The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

It's one thing saying this isn't "Lord of the Rings" but it's quite another trying to watch without constantly comparing them. The same style of production with wonderful visual effects, Howard Shore's superb score and for much of the time it features many of the same actors from the earlier Peter Jackson trilogy. Similarly, it takes an age to get going. This first of three struggles in a different way too - there are no clearly defined roles for the characters; no "fellowship" if you like, for either the characters or the audience to focus on, so we…

There is no doubt that Peter Jackson does a great job bring Tolkien’s fantasies to life, much better, I imagine, than anyone must have assumed when they heard about the Lord of the Rings series way back when. I must confess that I don’t like them as much as I enjoyed reading the books. I am sure there are complex reasons applicable to me. I read them when I was very young and it would be difficult to match that first-time experience. Also, the fighting and battles seem more central to the story than I remember. Perhaps that relates more to the modern…

81/100 The first film in the LOTR timeline, a hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, is enlisted as a burglar to help a troop of dwarves retake their mountain home, Erebor, from the dragon, Smaug. Exquisitely well casted, awesome photography, delightful characters and wonderful, exciting and humorous adventures dealing with trolls, orcs, wargs, goblins, stone giants, Gollum and Azog the Defiler. Meanwhile, what's going on in Dol Guldur. So nice to revisit Middle Earth after all these years. I would highly recommend watching the Extended version. So much story is lost…