"The Hobbit," The Overextended Edition

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" feels like watching one of the extended editions of Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. These were the cuts that contained all the extra little scenes and digressions from the original books that were too unwieldy to be included in the theatrical releases. On DVD these additions were tolerable because watching the longer versions at home was considerably easier on the viewer than watching them in the theater. Also, by and large the audience had already seen the trimmer, leaner theatrical cuts and were already invested in the story and characters. The trouble with "Unexpected Journey" is that Jackson skipped over the version meant for general audiences, and went right into a longer version with all the callbacks and fanservice you'd expect in an extended edition. Thus what probably should have been a brisk, ninety minute action adventure is instead a gargantuan 169 minute slog.

When it was announced that "The Hobbit" was going to be broken up into multiple films, I was immediately apprehensive that there wouldn't be enough material to pull it off. Unlike "Lord of the Rings," "The Hobbit" is a much simpler and more straightforward tale, following the journey of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), who is recruited by wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellan) to go on an adventure. They join a company of thirteen dwarves, led by warrior Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), who are traveling through the vast fantasy world of Middle Earth to reclaim the dwarf city of Erebor in the Lonely Mountain, which was conquered long ago by the dragon Smaug. "The Hobbit" is a shorter book than any of the individual volumes of "Lord of the Rings," and meant for younger readers. However, "Unexpected Journey" covers less than half of it. Peter Jackson expands the story by going outside of the book, extrapolating scenes from supplementary material. "The Hobbit" is also handled very much as a prequel to the "Lord of the Rings" films, including several cameos and other references that only work in the context of the previous films.

All the extra complication and worldbuilding do not do "Unexpected Journey" any favors. Though it follows roughly the same structure as "Fellowship of the Rings," "Unexpected Journey" doesn't have the same sense of urgency or momentum. Far too long is spent on introductory scenes with Bilbo and the dwarves, and several lengthy expository scenes setting up future events slow things down even further. The first half of the film feels interminable. Various new characters who did not appear in the book have been added to mixed success. There's one a major villain who is totally invented, Azog the Defiler (Manu Bennett), an orc warlord who is becomes a primary antagonist to Thorin. I don't object to his inclusion, since he helps to build up Thorin's character and keep the film's energy high. However, Radagast the Brown (Sylvester McCoy), one of Gandalf's fellow wizards who briefly crosses paths with the company, probably should have been left on the cutting room floor with Tom Bombadil. The character doesn't translate well to film, and he feels oddly shoehorned into the proceedings.

After cutting away all the unnecessary bits, I do think there is a very good version of "The Hobbit" here. Martin Freeman makes a fantastic Bilbo, capturing his initial reluctance and doubt, and then his gradual transformation into a hero. The return of Ian McKellan as Gandalf the Grey is a delight, even if he doesn't get the strongest material for this outing. Jackson tries too hard to make Thorin into a idol figure, but I did like the way that his history was expanded to get the audience more invested in the plight of the dwarves. It wouldn't have been possible to individually spotlight and develop all twelve of the other dwarves in the company, and I'm glad Jackson didn't try. By the end of the film I could only pick out and name about six of them. However, we do get a good sense of how they operate collectively, and how they relate to Bilbo and Gandalf. They're also very important sources of comic relief, in a film that has a tendency to get too dark and glum.

Once Jackson does get past all the introductions and the detours and becomes a proper road picture, I was happy with it. The action scenes are a blast, the CGI creatures are properly menacing, and Middle Earth never looked better. In the opening scenes, it was a thrill to see the greenery of Hobbiton again, and to be able to peek into the familiar, cozy interiors of Bag End. The makeup and hair on the dwarves often say more about them than their dialogue. In spite of the issues I had with the film, it is abundantly clear that Jackson knows and loves Tolkien's world like no other. One section I was glad he didn't shorten was the famous riddle game between Bilbo and Gollum (Andy Serkis), featuring an astonishingly tactile, expressive Gollum. I didn't think it was possible to improve much on the Gollum we saw in "Two Towers" and "Return of the King," but Jackson and Serkis and the folks of WETA really went above and beyond to make that famous confrontation something special.

But as lovely as many of the visuals are, I have to take issue with the adjustments Peter Jackson made in order to shoot "Unexpected Journey" in 48 fps HFR. I didn't see the film projected in this format, because it was only available in the 3D showings, but I did notice the occasional overexposure of the lighting, certain changes in the color palette, and other little telltale adjustments that were made to accommodate the new technology. They weren't overly noticeable, but I did find them distracting, and that indicates that the HFR revolution is still very much a work in progress.

Ultimately I liked the first "Hobbit" movie and I'm glad it was made, but I was also frequently frustrated with it. Some of Jackson's changes to "The Hobbit " story worked well, but he pushed too far, forgetting that much of the charm of "The Hobbit" was in its child-friendly simplicity. I'll happily go see "The Desolation of Smaug" next Christmas, but it's not a title I'm looking forward to with nearly as much anticipation as I had before I saw "An Unexpected Journey."
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