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EDITOR'S PICK
`The
Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey` - visually spectacular fantasy (IANS Movie
Review)
Rating: ***1/2
There is something appealing about "The Hobbit: An Unexpected
Journey". It transports you to a world of fantasy. A land long forgotten
with wizards, dwarves, dragons, elves, orcs, trolls, goblins, stone giants and
the likes.
Peter Jackson`s prequel to the hugely popular epic fantasy-adventure "Lord
of the Rings" trilogy - "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is,
noticeably, different; lighter in some respects, but at par. If you enjoyed
"Lord of the Rings", you will love this.
Set in the City of Dale in Middle Earth, the story of the Unexpected Journey is
the transformation of the protagonist, Bilbo (Martin Freeman), from an anxious
stay-at-home hobbit to a war hero. It is also the voyage of the dwarves to
reclaim their homeland, the Kingdom of Maurya, from the Dragon.
The film starts on a somewhat slow and it takes a while for the setting to sink
in, action to kick in and the story to roll.
Bilbo is a happy-go-lucky hobbit who is content to be within the confines of his
home at Bag End. Then one fine day, Wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellan) visits him and
his life changes. He is forced to entertain the 13 warrior dwarves, who
congregate in his house at the behest of the wise wizard, in an unexpected
party. After much deliberation, with a superfluous singsong, Gandalf insists,
"The home behind you and the world ahead". He thus manages to get the
wimpy Bilbo to accompany them in their quest to reclaim `the heart` of The
Lonely Mountain from Smaug, the dragon.
Given the setting, the road through stunning mountains is littered with plenty
of orc skewering and goblin beheadings. The action is lighter and more flimsy
than that of "Lord of the Rings". Still, much of it is childlike fun,
particularly, a battle along a maze of footbridges suspended throughout a goblin
cave.
One of the highlights that blends technical wizardry with human performance,
centres on a mesmerising appearance by Gollum (Andy Serkis). Bilbo`s
life-or-death battle of wits with Gollum, showcases a new standard for motion -
capture technology.
Andy Serkis steals the scene, emoting the creature`s terrible desperation,
sneaky cynicism and tragic self-pity by quick turns. Every nuance of scowls,
murmurs, delusions and painful writhing when his beloved ring goes missing, is
brilliantly captured by Jackson in those computer graphic eyes. The conflict
between the two also provides the film with a climactic moment for Bilbo, not
just because he takes that precious ring, unwitting of its power, but because he
must choose whether Gollum lives or dies.
True to J.R.R. Tolkien`s 1937 children`s novel "The Hobbit", the
characters shine in this film. Richard Armitage debuts as dwarf leader Thorin
Oakenshield, ennobled from a fairly comical figure in Tolkien`s text to a
brooding warrior king in the mould of Viggo Mortensen from the "Lord of the
Rings" trilogy. Peter also plucked the brutal orc Azog out of Tolkien`s
footnotes, as a weak opponent, and made him Thorin`s sworn enemy, adding some
complexity to this otherwise single dimensional character.
The casting is perfect and performances, outstanding; all the dwarves are
impeccably cast and have their moments in the spotlight. Ian McKellen is
possibly even better here than he was in the "Lord of the Rings"
trilogy. Freeman as the charismatic lead, employing that familiar look of weary
bemusement, offers a humorous counterpoint to the entire, otherwise pessimistic
surrounding. Richard Armitage with his stealthy looks is a good counter balance
for the Hobbit. Cate Blanchett as the elf queen Galadriel, Christopher Lee as
Saruman, Hugo Weaving as Elrond and Elijah Wood as Frodo go full throttle.
The production design and cinematography are amazing. The music and background
score is used appealingly to enhance the entire experience. The technical 3D or
48 frames per second becomes secondary to the emotions in the scene. If you saw
Unexpected Journey in conventional 2D projected at 24 frames per second, you
wouldn`t miss much.
Peter Jackson is truly a real wizard for putting this together in 3D and 48
frames per second. Die-hard fans of Tolkien may approve of Jackson`s
determination to boost-up every detail of the novel, but for a casual viewer,
this might not work as the plot runs thin and the journey is excessively padded.
Also the film concludes suddenly like a cliff hanger - without a proper
resolution with Bilbo saying "The worst is behind us".
Well, if this is the worst and the best is yet to come, "The Hobbit"
could end up being another great trilogy.