Magic rings, powerful wizards, and little men- dwarves and hobbits- with burning fire in their eyes and hearts yearning for adventure; those are the best elements of the stories created by JRR Tolkien.
“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” was based on one of Tolkien’s most famous books and serves as a prologue to the “Lord of the Rings” series. It is set 60 years before Frodo began his journey with the ring. It was written from the point-of-view of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who is thrown into an adventure like none other, one involving dragons, orcs, and dwarves who yearn to return to their former glory and to take back their mountain from all who oppose them.
As the story opens, Gandalf the Grey and thirteen dwarven warriors convince Bilbo to join their brigade and become their burglar, because hobbits are small and quiet and have ability to not be seen or heard by others, if they so choose. Signing the contract, Bilbo commits to the mission.
Running into trolls in the forest and Orcs bloodthirsty for Dwarves, their journey a treacherous one. Along the way, Bilbo comes into contact with Gollum, an obsessed creature who rants about his “Precious,” a ring he harbors and protects. During their encounter Bilbo finds the ring and slides it into his pocket. To avoid being eaten by Gollum, Bilbo agrees to a game of riddles with high stakes: if Bilbo wins, Gollum will show him the way out of the underground lake, but if Gollum wins, Bilbo becomes his lunch. Little does Bilbo know that the ring he has stolen is one of such power that it will determine the fate of Middle-Earth.
The movie continues with amazing battle scenes, including a particularly intense fight to escape a cave full of Goblins. The brigade finally makes it to within eyesight of Mount Erebor and is set to begin their attempt to retake it from the fire-breathing dragon who is waiting within. The action-packed movie ends there, leaving viewers at the edge of their seats and eager for the next installment.
In opening weekend, “The Hobbit” brought in $223 million, breaking several records, including being the highest grossing film by director Peter Jackson, who also directed the “Lord of the Rings” movies. “The Hobbit” series will include three movies that cover the entrie storyline of Tolkien’s book. The second is set to premiere later this year. On CinemaScore, “The Hobbit” received an overall A from general audiences and an A+ from viewers under the age 18. It was well-made and is a great asset to a JRR Tolkien collection of movies; it is also now in the running for Best Movie of the Year.