The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

⭐7.5/10

I had to rewatch this movie if I was going to reread the book. This, honestly, was the movie I was probably the most excited for in my entire life. A followup prequel to my all-time favorite movies?? What could go wrong?? 

Everything, apparently. I know there were a ton of issues during the production of these movies, so I'm very curious what would have been the final result had this all gone smoothly. I am quite aware that I don't love this movie, but as I was watching, I was kinda struck by my not knowing what I didn't love about it... I think the casting is pretty good, and this movie looks phenomenal in most respects. A little less "real" than lotr, but looks ultra modern. There are some great, iconic moments like the dwarves singing, or Riddles in the Dark. I guess the movie just seems to be a little less than the sum of its parts. 

I think one of the primary issues is that this is not a super easy book to adapt, or at least not in the way they wanted to. It's a kids book! And while they get the tone right sometimes, I think the movie has a bit of an identity issue. I love the more fanciful moments, like that wild escape out of Goblin Town, but then there are moments that are far too serious by comparison. I like Richard Armitage's Thorin fine, but I think he's too gruff and humourless most of the time. I like the idea of those vengeful orcs in theory, but it doesn't really match the rest of the movie. I guess I wish it would have stuck to being a kids movie without feeling the pressure to be too similar to Lord of the Rings. I guess another small issue is the constant references to that series. Be proud in being a different story!

Still, I found myself finding lots to love, and as Tolkien fan, I feel I should have been more appreciative of exploring the greater world. The Radaghast costume is certainly an interesting choice, but I think it's cool that we get these varied interpretations. The Dol Guldur stuff is probably unnecessary, but why should i complain? I guess my truer wish is that they could have made a more faithful adaptation and left all the extras in the extended edition. In fact, a thought I often had was that many of these scenes seem like they should have been cut. The stone giants were a sweet visual, but got a little too much time for a story that is already pretty packed. (Also, don't mean to be a stickler for lore-breaking, but are those giants the most powerful creatures in Middle-earth? Could they be called upon to defeat Sauron single-handedly? One could easily smush Treebeard in one stomp). 

I just found I enjoyed this movie more than I thought I would, now that my expectations have come down some. It's far from perfect and I found myself rolling my eyes at times and pulling out my hair at others. This movie was pretty close to being great, and I guess overall just seemed a little rushed and I know nobody, PJ included, was perfectly happy with how it turned out.