Winter Views...

The Hobbit - 4 stars ****

Last week I finally got round to watching The Hobbit with my dad and sister. I read the book when I was ten, so have fond memories of the story, and was a little sceptical when I saw it was being made into a film, especially as for such a short book it is being done in three parts.

However, I was pleasantly surprised. Though it wouldn't be my film of the year or anything, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and would recommend it to fans of the book. The scenery, costumes and prosthetics are amazing, and you can really tell a great deal of time, effort and money has gone into the production of this film. It was action packed, emotive, had aspects of humour and to say it is based in a land where goblins and orcs live, strangely relatable in terms of the challenges and fears faced by Bilbo. 

That taken into account, it is not to say I didn't have any issues with this movie. Firstly, Martin Freeman doesn't really cut it for me as Bilbo, but maybe that is because I am such a fan of Ian Holm's later portrayal of the character, and they seem worlds apart. I understand that obviously he changes as a person on his journey throughout The Hobbit, but it is like watching two different characters. Perhaps they will meld more throughout the trilogy.

Secondly, I feel that although it is never boring, there is a lot of surplus information thrown at the audience that isn't wholly needed. For the die-hard aficionados, this is probably a major plus point, as a lot of the history of the ring's journey is included, but for the average viewer, it makes it clunky and difficult to follow. 

One thing that I really rated were the choices of cast. All of the dwarves that accompany Bilbo on his quest were finely carved individuals, each with their own quirky characteristics and traits, which made for good viewing. In particular, Richard Armitage created a fearsome, dark character in Thorin Oakenshield, who gradually shows his softer, more vulnerable side. 

I also liked how songs were included, as it split up the film into nice chunks and provided light relief from some of the more heavier going story lines.

Overall, this is a film that isn't quite of LOTR standard in my opinion, but I would buy it on DVD when it comes out nevertheless.