I had the privilege of watching "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" this past weekend. It was epic, as was director Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
To start off this review, I'll say right now that the movie takes huge liberties with Tolkien's literary masterpiece, yet manages to be enjoyable despite the many departures and despite having been shot on digital movie cameras (in this case, the Red Epic). I don't care for digital movie cameras because very often the image isn't as rich or deep as film, and it lacks the graininess of the classic cinematic medium. With Jackson's movie, however, I was able to overlook it.
"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" opens with Bilbo Baggins at the age of 111, played by Ian Holm, reprising the role from LotR. Returning as Frodo is Elijah Wood. Bilbo relates the tale of his adventures, beginning with the backstory of how the dragon Smaug conquered the Lonely Mountain and drove out its Dwarf inhabitants, who were forced into exile. None of this is in the original book, of course, except later on as an explanation of events by the Dwarves, and I wouldn't have forgiven it if Jackson hadn't made it so damned well.
Some characters from the novel who were only given a passing mention, such as Radagast the Brown (a nature wizard and friend of Gandalf, played by Sylvester McCoy of Doctor Who fame) and the Orc chieftain Azog, enjoy much larger roles in the movie. McCoy plays the part of the eccentric wizard with aplomb, and it provided some of the more lighthearted moments in Jackson's story. (Radagast hides an occupied birds' nest under his cap, and a perpetual trail of droppings decorates one side of his head.) It's Radagast who warns of the danger posed by the Necromancer, and draws off a hunting party of Orcs, though none of this takes place in the novel.
Perhaps the character to be changed the most from the novel is Thorin Oakenshield. In Tolkien's original tale, the Dwarf king is old, though still a formidable warrior, while Jackson has him much younger. Whereas Tolkien's Thorin is cantankerous and grouchy, Jackson's version is more noble and honorable, and at times rather stoic.
I can't write more without giving away the whole movie, so I'll stop here and suggest you go watch it yourself while it's still in movie theaters. Suffice to say, if you're looking for a larger-than-life tale this winter, Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is a must-see.
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