MOVIE REVIEW: ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ continues to entertain, even a month later
"The Hobbit", a film based off the prequel to "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy by J.R.R Tolkien, came out with a bang when it opened on Dec. 14, bringing in a total sum of $84.6 million in box office sales opening weekend.
The movie, weeks after its release, continues to be a hit and is estimated to remain in theaters until at least the end of the month.
The film follows hobbit Bilbo Baggins as he and a band of dwarves set off on a quest to reclaim the Dwarf Kingdom from an evil dragon.
Major "Lord of the Rings" characters like Gandalf, Gollum and Elrond return in the film along with familiar places like the Shire and Rivendell, which are designed to look the same as they did in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
Although "The Hobbit" was written as one book, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is the first of three films to be squeezed out of Tolkien's book.
Director Peter Jackson will be turning the book into a cinematic trilogy by elaborating the battle scenes, making the films tell the story more through action than dialogue, to the disappointment of some die-hard Tolkien fans.
Along with the action, there were also light-hearted moments within the fighting scenes that had the audience laughing.
However, the three hour-long film was filled with action scenes that were not meant for kids. The movie ended up receiving an older audience filled with teens and adults that had grown up with the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
Severed bodies and evil creatures are just some of the things that could easily scare little kids.
The film was a visual success from costumes to the amazing battle scenes and the stoning of the trolls.
However, the film fell short on dialogue, and the long fights occurring in succession made the movie somewhat repetitive and boring.
But, for the fans of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, The Hobbit is an entertaining movie that can be seen again and again.
The next film in "The Hobbit" trilogy, "The Desolation of Smaug," is coming to theaters late 2013.
