Back in 2001 when Peter Jackson released his original Lord of the Rings trilogy, another major franchise was also in the midst of release. While the prequel Star Wars trilogy drew the ire of the critics for its indulgent use of CGI and childish tone and performances (Jar Jar Binks for example), Jackson's films were venerated as the apex of fantasy filmmaking with its heart-warming characters and emotionally engaging quest.
[Spoiler Alert]
A little over 10 years later it seems that history repeats itself, but not in the way Jackson would have hoped. While his original Lord of the Rings films were all three hours in length, they were based on substantial novels that together number well over 1,000 pages. His new trilogy however is based upon The Hobbit, a novel barely over 200 pages and the lack of material is clearly present in his first installment An Unexpected Journey.
The film initiates with a lengthy prologue that establishes the history of the dwarves and the destruction of their kingdom by Smaug the dragon. While the prologue is engaging, it takes almost 20 minutes before Jackson takes us to the era of young Bilbo Baggins and gets to the central story of the film. That central focus is a quest in which the dwarves aim to take back their homeland with the aid of Gandalf the Grey Wizard and Bilbo. However, that mission does not actually get started until well after the hour mark of the film and in its initial stages, the film drags endlessly. The dwarves show up one by one and unnecessary pandemonium ensues in Bilbo's small house. At one point, the dwarves jump out into song which made me question whether I was watching a musical. Thorin, the leader of the dwarves shows up, after a lengthy run of sight gags from his brethren and then we finally find out what the whole point of the film's opening 40 minutes is all about.
The opening drags and the film barely hits its stride until very late when Bilbo runs into Gollum in a cave. Prior to that Jackson wades through a series of generic CGI action sequences involving Orcs, Trolls, Goblins, and Mountain Giants. His decision to indulge in other repetitive battle sequences is especially frustrating when he chooses to end the emotional climactic battle shortly after it has gotten underway, leaving it inconclusive and feeling unfinished. The film is also crowded with a series of subplots involving Radagast the Brown Wizard and Thorin's own quest to get revenge on the murderer of his grandfather and father. The fact that not a single one makes any substantial progress in the two hours and 40 minute running time indicates just how far Jackson tries to stretch the thin material.
Comparisons are usually unfair, but what made The Fellowship of the Ring such a satisfying first installment in the original trilogy was the sense of wonder the viewer experienced at every new locale and the film's ability to balance its numerous characters efficiently and memorably; every single character in that film was unforgettable in his own way. That is not the case here unfortunately. Martin Freeman is a like-able fellow as Bilbo, Ian McKellan has a dominant presence as Gandalf, Andy Serkis makes a memorable return as Gollum, and Richard Armitage provides the film with emotional gravitas that is otherwise lacking. However, none of the remaining 12 dwarves make much of an impression because they are all basically the same character and have the same task: comic relief. The sense of wonder is also lost as the characters travel through rather generic landscapes that could have come from any fantasy film. The Goblin's mountain hideout may be the only place that really differentiates itself from every other scene, but it is hardly a remarkable sight. The only time where I felt the sense of wonder was when the entourage arrives in Rivendell as the introduction of old characters finally made me feel like I was watching a Lord of the Rings film.
Tonally the film is rather sloppy. Jackson's original trilogy had light touches, but they were more effective because they were infrequent and provided relief from the overall somber quality permeating the rest of the films. From the outset Jackson seems intent on filling The Hobbit with laughs but mainly through the use of oddly placed one liners and sight gags. During one action sequence, a potent character challenges Gandalf and asks him how he plans to stop him. Gandalf slashes the character with his sword and the character responds "That'll do it." There are genuine moments of comedy, but it feels like Jackson is trying too hard to make the audience giggle even during the most serious moments in the film.
Avatar director James Cameron recently stated that Jackson's use of 48 frames per second was going to revolutionize the way films are made. After watching this film in 3D and in the 48 fps, I sure hope he is wrong. The goal of the 48 fps (instead of the normal 24 fps) is to get rid of the strobing effect and create more fluid movement in 3D. However, the effect is extremely jarring and the movements look fake. Instead of watching a film, I felt as if I was watching a sitcom. The effect did not create that many issues during wide shots or on still close-ups, but it rendered some of the action sequences unwatchable. When Jackson chooses to utilize a moving camera with frenzied movement throughout the frame, the result is an indiscernible blur that is impossible to read or even desirable to watch. At times, the movement made me feel like I was watching a video game and it only accented the CGI creations on screen.
The visual effects are tremendously impressive, but aside from Gollum none of the characters really add to the experience. In the original trilogy Jackson used extensive makeup to create some of his orcs and demons, but his decision to rely solely on CGI for certain characters mirrors Lucas' equally detrimental choice in the Star Wars prequels.
Howard Shore's score is surprisingly generic and despite the return of some memorable cues from the original trilogy, much of the music here fails to make much of an impression and relies on tried and true clichés.
Despite an endless number of battles and the arrival and departure of numerous characters, there is a feeling that nothing actually happened by the end of The Hobbit. The film revolves around Thorin's acceptance of Bilbo, but that focal point is lost in the mishmash of distracting subplots and uninteresting battles. The film is a clear setup for the next two pictures and in the grand scheme could wind up fitting within the framework of a trilogy. But as a standalone film and in the context of its legacy, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is overlong, uneven, and ultimately disappointing.
Other Film Reviews by David Salazar
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Killing Them Softly
Lincoln
Hitchcock
Silver Linings Playbook
Skyfall
Anna Karenina
Cloud Atlas
Argo
El Limpiador
The Sessions
Arbitrage
The Master
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