An Analytical Review of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Ok, so it's been a while, and I know I promised an update on my  current project (there have been a few) and an in-depth review of Life of Pi (I saw the preview earlier in the week and I am ruminating on what to write) but right now I have to talk about the Hobbit. Yes, at 11:40am I found myself in Cardiff Cineworld with a bag on popcorn in one hand and a bottle of Vimto in another, ready to go on an Unexpected Journey. There is so much to tell, it is hard to know where to begin, so let us begin at the beginning.

Beware, there will be spoilers.

So, the lights have dimmed, you've sat through an extraordinary amount of advertisements, cried a little at the lack of Star Trek into Darkness trailer and then, darkness. There is an audible click as the projector switches from 24 fps to 48 and then the opening notes of the Hobbit theme tune begins and for a moment you feel as though you are coming home. It's been a very long time waiting for this movie, and I will not deny that I may have shed a tear in pure happiness at the perfection of the music and the rolling landscapes and just the shear feeling of triumph that we have waited and we have been rewarded our patience.

So, I hear you cry, what about the 48fps (or as the slightly cooler amongst you may be calling it HFR)? I am here to speak (or type) the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, and therefore it would be wrong of me to praise too highly or criticise too severely.

On the whole, the 48fps works well, It gives a level of realism and clarity that you just don't get from 24fps. However it doesn't always work, the the opening sequence is perhaps one of the best examples of it not working. For a brief moment I must admit I was slightly worried. The camera moves seem to have been emphasised somehow, and so the fast moving aerial shots made me feel motion sick,. Worst are the hand held shots during actions sequences, they gave me a headache and sometimes made it look a bit cheap. For the more subtle camera moves though, which thankfully is most of the film, it is perfection and you can really feel the difference. The 3D is spot on perfect. I have never watched a 3D movie before that hasn't had parts where the 3D turns to double vision or the depth hasn't felt quite right. In the Hobbit it could not have been done better. It is true when they say that Peter Jackson is a master of his craft, he really knew what he was doing on this one and it shows. The experience is truly immersive. It is cliched, but you feel part of the action. You are part of the team, you are on location, and that burning pine cone may actually hit you in the face so DUCK!

So we've seen some great shots of New Zealand/Middle Earth and we're back in the Shire. The Shire theme plays and you are overwhelmed by an feeling of nostalgia. It's beautiful and jolly, and everything the Shire should be. Jackson starts the tale through the eyes of Old Bilbo Baggins, played by Ian Holm, set just before his 111 birthday party which featured at the beginning of Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring. This is quite important I think, because later in the film it becomes clear that Jackson is trying to tie the two tales together. I'll discuss that a bit more later. The film is told as a flash back, and there are flash backs within that flash back, which may sound confusing, but I must admit that I was impressed that at no point did I get lost in the time lines. This is often a downfall of using flashbacks as a plot device, so kudos to the team for pulling this off so brilliantly.

I'm not going to do a hit by hit, scene by scene breakdown of the film. I'm not a live blogger and already it has become hazy in my mind (a second viewing required I think), but in general terms, I enjoyed this film thoroughly. Yes, it was long, and my bladder definitely felt the strain by the end, but it was fast paced and at no point did I feel bored or fidgety. If anyone has read the book, you will know that the first half of the tale takes the shape of a series of mini adventures that occur on a journey to the Lonely Mountain. This means there are bursts of action throughout with moments of rest in between. Bilbo and co bounce from danger to danger, barely pausing for breath and so at no point do you look at your watch, in fact I barely paused to take a hand of popcorn, I am in fact eating it now.

So a few of my favourite scenes.

The dinner scene. Hilarious. It couldn't have been more perfect. Martin Freeman is hilarious, as are his house guests. Jackson managed to get in the ones from the book which made this fangirl light up with glee. Particularly when they washed the dishes. I shall say no more.

The scene with the trolls is my favourite in the book, and though it is different in the film, it doesn't disappoint. It's very funny, with some really cool VFX and a really nice moment for Bilbo to show his worth as a thinker and tactician.

And of course, Bilbo and Gollum playing riddles. I will talk about this again later, but the acting is superb, as is the set. Hard to believe it was a sound stage.

Let's talk about Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins for a moment. To say he is incredible would be an understatement. His comedy timing is perfection, and many of the laughs in this film come from him and his characters obvious discomfort and hesitation. But that's not to say he is the comic relief of the film. In the book his character depicts the innocence of a child, and provides the eyes from which we view the world; big, scary but also wondrous. Freeman pulls this off to perfection. He's scared and missing the comforts of home and genuinely thinks he may die. He is also very aware that his peers feel he is a burden upon them. You can't help but feel what he feels, and this is thanks to Freeman's expressive eyes and often subtle acting.

To be fair to the entire cast, there is not a weak link amongst them, and so it is a shame that a few of the Dwarves seem to be overlooked a little. You don't get much in the way of character development, but that is to be expected in a film with 15 main characters. I did feel that perhaps Thorin's back story was too fleshed out. At the beginning we hear about the history of his Kingdoms downfall, and so it seems unnecessary to do a second flash back to introduce the Pale Orc. In fact, I don't recall the Pale Orc at all from the book (perhaps it is from the Lord of the Rings Appendices I don't remember) and it seemed a pointless addition to a story that was already action heavy. I can understand that perhaps it was plot device designed to create an element of danger and push the story forward, but in my humble opinion the story has enough steam to propel itself. If removed it may have given a chance to get to know the other Dwarves on a more human level (if you mind the expression.)

So, on to Rivendell, and this is where our story deviates from the Hobbit book most significantly. We've already met Radagast the Brown (played by Sylvester McCoy), and the idea that there is a dark cloud descending over Middle Earth and a very bad man rising elsewhere (I shan't spoil it too much.) has been planted in our minds. Here Gandalf meets with the Elves and Soromon the White to discuss this impending doom. This is my greatest niggle with the film really. The Lord of the Rings was all about epic life and death scenarios, the weight of the world, and everything would be lost if they failed, this is not what the Hobbit is supposed to be about. The Hobbit is a much more fun and whimsical. It's about a bunch of outcasts finding their home, it's about a terrified young Hobbit finding a courage deep inside, and of course fighting dragons and bouncing down rivers in barrels. It's a fun children's book. They're going on an adventure, they are not supposed to be saving the world. The film doesn't need to be epic, nor did it require dark foreshadowing and doom and gloom. To me this ruined the magic of it a little bit. Of course it is not on the same level as Lord of the Rings on this front, it is saved by great humour and brilliant one liners that keep the chuckles coming, but for me I felt this scene should have been saved for another time. Remember this was Bilbo's first time in the company of Elves, there should have been the same wondrous excitement that accompanied Frodo's first time in Rivendell. This is where the film lost the feel or the essence of the book and started to feel a bit too much like Lord of the Rings.

However, as mentioned before, I get the feeling that Jackson is trying to tie the two tales together, and though yes they do go together, it just didn't work for me in this film. It felt out of sorts. This is a minor issue and in fairness other than these points I've made, the film did stay pretty true to the book, to point where at times the dialogue is directly lifted.

I'm a Visual Effects Artist, and so I have to talk about Gollum played by Andy Serkis. First of all, wow. The interaction between Gollum and Bilbo is perfect, and exactly how I wanted it to be, I couldn't be happier with it. Also the interaction between Gollum and Smeagol is perfect. It could have been so easy to get confused as to which alter ego you were watching, but Serkis' acting creates two very different characters, in both voice tones and body language. The game of riddles manages to be funny and yet maintain that undercurrent of fear, after all Gollum might just eat him whole. Motion capture has come a long way in the last few years. Gollum looked like a real thing, perfectly composited into the scene. The skin texture seemed to stretch and role over bones and sinew. The face was so expressive, it was hard to believe that it wasn't a real creature playing the part rather than a man covered in CG makeup. Even the eyes looked realistic, which is often one of the pitfalls of CG models. You could pick out individual hairs on his head and pores in his skin, he really was a beautiful creation. Hats off to the guys at WETA, you guys did a fine job.

As for Smaug, well we don't see a lot of Smaug, just the hint of a tail, the heel of a foot, oh yes and that ruddy scary eye. Just enough to peak your interest, not enough to feed your curiosity. Sorry guys, but I guess that is for the next film. Quite right too.

I could really sit and discuss this film all night. I probably will hit up Tumblr later, but for now I will just say, you are a fool not to go see it. Book your tickets now, there is really no reason to wait. See it in 3D. If you can catch it in 48fps I suggest you do. The technology may not be as awesome as we hoped for, on the whole it will certainly improve your cinema experience. It is probably the best film I have seen all year, and I will be seeing it again. Enjoy.