reeked. I was hugely disappointed in "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey". Instead of sticking to the children's story, which is very short compared to LOTR, Peter Jackson has added a ton of unnecessary bloat. Many of the scenes were just added to connect it with LOTR, which was not needed, such as all the scenes with Frodo. The movie starts with a huge back story, which would have been better told as the movie progressed. Thorin has a new adversary (he was mentioned in the book, but the party had no interaction with him) ...the strange white orc that slew his father. One of the changes that bothered me the most was that Bilbo is looked down upon throughout the movie, and he has to be a savior in almost every instance to prove he is worthy of the party. In the book the animosity is not nearly as bad. Bilbo does enough in the book without having to, for instance, save Thorin from the white orc. If I remember right the first thing that Bilbo kills with his new short sword in the book is a spider, and Bilbo names the sword Sting. Shouldn't Bilbo have named the sword Fang or Claw in the movie? One of the scenes that doesn't work is when Bilbo escapes from Golum, and Golum just screams instead of running after Bilbo. Why didn't Golum go after Biblo you ask? Well, in the book the goblins are guarding the way out of the mountain, and Golum didn't want to get caught. I was looking forward to see the whole party stuck up in the trees, and the goblins making fun of them with song, but this was not included. Instead of the party being almost burnt up in the trees, the problem is the trees are collapsing. After the long intro, the movie turns into a roller coaster ride. A lot of people compare it to Pirates of the Caribbean, and they are right on. This movie is more Pirate of the Caribbean, than Pirate of the Caribbean could ever be. THREE different instances of having to jump from one place to another to stay alive...The stone giants, the collapsing walkways in the mountain, and the collapsing trees! Speaking of the stone giants, hasn't Peter Jackson learned that some things are better off left for the imagination? In the book the stone giants are mentioned, almost in passing, while in the movie they ride them! It would have been great, if during the storm rocks were falling, you could hear the noise of huge rocks getting smashed...and then through the storm a slight glimpse of something made of rock moves.... Thorin, Thorin, Thorin. He does not hate the elves, he was thankful for their hospitality, and the thing he loves most is gold. In the movie they try to make him a bleeding heart for his homeland, when all he wants is the gold! He IS a dwarf for goodness sake! A new (uneeded) comedy relief was added...Radagast the wizard. Poop. Another new twist is Gandalf hearing about the necromancer. I was almost intrested in this, I think it comes straight from Tokien's notes. However, it does make the movie longer, and is the main reason we have to deal with Radagast the Gastly. The troll incident is changed, for the worst. In the book Biblo is trying to steal something from the trolls, instead of saving the horses. Everyone in the party gets captured except Thorin, who puts up a fight. In the movie, everyone gives up their weapons to save Biblo from getting ripped apart...one person ripped apart, or everyone gets eaten hmmm....This is another time where Biblo basically saves the day, instead of Gandalf. Bilbo keeps the Trolls arguing in the movie, but in the book Gandalf throws his voice, making the Trolls think that they are disagreeing on how to cook the party. The visuals of the movie are descent. More CGI was used, and less animatronics than in LOTR and it shows. I could continue to nitpick very easily, but I think I will leave it there. To sum it up, this is not a movie about a Hobbit, as the book was. It is a movie about the whole of the goings on in middle earth during the story of the Hobbit, and it doesn't work. It tries to be too much like LOTR, instead of the childrens book it was intended to be.… Expand

This is a beautiful film. The 3D is the best I have seen, the 48fps help this by reducing blur and making the whole thing appear much more crisp. The little references to the trilogy and the book itself (ie chapter names in the script) show that this was a labour of love and further proof of the respect Peter Jackson has for the source material. Although I would not say it surpasses the Lord of the Rings trilogy this was an incredible film with some truly inspired scene. Needless to say Riddles in the Dark is a joy to behold.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The Hobbit is based around Bilbo Baggins in his prime, where he goes, well, on an unexpected journey. After watching the enitre LoTR series, i found myself to despise Bilbo for his distasteful obsession with the ring. But after watching The Hobbit, i no longer disliked him, but actually began to like him, even more so than Frodo. The whole 48FPS deal was in my opinion, completely brilliant, although not much technical work has to be put into it to bring up the frame rate, it made the movie look much more realistic, and at times I had trouble depicting whether something was CGI or real. The 48fps makes everything much smoother and makes the cgi have life-like movements. The story for The Hobbit was not as strong as the story in the LoTR series, but i felt that it came pretty close, the movie does not contain nearly as much dialogue as the LoTR series but it definitely fulfills why we all love these movies, the fantasy aspect. Overall, i'd have to say that i enjoyed this movie slightly more than the LoTR series, In most aspects. If you are a LoTR fan, GO SEE THIS MOVIE, if you have never seen any of the LoTR movies, GO WATCH THEM, and then GO SEE THIS MOVIE.… Expand

Hey guys how can we make as much money as possible?, well we could release three films from the Hobbit. But there's not enough in the book to fill three films, .....don't worry we'll just buff it out with lord of the rings style content. No one will complain, as its Peter Jackson and Lord of the rings.

And judging by the 9 and 10's I guess its worked.

The film isn't terrible, its just not great either. Whats completely frustrating about it, is that the parts that follow the book are very good, its just all the filler stuff that ruins it. Seemingly filled with cliche comedy moments and bits that just didn't seem middle earth at all, its kind of insulting to the source material.

If at some point they heavily edit the movie and leave just the relevant book content in, i think you would have a very good movie, but as it stands at the moment, the hobbit is an overly bloated average film that had potential to be much better ( and less drawn out and boring).… Expand

The film is one of the best movie of the last 5 years. The 3D effect is the most wonderful 3d effect i've ever seen. The story is just perfect, it feels like reading the book. Bilbo is amazing, Thorin, Gandalf, Balin, Dwalin Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin Gloin, Fili, KIli. ALL perfect.
Also Azog and the king of the goblins are just perfect. Andy Serkis (Gollum) did a marvellous work on gollum and the scene of riddles in the dark made me cry.
Go watching for it, you'll never be sorry for that!… Expand

I'm certainly not going to tell you to not see this movie. Peter Jackson proves that he's at a higher caliber of production than most filmmakers these days. However, compared to his previous works, especially The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit is lacking. The pacing is jagged, and flip-flops between fast jumping thst rips you out of the plot and drags in many combat scenes. Beyond that, the writers have taken plenty of liberties with the plot that only weigh it down; keeping track of all the extra info can be frustrating. However, the acting is superb, and it's hard not to invest yourself in the characters as they trek through Middle Earth. It's definitely worth seeing, but don't expect to be blown away like the first three.… Expand

Amazing film, what the critics say is sort of right: bloated story, slow beginning, cartoony, silly action and special effects, but it is minor and you will not notice it as the exciting story and beautiful world keeps coming. Some scenes such as the spectacular Riddles in the dark are straight out of the book, but Jackson has made a few changes and added new material which on a large is also great. perfect acting all round. Everything is pretty much amazing. Just don't listen to the critics and watch it!… Expand

"The Hobbit" was a children's book that has served as a key cornerstone in the fantasy genre and a story held close to many reader's hearts. I felt that Peter Jackson's interpretation of the book has been an extraordinary cinematic experience that reminds me of the magic found in those books of old. The tone of the original novel was translated brilliantly onto the big screen, while some may find this 'journey' to be slightly trivial or child-like to the grand battle scenes of LOTR, I enjoyed the translation regardless. Technically, I enjoyed the new technology a lot (having watched it in 48 frames and 3D) while it does require a slight getting used to, the 48 frames helped create a magnificent 3D viewing that would put other epic films to shame. Another thing that should be pointed out is that the relation to LOTR was immaculately added into the plot, there are plenty nostalgic moments that will fuel the delights of old fans but is computed on a level that will not likely to isolate new ones. There are a couple stranger moments here and there, but overall I feel confident that such a magical story is in the the tender hands of such gifted film makers. I for one, is eagerly waiting for the next segment to Bilbo's tale. (I don't know if this consists of a 'spoiler')… Expand

Going into the theater for the midnight showing I was eager to see the film but afraid. I had been burned by Star Wars Episode 1 some 13 years ago and was worried I would once again feel the harsh sting of disappointment by high expectations. I was pleasantly surprised.

First off, I must say that it's a miracle that this film was even made, never mind by Peter Jackson and the crew responsible for the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. After being in "Production Hell" for what felt like years, word got out it was finally being made. I was excited but weary of the director who I have had the misfortune of not seeing any of his films which I hear are great. Then said director bailed on the project completely. All hope seemed lost, but like the great wizard Gandalf, Peter Jackson himself stepped in to save the day and my expectations went through the roof.

So what happened between that, the trailers, and opening night that got me so worried? Reviews. What did I read? "The CGI makes all the creatures look fake, the cameos are pointless, the movie is too long, too childish etc. So the point being is that this movie is Episode 1 all over again, Peter Jackson has lost his edge and Middle-Earth as we know it has be scared beyond recognition. After seeing the film I can tell you that while I can see the critics points ultimately they are nitpicking an otherwise great film. Never mind unfairly comparing this lone film to an entire trilogy.

So lets get down to the meat of this review. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is a great film. It's fun, exciting, emotional, and all the things I expected from the first installment of a new trilogy set in the LOTR universe. Gandalf the Grey is the old wizard you remember from the Fellowship of the Ring and I found him to be as likable as ever, the same goes for other returning characters such as Old Bilbo, Frodo, Elrond, and even Saruman. Somehow age has not slowed these actors down a bit and aside from a few easily overlooked extra wrinkles these are the exact same characters we met in the original LOTR trilogy.

As for the new characters, the 13 dwarfs are surprisingly fun to watch. I was so afraid we would have 13 Gimlis on screen at all times and the movie would be crippled by this but instead we get a band of likable characters reminiscent of the fellowship from the first LOTR film. A few dwarves stand out while the rest feel second-tier but that's to be expected with such a large cast and doesn't detract from the film as a whole.

It wouldn't be Middle-Earth without a few notable bad guys to talk about and this movie has a few. From the dragon Smaug who we only get a glimpse of in the film to the lead dwarf Thorins arch nemesis Azog. This character looks the most artificial of all the CGI creatures in the movie but when I think about it I'm not sure they could convey such emotion (raw hatred) in the wretch any other way. Either way he is the main villain for the first part of this story and is as menacing as any enemy the fellowship came face to face with in LOTR. Speaking of menacing CGI villains I have to talk about Gollum. He is the same creature we all know from The Two Towers and Return of the King but this time he is better portrayed as an evil monster that we should fear rather than the menacing, sometimes comical, creature he was in LOTR. I'm trying to keep this review spoiler free so all Ill say is the movie wastes no time in reminding you that Gollum is not there for a comic relief cameo. He was part of The Hobbit to begin with and is treated as such.

The movie is around 3 hours long and while any unengaged viewer might find that too long to sit still, any fan will tell you that the film isn't long enough. It's pacing is extremely similar to the extended version of The Fellowship of the Ring. Again, not spoiling things, but if you can sit though and enjoy that film you will have no problem with An Unexpected Journey. The adventure proper doesn't start until nearly 45 minutes into the film, leaving plenty of time to introduce you to the characters and the nature of the the main character Bilbo Baggins. Speaking a which...

Martin Freeman plays him perfectly and not once to you feel like he is either playing a young Ian Holm, playing Bilbo or trying to make the character his own unique entity. Ultimately Freeman's Bilbo is the character we saw in LOTR, read about in the books, and is the ideal image of Bilbo Baggins. If you didn't care for him in LOTR you will develop a new appreciation for him through this new trilogy.

The Hobbit finally has a proper representation on film and fits almost seamlessly with the LOTR Trilogy. I can easily recommend this film to any fan of the books, movies, or anyone looking for a great action adventure film. I can't wait to see the next two films and plan on seeing The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey again.… Expand

Movies are done for FANS not for critics journalists! This is a amzing movie, if you are a Lord Of Rings fan you will fall in love with this one. Peter Jackson is a great director.

I've read the books, both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Ring long years before they started to make movies about them, and I just got at the cinema what i was waiting for. The two books were completely different, so not a great suprise that the films have a different feeling as well. It's not a LOTR 2. The Hobbit is basicly a fairy tale, which was originally written as a fairy tale, for the kids of Tolkien. The movie is following this history, and does it well, in my oppinion. It is entertaining, and a much more lighter aproach on Middle Earth, in a time when peace and prosperity are common things, even if evil is not so far away either. It's a simple, linear story, lovable and rich of fantasy - in a fairy tail way.… Expand

WOW. This movie is amazing. I went into the movie theatre quite worried due to critic scores, but after seeing it myself, I really would like to know what film they watched, because it wasn't The Hobbit. I'm an avid fan of J.R.R Tolkien and have all his books, and thoroughly enjoyed Peter Jacksons LOTR Trilogy. The Hobbit is simply stunning, and will be joining my collection once it comes out on DVD.

Now onto the movie. A lot of critics have given this low scores due to its higher framerate, or complaining about the slow start. Seriously, they have never been so wrong. Although I saw it in 3D 24fps (just to be safe) I cannot understand why people are rating the movie DOWN due to the 48fps framerate. Easy option - go see it in 24fps first. The movie is NOT slow. We spend 40 minutes or so in the shire (10 minutes of that we actually enjoy an epic prologue set in Erebor) which is no different to the first LOTR. It gives us a chance to develop some of the characters and understand their motivation. There's not one part of this film which I thought 'this is slow'. It is beautifully paced. The acting is superb, especially Martin Freeman as Bilbo. The first time you see him as Bilbo, you can understand why Peter Jackson chose him. There is so many events in this film that blew me away. The stone giants, the goblin tunnels, Rivendell, the scene with Gollum (which deserves an oscar), the Prologue in Erebor, the white council with gandalf, saruman, galadriel and elrond, dol goldur, and the EAGLES. The eagles look better than ever and really blew me away. This is a lighter and more humoured middle earth, but that's what Tolkien wrote. There is peace in middle earth, so of course the world is a happier place. Thankfully though, it's not as overdosed as I thought it would be. There are maybe 1 or 2 lines which made me cringe, but that is the only downfall to this movie. Everything else is perfect.

All of the actors do a superb job as I said previously. Radagast the brown, a slightly deranged wizard, also worried me before seeing the film. He is brilliant. He helps move the story along and also sees something I did not expect... fans of LOTR will be happy once they understand who and what he saw. The action pieces and CGI are fantastic also. The ending couldn't have been any better, with a brilliant piece of character development between Thorin and Bilbo (both of which develop brilliantly throughout the entire film) coming to a final climax, and also... I wont spoil the last shot, just go see it yourself. I can not recommend this film enough. I am so happy to have visited middle earth again and couldn't be any happier with what I saw. Do yourself a favour, ignore the critics, and go and enjoy middle earth again, because The Hobbit is one hell of a ride.… Expand

the hobbit is a great movie the story of the movie,the affects,and the 3d for me was good a great movie but i will say that movie was very long 3 hours.so i will give the hobbit an unexpected journey 9/10 and i will recommend to you to see the movie.and i forgot to remind golum(my precious). you know what i regret about the 3 hours i will give it 10/10

Dreadful film. I saw the HFR presentation and I could not believe how terrible the live action elements looked. The look of the characters were like a bad BBC Shakespeare television program. The film, dragged on and on, while the CG was done very well (Weta is great) Golum was terrific, the rest of the picture as a whole was awful. Think Phantom Menace. Peter Jackson has lost it. Sorry, it is sad but true, Dreadful, waste of 3 hours.… Expand

awsome a great prequel to lord of the ring.very funny,awsome fights,a good story,golum,and amazing 3d.so i think that a great prequel to lord of the rings and i will give it 10/10.