By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 5 cats
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Graham McTavish | Ian McKellen | James Nesbitt | Ken Stott | Martin Freeman | Richard Armitage
Country: new_zealand, united_states
Year: 2012
Running time: 169
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903624/combined
Thom says: “No special reason to review this blockbuster, other than to say I was thrilled while watching it other than the too long beginning when trying to persuade Bilbo Baggins to join the quest of 13 dwarves along with the auspicious Gandalf the Grey to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the dragon Smaug. Luckily one of my all time favorite film characters The Gollum has a lusty, big part in the proceedings. Here’s what worried me going in even though I count myself a huge Peter Jackson fan, having loved nearly all his films (beginning with the remarkable inventive BAD TASTE, MEET THE FREEBLES, & DEAD ALIVE, through his ascendancy to festival circuits with his turning me on to Anne Perry in HEAVENLY CREATURES, & his hitting the heights with his massively successful THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, on to the best KING KONG ever and a lovely THE LOVELY BONES: while he made three films from the fantasy classic trilogy from Tolkien, the prequel THE HOBBIT was one slim volume and yet money interests have raised the stakes to make a trilogy for no intellectually viable reason, but at least with this first one Jackson has pulled it off. Mostly I’m reviewing the film because hated San Francisco principal Film Critic Mick LaSalle named both ANNA KARENINA & THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY among his TEN WORST FILMS OF 2012. If nothing else THE HOBBIT has one of the most beautiful set designs I’ve ever seen. 5 cats”