Distributor: Warner
Bros. Pictures
Opening Weekend Box Office:
#1 with $84,617,303
Domestic Box Office
Gross to-date: $92,355,596
Gross Revenue: $230,555,596
Production Budget:
N/A
Director: Peter Jackson
J.R.R. Tolkien fans the world over rejoiced when it was first announced that The Hobbit would be adapted into a prequel series, but Peter Jackson’s newest passion project wasn’t without a few setbacks, the most widely-known involving production delays caused by actor’s unions in New Zealand. But after some savvy negotiations, the cameras were allowed to roll and Jackson was ready to film his multi-part epic back-to-back, returning several familiar faces to Middle-earth and testing a potentially revolutionary filmmaking format. Based on the success of his previous fantasy epic film trilogy, there were no doubts that Lord of the Rings’ fans would return to theaters in droves, but Warner Bros. Pictures still executed strong marketing tactics to ensure that a new generation could appreciate an introduction to the Shire. A fully-interactive website, dozens of contests, character posters, and even special menu items at Denny’s all kept buzz for this December release through the roof, and analyst all around Hollywood were predicting a record-breaking debut. However, certain expectations had to be reigned-in, as there was going to be a noticeably tamer level of action this time around, and early critical reaction wasn’t exactly soaring; still, qualifications aside, I was still ecstatic to have my opening day, IMAX 3D ticket for An Unexpected Journey.
Set 60 years prior to the opening
events of The Fellowship of The Ring,
An Unexpected Journey finds young
Hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) crossing paths with the infamous wizard
Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen), who tricks the Halfling into hosting a dinner
party for a ragtag group of Dwarves.
Soon enough, the group’s agenda is revealed by their leader, Thorin
Oakenshield (Richard Armitage); with Gandalf’s help, the company of Dwarves
intends to travel to the Lonely Mountain and reclaim a lost treasure that was
taken years ago by the dangerous dragon, Smaug.
The Dwarves intend to recruit the Hobbit as a “burglar” in their
journey, and though Bilbo is initially reluctant, the thrill of a potential
adventure proves too enticing, and soon enough, he departs the Shire for the
dangerous quest. Though they are aided
by allies like Elrond (Hugo Weaving), Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), and Saruman
the White (Christopher Lee), the company must also contend with trolls, orcs,
goblins, not to mention a mysterious creature that confronts Bilbo, carries a
golden ring, and can only identify itself as Gollum (Andy Serkis). As the true scope of their objective is revealed,
Bilbo is forced to discover a level of bravery he never knew he possessed, a
tool that will come in handy as the frightful dragon Smaug begins to awaken.
In terms of gorgeous landscapes, a
fantastical story, and a sweeping score, An
Unexpected Journey is a glorious return to Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth,
but where The Hobbit really excels is
in the performances of its main characters and the energy that pervades the
narrative’s latter half. Richard
Armitage is surprisingly entertaining as Thorin, but as the lead protagonist,
Martin Freeman delivers in the role of Bilbo, blending a mix of humor and
internal conflict that makes him a far more interesting Hobbit to watch than Frodo
was nearly a decade ago. And speaking of
Frodo, it was a welcome surprise to see Elijah Wood return in a cameo, along with
so many other familiar faces from the original trilogy that help reinforce the
shared universe between prequel and sequel, but no other character was more
enjoyable to revisit than Gollum. I may
not remember some of the finer details of the original novel, but I cannot
forget how much I enjoyed the “Riddles in the Dark” chapter, and An Unexpected Journey interprets this
sequence brilliantly, focusing on Andy Serkis’ performance, adding new depth to
an already complicated character, and providing a true treat for
audiences. Unfortunately, beyond the
enjoyment of the core characters, the film still has some pretty glaring weaknesses
that could not be overshadowed, even once the balance of momentum was achieved
in the running time’s final hour.
In its entirety, I did enjoy The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, but
given all of the hype surrounding the project, I was still disappointed in the
overall lack of supporting character development, the noticeably uneven pacing,
and the thoroughly distracting filming format.
Granted, it is one hell of a tall order to flesh out 13 Dwarves, but the
film makes little effort to distinguish or let alone identify half of the
characters; Fellowship of the Ring
had nine main characters, and the audience loved every one of them, but at
least a third of The Hobbit’s
characters don’t even have distinguishable lines…how exactly are we supposed to
get excited for their return in future installments? And, I may have praised the exciting climax
and conclusion to the film, but make no mistake, at nearly three hours with
only a small fraction of the battles that helped define the franchise, things
get slow, and things get boring. Finally
there’s the camerawork; I understand
that the 48 fps format isn’t required viewing, but for as much buzz as surrounded
its usage, I absolutely hated the high-definition picture, which not only
shattered the usual illusion of immersion, but also provided a picture so clear
that action sequences were nauseating, while special effects and makeup looked
both fake and low-budget. So, even
though none of the above-mentioned shortcomings are overly damning, I can only
hope that they don’t reappear in the next two instillations of the planned
trilogy.
As expected, An Unexpected Journey hit the box office like an absolute
sledgehammer, earning $84.6 in its opening weekend, capturing the record for
December opening but still falling short of the $100 million expectation that
was predicted. Add that impressive haul
to the substantial foreign earnings and the expected large audiences of the
Christmas and New Year’s holidays, and The
Hobbit will have absolutely no trouble in setting even more financial
records. Now usually, at this point in
the review, I compare earnings to production budget, but because The Hobbit trilogy is being filmed
back-to-back, a total receipt has not yet become available, but no one at
Warner Bros. has to worry about turning a profit. With The
Desolation of Smaug and There and
Back Again hitting theaters in 2013 and 2014 respectively, we will be
seeing plenty of Bilbo Baggins in the coming years, and by-and-large, it should
be a rewarding experience, but I damn well sure won’t be seeing the next
chapters in 48 fps. In conclusion, even
though I wasn’t overtly thrilled by The
Hobbit, I can acknowledge that fans of Peter Jackson owe it to themselves
to visit the theater, as long as their expectations don’t get too high.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
