Review: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Review

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 

Does the movie honour the book?

By Christopher Dean

I have read The Hobbit over fifty times. Don’t expect an unbiased review.
I had tears in my eyes when the first few line of the book was read aloud. Perhaps that is some indication of how much this book means to me. And I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that I don’t want to hurt Peter Jackson in any way. He pulled off a miracle.

He has been caught between the studios ‘need’ to make three movies and his real love for the story. He managed to fill the time with every character every footnote that I have wondered about instead of just dragging us through overused graphics unlike another well-known director.

Every moment was worthwhile even if I think that some scenes should have been left for the DVD release. He got the dwarves just right. They are people not just comic relief. But the elves remain as undeveloped as they were in The Lord of the Ringsdespite there actually being material for him to work with. He has chosen to skip most of it in favour of bringing a minor character from later in the books to the foreground as some sort of menace for Thoren to bash around.

In short we have a well-paced action packed movie that lacks some of the joviality ofThe Hobbit but brings in much of the history of the world that fans crave to see. The serious scenes are somewhat over done given their tone in the novel.

I’m glad it was made. Glad I saw it. Sure I’ll see it many more time, buy the box-set with director’s commentary and make my friends suffer through it.

I give the book a 5/5 but the movie a commendable 3.5/5

From Writers Write