Irish Woman and I snuck away today to catch a matinée of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit:  An Unexpected Journey.  The Hobbit was one of the first real books I ever read, and I’ve been looking forward to seeing it done in the same manner as The Lord of the Rings.  Long story short, I enjoyed it, but if you’re a stickler for movies staying true to the books they’re based on, then you might not.  Jackson added a bunch of stuff from other Tolkien writings, changed a few other things around, and added a few things that he pulled down from the ether.  Some of the stuff he added I can understand because they fill plot holes that arise when trying to make a book into a movie.  A lot of it I either have to wonder if it was necessary or look at as someone adding to another’s masterpiece so that they can feel they contributed.

I’m not going to go through a plot summary, because honestly I think that if you haven’t read The Hobbit, you ought to.  It’s a classic, and its story of ordinary people being the bedrock of freedom is one you really need to experience at the leisurely pace of the written word.

Of course, the visual effects of the movie were outstanding.  Jackson is a master of weaving CGI and live action film together in a way that is pretty much seamless.  There were times, however, where large panning shots looked a bit blurred unless I focused on one aspect or another, which I didn’t experience in the LOTR series.

The pacing of the movie was about the same as the LOTR films.  A couple of scenes of talking followed by “we’re walking and walking and walking” followed by an action scene followed by “we’re walking and walking and walking and walking”.   Irish Woman remarked afterward that it didn’t seem like 3 hours, while I was definitely noticing it.  Note to filmmakers:  If you’re going to make a movie over 2 hours long, put an intermission in the middle.

Also, if the extra stuff that Jackson put in hadn’t been in there, it would have been a nice tight 2 hour movie, or it could have been a nice tight 3 hour movie that would have had its stories ended in a nice tight 3 hour movie next year, with no extraneous third movie.

The music was just as good as the LOTR soundtrack, with stirring orchestral music by Howard Shore.  Tolkien also added more singing by the characters in the story, so there is a quasi-musical number in the beginning when the dwarves are doing the dishes.  That being said, if the hair on the back of your neck doesn’t stand up when the dwarves sing about the loss of their mountain kingdom, turn in your geek card.

The acting was excellent. Ian McKellan repeats his stellar performance as Gandalf the Gray, and is joined in return appearances by Christopher Lee, Ian Holm, Elijah Wood, Hugo Weaving, and Cate Blanchett.  Richard Armitage does an excellent job playing Thorin.  Martin Freeman puts in one of the best performances of the movie as Bilbo Baggins.  He plays a tough hobbit rather than whining glutton.  His Bilbo is more of a country gentleman who has chosen to become an adventurer and has more backbone than even he knows.

One thing I didn’t care for:  it’s been made in such a way that I can’t share it with Boo for years to come.  The Hobbit is basically a children’s story.  Yes, there are swords and bloodshed and such in the story, but it was never done in such a way that a child old enough to read couldn’t handle it.  LOTR was, on the other hand, a story for adults, so I don’t mind waiting to let him see and read The Two Towers until he’s older.  I have read The Hobbit to all of my kids, and I will do so with Boo.  However, with the rather graphic way that combat and the more scary parts of the story are done, I won’t be letting Boo watch this one until he’s much older.  I wouldn’t suggest trying to take your young kids to see this one in the theater.  I would suggest that you see it without them and then make your own decision as to whether or not your little ones can handle it.

Otherwise, I enjoyed the movie.  Taken as a stand-alone movie as well as a prequel to LOTR, it’s a good start to the story.  It will definitely end up on my movie shelf once it comes out on DVD, and I look forward to next winter when the second installment comes out.