After long last, it is finally here! I have waited with excitement for Peter Jackson's cinematic adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. After all, I still believe that his Lord of the Rings trilogy was one of the most important moments in the cinema of the last decade. So does the first film in this new trilogy, An Unexpected Journey, live up to its expectations? Yes...but not as much as it could have. Without going into the matter of Jackson's decision to split the book into three movies, I don't think that there is enough plot to keep this film held together. There are too many plot diversions (did we really need the Morgul-blade scene?) and moments when it felt like Jackson was deliberately stretching things. One of the best observations that I have heard about this film was that it felt like an extended edition with deleted scenes. But still, the film has a lot of the heart that was the lifeblood of Tolkien's work. The opening scene with the Dwarves at Bag End is one of the most virtuosic moments of Jackson's career, speaking both to his talents as a filmmaker and as an interpreter of the novel's more upbeat, comical tone. Even for Jackson, the film seems over-burdened with CGI special effects. The Goblin-Town scenes, in particular, could have really benefited from more practical effects like trick shots and puppetry. I can only hope that Jackson can reel in the computer effects by the time we get around to Smaug and the Battle of Five Armies.
6/10
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