THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY

Expectedly comparisons must be made between this film and its predecessor, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING. Where as; the plot of LOTR-1 involved the entire fate of Middle Earth, THE HOBBIT’s plot focuses on a displaced Dwarf tribe trying to reclaim their kingdom from an encroaching dragon. The story of LOTR-1 is dire and grandiose while the story of THE HOBBIT is comfortingly moderate and trivial. Needless to say I am a fan of the LOTR trilogy but THE HOBBIT is a different kind of adventure. Ian McKellen and Martin Freeman lead a company of actors who all give apt performances, especially the mercurial Andy Serkis as Gollum but I found it difficult to empathize with any of the characters. Besides revisiting Middle Earth again, the main reason for watching this film is its cinematography. Certain scenes are truly breathtaking especially if viewed in the innovative 48 fps format but then again many scenes looked video game-ish as well. The CGI trolls, goblins and landscapes are impressive but it feels like good old fashioned ‘misdirection.’ Since Director Peter Jackson did a phenomenal job the first time, it’s only fitting that he should take us through this second trip. But unfortunately, this film is simply not as thrilling as I’d hoped. The drawn-out running time of 169 minutes is a bit much especially the lethargic first act. In this day and age being wowed by superb action scenes and special effects is not enough. Story and characters should take paramount priority. This film lacks proper pacing, it lacks a natural progression between character relationships and sadly it lacks a sense of wonder. An unexpected journey turned out to be an unexpected calamity.

Rating: 6/10

S. V. Fernando