The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

I was among the folks watching The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey at midnight.  Was it worth staying up most of the night?  Sure, if you are a midnight movie geek.  It was a good film; it kept me awake; and I'm already waiting for the next one.  Was I moved to tears?  No.  Will I see it again?  Possibly, but I'm not rushing.  Was it worth seeing it in 3D?  Not necessarily, but then I'm not much of a fan of the format.  It was only by accident that I even chose the 3D screening.

Ian McKellen IS Gandalf, and his performance was flawless.  Martin Freeman was excellent as Bilbo.  Andy Serkis (and the visual arts geniuses behind the scenes) always amazes as Gollum.  I simply didn't find myself invested in the dwarves, who were the remaining main characters.  They were OK, but not memorable.  At least it was good to see, even if briefly, Elijah Wood as Frodo, Hugo Weaving as Elrond, Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, Christopher Lee as Saruman, and Ian Holm as the older Bilbo.

I will admit that I've never read any of Tolkien's books.  I tried reading "The Hobbit" in college, when everyone else was reading it, but got quickly bored with it and didn't get very far.  I did listen to the audiobook a few years ago, but don't remember being excited or even much about it.  I wanted to enjoy the film as much as "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, but the story just doesn't click with me like the trilogy did.  Perhaps if you read and enjoyed the book, you will get more out of the movie.