Rated PG-13 for violence, crude humor and some intense sequences

By By Patrick Sessoms
Beacon Columnist

posted Dec 21, 2012 - 5:54:03pm

Just for the sake of argument, let's pretend the Lord of the Rings franchise never happened, that their success would somehow have no effect on how millions of fans across the globe would look at The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Even still, on its own merits, The Hobbit is an incredible movie.

Director Peter Jackson has proven time and time again that he's probably the best person in the world to handle sweeping epics. After all, the Lord of the Rings films (and surely The Hobbit now) are some of the most beloved movies of all time. The director has come a long way since Dead Alive, and while The Hobbit offers him a new tale to tell, it still puts Jackson squarely in his comfort zone.

For starters, The Hobbit has a tremendous cast. I don't just mean that every one of the dwarfs, hobbits and wizards is talented, which they are; I also mean the cast is huge. It’s so big, in fact, that the nearly three-hour run time doesn't even give the audience a chance to get to know all of the protagonists.

Of course, there are those few hero characters that get their moments to shine. Martin Freeman does an incredible job as a young Bilbo Baggins, who finds himself being whisked away on an adventure by the great wizard Gandalf the Gray (Ian McKellen). While these two easily stand out, the dwarfs with whom they are traveling sort of blend together. Sure, each has a unique look, but only a few stay with you after the credits start rolling. Their leader (Richard Armitage) is probably the most pronounced, but other than that, few distinguish themselves. It's worth noting that their ranks are made up of such actors as James Nesbitt, Aiden Turner and Graham McTavish, so it's a shame they didn’t get much screen time. Of course, there are still two installments left in this series to remedy that.

Peter Jackson has proven himself the world's biggest J.R.R. Tolkien fan by taking on this next trilogy so soon after finishing the last. Originally, Guillermo del Toro was slated to direct the film, and you can still see his touch in it (he does still share a writing credit), but he dropped out partway through pre-production. This might have been for the best, because now The Hobbit seems to fit perfectly into the world that Jackson so painstakingly created.

That being said, Jackson might have reached too far with this first installment. Despite being nearly three hours long, The Hobbit barely gives you a chance to breathe before throwing you into more action. This is great, but it would also be nice to have a moment to take in everything that's happening, especially if you haven't had a chance to read the books. Still, Jackson gives enough moments of rest between goblin battles and orc ambushes to let the film's pacing right itself.

The Hobbit is not a perfect film, but it could be the best all-around film of the year, and it's definitely one that deserves to be seen in theaters and in 3D. And don’t worry about nausea or motion sickness: The enhanced frame rate makes it smooth to watch. It is a work of art, one I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone, and it’s probably the film most worthy of your hard-earned dollars.

Stars & Popcorn grade: 4 stars, 5 popcorn

Stars and Popcorn Rating: 4 stars, 4 1/2 popcorn

— Born and raised in the sunshine state, Patrick grew up loving movies. He’s currently attending the University of Central Florida and is a Cinema Studies major. Along with being the president of Stars and Popcorn, he’s a player in the independent comics scene.

Sponsored by Liebe Entertainment Group, Marketplace 8. Click here to see showtimes for MOVIE NAME HERE

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