The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

"Home is now behind you. The world is ahead."

The first instalment for The Hobbit trilogy is, to put it bluntly, a masterpiece. It is a great introduction to the story, leaving viewers anticipating the release of the next film.

The story cleverly begins with Bilbo reminiscing about his past as a young Hobbit through narration. This is a marvellous way of beginning the story, as it lets the viewers feel as if they are reading the book themselves. Then it leads us back to when he is a young Hobbit, played by Martin Freeman. From the first few moments of seeing the young Hobbit, right until the end of the film, Bilbo is played exquisitely by Freeman, he captures his nervous disposition and unwillingness in such a way that, as an audience, you do not only feel sorry for Bilbo, yet you wonder how he agreed to be apart of such a quest in the first place.

The quest in hand is to help the Dwarves claim back their home. The Dwarves are a comedic edge to the film, they are delightfully captured as they are written in J.R.R Tolkien's classic book through songs and laughter, finding light in most situations. As well as being comedic, the Dwarves also add different personalities that contrast greatly with Bilbo's. The Dwarves are ferocious fighters, with their leader being the most ferocious of all; Thorin Oakenshield, played wonderfully by Richard Armitage. Armitage gives Thorin the right amount of fire for the battle scenes, demonstrating fierce battle cries and strong fighting techniques, yet we also see the fragility of Thorin, and how he is still torn by his past. Through Armitage, we are also reminded of the stubbornness of Dwarves with some of his scenes with Gandalf the Grey, who is played by Sir Ian McKellan, re-living a 60-years-younger version of how he was in The Lord of The Rings. This is done incredibly well, as we can see and hear how wise, yet still slightly naive Gandalf actually is. Other characters, who are somewhat minor, for example; Galadriel, Gollum, Radagast The Brown and Lord Elrond are not to be forgotten, as they are all portrayed brilliantly by the actors that played them, each giving a unique edge to the film and to the story.

The direction for the film, by Peter Jackson, is done excellently, showing not only the beauty of the characters and their emotions, but it also shows the beauty of the landscapes and the sets that they venture to. From the bright white buildings of Rivendell to the dark caves of where Gollum resides we can see incredible details within the sets. The 3D is not much to boast about, however, as it does not enhance the film much further, apart from one or two scenes where there are small details that work well.

Overall, the film is a masterpiece to behold, beaming with an excellent cast, incredible graphics, a clever script and amazing scenery.  A brilliant start to a no doubt brilliant trilogy.