Mar2013_MOVIE REVIEW_The Hobbit

 By Gemma Schuhmann  (Rating 4/5)

See “The Hobbit” at the Lions Cinema Night, Dayboro Community Hall, Saturday 16th March, 2013.  Doors open at 6.30pm for a 7pm start.   

Admission only $6 each (or just $18 for families).

 

The Hobbit is based on the book by J.R.R. Tolkien and is the prequel to the Lord Of The Rings trilogy.  Bilbo Baggins is a quiet hobbit who is chosen by Gandalf the Grey to help 13 dwarves reclaim their home, currently occupied by a dragon. Along the way they must overcome many difficulties including orcs, wargs, goblins and a ring.

The great thing about this film is that you don’t have to have seen the first films or read the book to understand it.  However it does help.  The movie does link to the other three films by placing the time frame just before the start of the Fellowship Of The Ring.  Now if anyone is thinking that you can’t make three films out of a book that small, you’d be right.  They have added parts from other books including some stories out the Appendices from the back of the Lord Of The Rings.  Overall the story is very uplifting.  With 13 dwarves laughing and singing it’s hard not to feel happy afterwards.  It is allowing a whole new generation to live in the world of Tolkien.

Marin Freeman was the perfect choice for Bilbo.  Once you see him in that role, there can be noone else.  He will fall into our hearts as Bilbo much the same way as Ian McKellen has as Gandalf.  Unfortunately, because Elijah Wood is considerably older in this prequel, Frodo seems older and wiser instead of the innocent he should be.  It is great to see both Hugo Weaving and Cate Blanchett on screen again in roles they have perfected.

Once again Peter Jackson and Weta Workshops have done a fantastic job in designing the film, although this time around they have used a lot more CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) rather than physically making things.  By doing this it has made Middle Earth a little less believable.  In the Lord Of The Rings they used miniatures and location shoots to make the world more real.  This is a great example of what happens with too much technology.  Hopefully the next two films will improve on this. 

The Hobbit is an upbeat movie that won’t disappoint. The good thing is that most cinemas are still playing it, including Dayboro.