"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"

Man, don’t you just hate those people that go to the midnight premieres of movies? Can you really not wait until the next day and go at a reasonable hour?

Well then, hate me if you must, because I was first in line for this premiere at 12:17 a.m. Thursday night. It was worth staying up until 4 a.m. the week of final exams. Now that is saying something.
If you are a fan of the Lord of The Rings trilogy (books or movies), this is a must-see. However, this film is much more lighthearted than the LOTR, and at times even comedic. And yes… there may even be… singing dwarves. (gasp!)

Rather than the story of Frodo and friends on the quest to destroy the ring, this movie tells the tale of how Frodo’s uncle, Bilbo Baggins had his first adventure, finding the ring along the way. Bilbo Baggins, played by Martin Freeman, was an absolutely enchanting character. When Gandalf (Ian McKellan) comes knocking at Bilbo’s quiet, peaceful, hobbit hole, Bilbo doesn’t seem too interested in having any kind of adventure. Not that Gandalf gives him much of a choice.

Bilbo, Gandalf and thirteen dwarves eventually set off on a quest to reclaim The Lonely Mountain, the true home of the dwarves that was long ago overtaken by a fiery dragon, Smaug. On the way they encounter everything from Gollum (fabulous, as always) and the Pale Orc, the begrudged enemy of Thorin (Richard Armitage), son of Thrain and leader of the dwarves.

Because the film was shot in 48 fps, I was worried at first. I had heard rumors that the extreme high definition caused sets and costumes to look fake. I personally disagreed with this. The costumes were phenomenal and the sets were as wonderful as ever. There were times when the panning shots through the mountains made my head spin a little bit. Those parts of the movie were definitely made for the IMAX rather than the standard theater.

Overall, the first installment of the trilogy was a success. I’ll definitely be looking forward to the next two!

Also, if you have never been to a midnight premiere, you’re missing out. My friend Christian and I just happened to run into Gandalf right there in the theater!

He was overjoyed to see us, too.

Love always,
T