I couldn't come up with a clever title for this review. My bad. I guess I shall not pass.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey:

Story:

Bilbo Baggins, a very non-adventurous Hobbit from The Shire, is taken on a quest to help thirteen dwarves reclaim their kingdom from the terrible dragon Smaug. Along the way, he finds The One Ring, a mighty ring of power that will soon affect the fate of his nephew Frodo Baggins and countless others.

Review:

Having read the book, but never read The Silmarillion or any other companion pieces for The Lord Of The Rings/The Hobbit, I was quite amazed at the amount of work thrown into this prequel to the Lord Of The Rings trilogy. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was quite possibly the most amazing movie of this year, and is definitely the most visually amazing film I have seen as 2012 comes to a close.

I am disappointed I will never get to see what Guillermo Del Toro would have created out of the source material for the prequel. Screw you, New Line, Warner Brothers, and MGM. I was looking forward to Guillermo Del Toro's magical amazement.

What I liked the most:

1. High Frame Rate 3D.

For those who watched Avatar, do you remember the mind-blowing special effects that worked perfectly with the 3D? The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, clearly and perfectly beats that. I was expecting a massive change in visuals, but not as much of one from HFR. Watching non-3D moments felt like watching actors on a stage, and when the 3D effects were used, they simply made everything seem lifelike. Given, there were a few scenes that seemed gimmicky with the CGI, but for the majority of the movie the CGI blends in perfectly with the real shots. The use of HFR also made everything and I mean everything appeal and draw me in, and from what I could hear from the audience, they were drawn in equally if not more than I was. The visuals were already amazing, but HFR manages to make them even better. You watch the movie feeling like what's occurring in the movie is currently happening.

2. The writing.

For a film based on a book that is roughly half dialogue, this first installment of the Hobbit trilogy is in my opinion better than the writing in Lord of the Rings films. Dialogue flows and is as smooth as the HFR, and it helps keep ones interest engaged throughout the three hours, which is very very difficult for any filmmaker to pull off. You watch the film feeling a constant sense of intrigue and wonder.

3. The directing.

Peter Jackson definitely one-upped himself in this one. To summarize this, everything (directing-wise) is perfect.

What I did not like:

1. Minor alterations.

I understand that in order to make an adaptation flow smoothly, sometimes you have to adjust some of the original plot in order to get through certain scenes with the right amount of pacing, but I do wish they hadn't changed the few parts that they did. It's more of a personal dislike and less of a professional dislike, but I still felt that it affected the movie negatively.

2. Too much 3D.

I did like how the 3D seamlessly blended in with the HFR, but I did not like the constant and consistent use of it in almost every scene. There was an incredibly small portion of the film where it wasn't used, and as much as I may have been pulled into The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, I was also getting a mild headache by the end of the film.

Who I recommend The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey to:

Anyone who can stay seated in a movie theater for three hours. Even if you can't, you should watch it. Buy a back row ticket if you must stand up to stretch your legs at some point. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, is well worth the money. Watch it in HFR 3D if you can.