The first of a prequel movie trilogy to “The Lord of the Rings” series is the very watchable “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.” Producer-director-screenwriter Peter Jackson has given us an almost three hour film with good performances, rife in 3D special effects, and more Middle Earth stories that should please fans of J. R. R. Tolkien’s 1937 novel “The Hobbit.”
The story has hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), the uncle of Frodo (Elijah Wood), accompanying thirteen dwarfs led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage). The group’s mission is to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from Smoug the evil dragon. The supporting cast includes Cate Blanchett, Ian McKellen, Hugo Weaving, Christopher Lee, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Ian Holm, Graham McTavish, Aidan Turner, Andy Serkis (as Gollum in motion capture), Benedict Cumberbatch (as the voice of Smaug), Barry Humphries (king of Goblin Town), and Sylvester McCoy (as Ragagast the wizard). McCoy is well known as the seventh Doctor of the “Dr. Who” series, 1987-1989, the final doctor of the original run.
These stars and a cast of thousands contributed to the success of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.” which earned over one billion dollars at the box office for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, New Line Cinema, WingNut Films, and Warner Bros. Pictures. Two sequels followed in 2013 and 2014.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
cinema
My Review
The first of a prequel movie trilogy to “The Lord of the Rings” series is the very watchable “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.” Producer-director-screenwriter Peter Jackson has given us an almost three hour film with good performances, rife in 3D special effects, and more Middle Earth stories that should please fans of J. R. R. Tolkien’s 1937 novel “The Hobbit.”
The story has hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), the uncle of Frodo (Elijah Wood), accompanying thirteen dwarfs led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage). The group’s mission is to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from Smoug the evil dragon. The supporting cast includes Cate Blanchett, Ian McKellen, Hugo Weaving, Christopher Lee, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Ian Holm, Graham McTavish, Aidan Turner, Andy Serkis (as Gollum in motion capture), Benedict Cumberbatch (as the voice of Smaug), Barry Humphries (king of Goblin Town), and Sylvester McCoy (as Ragagast the wizard). McCoy is well known as the seventh Doctor of the “Dr. Who” series, 1987-1989, the final doctor of the original run.
These stars and a cast of thousands contributed to the success of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.” which earned over one billion dollars at the box office for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, New Line Cinema, WingNut Films, and Warner Bros. Pictures. Two sequels followed in 2013 and 2014.