The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is a love letter to JJR Tolkien, Middle-Earth and New Zealand from Peter Jackson. The look, the feel, and the use of the source material could not have been handled more skill while New Zealand as Middle-Earth could not look more stunning. The story itself is actually pretty straightforward. A company of dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) have called on the assistance of Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) on the advice of Gandalf the Grey (Sir Ian McKellen) to assist them in getting their home and treasures back from Smaug the Dragon. Like any adventure, the path from here to there is never easy or straightforward. Meanwhile, the "B-story" Gandalf has greater concerns then reclaiming lost land as it seems an ancient evil may be returning to threaten all of Middle-Earth.

Jackson and company make changes from the source material but almost always for the better and that approach has not changed with An Unexpected Journey which follows The Hobbit book much more closely than the LOTR trilogy while adding more to it than the initial novel had. The result is an entertaining film that starts slow (takes time to introduce 14 characters) but gets better as you watch.

I watched this in the same format as The Lord of the Rings trilogy as in regular 24FPS as a result I cannot speak to the 48FPS concerns. The film looked and sounded great and hit along the trilogy just fine. If I go back for a second viewing I will give another format a try but I was perfectly satisfied with the regular way of viewing a film.

As someone who had to force himself to read the Lord of the Rings books, it never ceased to amaze me how Jackson took such dry (but imaginative material) and make it come alive. The Hobbit, being essentially a children's story, moves at a much faster clip (again once get past the dinner party introduction of all the characters) so the result if often Tolkien would skip over the amazing (mountain giants fighting) in just a sentence or two or presenting mysteries (where does Gandalf keep going?) that the novel itself never answered. With The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Jackson gets into the those glossed over nook and carnies presenting a much deeper story then the novel itself had. How with depth comes length and at 3 hours you will be starting to clock watch if only wondering when to hit the bathroom. I just can't think of what could have been easily cut short of the action scenes and who wants those to go? Almost all the "dull" talking scenes are necessary and to cut them would have harmed the film more than helped.
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