The Hobbit is probably my favorite novel of all time, edging out the Lord of the Rings trilogy only because of my preference of Bilbo Baggins over his nephew Frodo (though this is not to say I do not like Frodo, and I love his brief cameo at the beginning of the movie). Needless to say, I was stoked to see this movie. I was not thrilled about the idea of The Hobbit being stretched into three movies, as I thought two was more than enough, even with the extra material added to the film. After seeing the movie, though, I do not mind that the decision to do so was made.

I was entertained the entire movie, and not at all bothered by the slow pace of the plot progression. Martin Freeman did a phenomenal job capturing the character of Bilbo, matching my incredibly high standard for Bilbo's performance. The chapter "Riddles in the Dark" is my favorite chapter in all of Tolkien's works, and the scene in the movie did not disappoint, as it is the best part of the film, hands down. My only real gripe with the movie is the excessive use of CGI for many of the characters.

The costumes found in both the LotR trilogy and this movie are done superbly well, and is what made the orcs in LotR both intriguing and believable. However, the goblins in The Hobbit movie are clearly computer generated. There is obviously not much of a choice when it comes to the rock giants (which looked great) or the trolls (which looked alright), but these goblins (besides perhaps the Great Goblin) would have looked better if portrayed with real actors in their elaborate costumes. The most annoying CGI character is the pale orc, though. Not only is he not nearly as believable or even "creepy" as those in LotR, but he looks like something out of a Zelda game. He looks terrible.

But do not let these complaints phase you; I love The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Though it is not nearly as "good" as the LotR trilogy, I "like" it almost as much. Overall, it is a rather entertaining piece of entertainment, and something about being back in Middle Earth (especially Hobbiton) feels just wonderful.

7.5/10

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