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"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is a welcome return to the mythology of Tolkien. Despite its deliberately slow beginning (more on that in a bit) newcomers will enjoy the fantasy world and the lighthearted tone while pre-existing fans will enjoy the additional world-building. Part 1 of a 3-part adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit", this first entry tells the story of Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) sixty years before the events of "The Lord of the Rings". Living comfortably in his home, he suddenly gets a visit from the Wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) who enlists him as a thief to accompany thirteen Dwarves to the faraway Lonely Mountain. There, he will be charged with stealing the Arkenstone from Smaug the Dragon. Once in-hand it will be given back to its rightful owner, Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), the disgraced king of the Dwarves. Along the way they face many perils including blood-thirsty orcs, savage wargs, grotesque trolls and other things that would make most hobbits most uncomfortable.
The beginning of the film feels slow; much too slow for my taste and not only because the story has to introduce over a dozen characters In order to get the plot started. It's particularly sluggish at first because director Peter Jackson feels the need to remind us that this is a prequel to "The Lord of the Rings" with multiple scenes set after the film's story is over, which all In all have little to do with this plot. It also feels less… epic I suppose would be the term because Smaug the dragon is deliberately hidden so that we can have (presumably) a grandiose reveal in a later films, but when this is done in a film that is nearly 3 hrs it feels like we're missing out more than being teased.
When it comes to the rest of the picture (so basically once the ball has finally started rolling) it gets a lot better. This story has a distinct look and feel from the other chapters and as an introduction to the land of Middle Earth this actually works very well. The tone is lighter, the story contains more familiar and easily digestible fantasy plot points and the simple plot is easy to follow. If you haven't seen the original "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, this is a great place to start. If you've already seen them, this will still feel exciting because It manages to feel new in its own way and shows you aspects of Middle Earth that you haven't seen before. The character designs are unique and very distinguishable from each other (quite a feat considering the number of dwarves on-screen), the locations are beautifully shot and majestic, the action has a lot of energy and does not in any way tread upon familiar paths. None of the film (save for a few winks to the audience) feels like a re-tread of anything you've seen before. Once again, I did find that the beginning was slow but it swept me up by the end of it, particularly because of a very exciting, roller-coaster-like climax.
How the film will ultimately play out depends on the next two films. As is I already feel like this new trilogy will be slightly too long for its own good. Aside from the slow beginning it's a really fun fantasy adventure film with some good action and a lot of great scenes that will leave you satisfied. (3D theatrical version on the big screen, January 3, 2013)