A Review of The Hobbit

I got out to see The Hobbit this weekend.  This movie is the prequel to my favorite movie trilogy of all time (with all due respect to Star Wars and the new Batman franchise).  Needless to say I had high expectations.  I have to say the movie lived up to the hype.

The Hobbit was considered one of the "movies of the year" prior to its release.  The anticipation had been building ever since the Lord of the Rings franchise was closed out.  Peter Jackson, director of the Lord of the Rings movies, took over duties behind the camera after this movie hit all kinds of snags along the way.  I have to say I'm glad he did.  The audience feels the direct link back to the Lord of the Rings movies thoroughout this movie.  I instantly recalled moments from the original trilogy during certain key scenes.  I thought that was important as someone who values continuity between stories.

The effects and the scenery were breathtaking.  Rivendell, the land of the elves, looks like a place you like to spend a vacation.  The brutish orks looked scary and disgusting.  Giant eagles soared gracefully and swiftly.  Add in 3D and visual stimulation is off the charts.  The way of Hollywood now is to go the 3D route.  In a lot of ways it's overkill, but when the movie is filmed in 3D (as opposed to being converted into 3D), the quality is substantially better.

I was not as impressed with the high frame rate, which is something Jackson experimented with in this movie.  The movie was filmed at twice the normal speed of your typical picture.  At certain points the screen seemed to be moving too fast.  It was hard for your eyes to lock in on.  So if there ever were an option again for a $15 high frame rate movie.  I would probably pass.

The Hobbit delivered though.  Visually, it was one of the best movies I've seen in a while.  And how can you not love Golem, one of arguably the great literary characters in history?  I doubt that this series of three movies will match the sheer wizardry of Lord of the Rings trilogy.  After all, the writers are just adding things to the script that were not in the original book to try and fill out screen time.  That's the beauty of not reading, folks.  You don't know what you're missing when you go watch it on the big screen.