The Hobbit, for those new to the franchise, is the story of Bilbo Baggins and his first ever adventure and predates the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Bilbo, Gandolf the Grey and 13 Dwarfs, led by the legendary warrior Thorin Oakenshield, set off to reclaim the Dwarf Kindgom of Erebor from the dragon Smaug. Along the way they fight their way through Goblins, Orcs, Wargs, and ultimately battling the great White Orc who has set out to destroy the Dwarf king lineage, ending with Thorin. Meanwhile, amidst their journey Bilbo will also come in contact with the creature that will forever change his life, Gollum, and will come into possession of Gollum's "precious" the Ring of Sauron. I overall enjoyed this movie. I will admit because I had my reservations going into the movie.
When I was a kid I collected Greg and Tim Hildebrandt The Tolkien Years trading cards. These cards were so full of color and life so I already had a preset idea of how I would perceive the movie. The movie blew away any idea I thought I had going in. The Hobbit was full of color from the Shire to seeing the White Orc against a night sky and blazing fire. This movie was a breath taking display of visuals. It was like seeing the art come to life, only better. The other thing I worried about was how set apart The Hobbit will feel from Lord of the Rings. Not only did I get a sense that they belonged in the same realm but also that they were part of the same movie experience. The Shire looked just like the Shire, the Ring of Sauron became an integral part of foreshadowing, and even a few guest appearances that I didn't not expect to see in the movie, like another famous Hobbit.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was a pleasure to watch and really felt like an adventure. This movie is definitely a must see and I can only hope that the other two movies will come quickly.
-Nurd!
