I got to see The Hobbit in Imax 3D at a midnight screening and it was worth it for a number of reasons.

1) First of all, this was the most gorgeous 3D film I had ever seen in my life. It was so seamlessly integrated unlike other 3D films, where you can clearly tell the difference between the background, the mid ground, and the foreground. If you are looking for a film where things jump out of the screen at you, then you will be disappointed. However, if you are looking for a reason to believe that 3D films can be used artistically to fully immerse an audience into a particular world, then this movie will give you hope. In addition, the Imax format helped immerse me into Middle Earth even more.

2) The casting was spot on. Martin Freeman fully brought out Bilbo's personality as an average Hobbit with a hero hiding within, Richard Armitage brought a brooding yet relatable Thorin to life, and Ian McKellen... well, he's Gandalf, and always will be. In addition, their costumes and makeup only enhanced their performances, allowing the audience to see Middle Earth creatures and not actors.

3) This movie is very clearly an extension of The Lord of the Rings, which I enjoyed. I especially loved the beginning tie-in to the original trilogy. Some of my friends had a problem with this, claiming that The Hobbit should be different from The Lord of the Rings. However, I had no problem with this, and actually appreciated the fully integrated world that Peter Jackson is trying to create for audiences. This includes the appearance of characters from the previous movies, and the addition of other tales that Tolkien included in other works.

While I loved The Hobbit and will definitely see it again and see the next two movies, there were some problems with the movie.

My biggest problem was how we were not fully introduced to the dwarves and we did not have much of a chance to at least learn their names. I'm sure after a few more viewings I will get it, however, I wish Peter Jackson had spent more time on developing their personalities and characters.

All in all, I truly enjoyed The Hobbit, and was not disappointed.

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