The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

A younger and more reluctant Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, sets out on an "unexpected journey" to the Lonely Mountain with a spirited group of Dwarves to reclaim their stolen mountain home from a dragon named Smaug.

Director:

Peter Jackson

Writers:

Fran Walsh (screenplay), Philippa Boyens (screenplay),

Stars:

Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage

Top 250 #209 | Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 42 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ian McKellen	...	Gandalf
Martin Freeman	...	Bilbo
Richard Armitage	...	Thorin
Ken Stott	...	Balin
Graham McTavish	...	Dwalin
William Kircher	...	Bifur / Tom Troll
James Nesbitt	...	Bofur
Stephen Hunter	...	Bombur
Dean O'Gorman	...	Fili
Aidan Turner	...	Kili
John Callen	...	Oin
Peter Hambleton	...	Gloin / William Troll
Jed Brophy	...	Nori
Mark Hadlow	...	Dori / Bert Troll
Adam Brown	...	Ori

Storyline

Bilbo Baggins is swept into a quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever ... Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum's "precious" ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities ... A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to ...

---

Plot Keywords:

mountain | journey | dwarf | ring | dragon | 

---

Taglines:

One journey started it all.

---

Genres:

Adventure | Fantasy

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for extended sequences of intense fantasy action violence, and frightening images

Details

Official Sites:

Official Blog Official Facebook

Country:

USA New Zealand

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 December 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

El Hobbit: Un viaje inesperado

Filming Locations:

Piopio, Waikato, New Zealand

Box Office

Budget:

$180,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$84,617,303 (USA) (14 December 2012)

Gross:

$303,001,229 (USA) (19 April 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), WingNut Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

169 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Atmos Datasat SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

WILHELM SCREAM: When the group are fighting their way out of Goblin Town, one of the goblins knocked off the gangway.

---

Goofs

While the White Council is gathered in Rivendell, Saruman is being shot from his left side, where you can see that his hair is a bit 'wavy' but when the camera turns back to shoot right in front of him - you can see his hair is utterly smooth.

---

Quotes

Gandalf: I am Gandalf, and Gandalf means me.

---

Crazy Credits

There is an advertisement for 'splode soda' at the end. No such product exists.

---

Connections

Referenced in Face Off: Make It Reign (2013)

---

Soundtracks

"Torture Song"
Lyrics by Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh
Music composed by Steve Gallagher (as Stephen Gallagher)
Produced by Steve Gallagher (as Stephen Gallagher)
Performed by Barry Humphries

User Reviews

A dark, intense start of what will be an amazing trilogy

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey brings back the magic of Middle Earth, but I think it's unfortunate that it will experience the inevitable comparison to The Lord of the Rings trilogy -- because it's a very different kind of work, a different kind of tale, a different kind of atmosphere, a different kind of story progression with a different kind of flow. LOTR fans rushing in just to get another taste of the original films may be disappointed. There is certainly no less intensity, though the scale of the adventure is not quite as large. The change in moods between comical Dwarf mischief and dark, violent battles is a bit jarring. The soundtrack I am sad to say is rather familiar and wholly unimpressive. The pacing suffers some from Jackson's decision to spread the story into three parts; the movie seems to trace a disjoint set of drawn-out events along Bilbo's journey. They don't seem to be using human actors anymore for orcs/goblins, and it shows in some scenes where the CGI is spotty. And yet through it all, I never wanted it to end.

Even nearing its exhausting 2 and a half hours, I kept hoping the credits would never roll. It's a fascinating, exhilarating, and hilarious ride from start to finish. Not the same kind of film as LOTR, but epic in its own right. The acting was pitch-perfect, especially from Martin Freeman as Bilbo and Richard Armitage as Thorin. The battles were exciting and fast- paced. To my great surprise and relief, the 3D and 48fps played out quite nicely and did not detract from the footage. And my favorite part of course was Gollum's return to the screen. Bilbo's riddle battle with Gollum was possibly the most delightfully intense scene in the movie.

The theater was filled with "awwwwww's" when the credits hit, and so I'm sure every satisfied viewer will be back in their seats next year eagerly awaiting the second installment of The Hobbit. Congrats, Peter Jackson & Co. continue to dish out the best in the fantasy genre. 8.5/10