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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Play trailer Poster for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey PG-13 Released Dec 14, 2012 2h 49m Fantasy Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
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64% Tomatometer 302 Reviews 83% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) lives a simple life with his fellow hobbits in the shire, until the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) arrives and convinces him to join a group of dwarves on a quest to reclaim the kingdom of Erebor. The journey takes Bilbo on a path through treacherous lands swarming with orcs, goblins and other dangers, not the least of which is an encounter with Gollum (Andy Serkis) and a simple gold ring that is tied to the fate of Middle Earth in ways Bilbo cannot even fathom.
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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

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Critics Consensus

Peter Jackson's return to Middle-earth is an earnest, visually resplendent trip, but the film's deliberate pace robs the material of some of its majesty.

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Critics Reviews

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J. Hoberman The New York Review of Books There is a good deal to be said about Peter Jackson's long-awaited and exceedingly long adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, most of it bad. Mar 28, 2017 Full Review Christopher Orr The Atlantic It frequently seems as though Jackson was less interested in making The Hobbit than in remaking his own fabulously successful Lord of the Rings series. Dec 14, 2012 Full Review Perri Nemiroff Shockya.com Two thirds is so packed with charming characters, stellar visuals and sense of adventure, it makes that other third come across as much more of a failure than it really is. Rated: 3/5 Dec 14, 2012 Full Review Don Shanahan Every Movie Has a Lesson Patience is exactly the virtue required. Rated: 4/5 Oct 17, 2024 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review This is a cinematic world so fully realized that leaving it is a sad prospect. Rated: 3.5/4 Sep 20, 2022 Full Review Keith Garlington Keith & the Movies A wonderfully satisfying fantasy adventure that not only connects to the previous films, but charts its own ground with great effectiveness. Rated: 4/5 Aug 21, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Terry M Good family movie. Loved it. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Maxx V The Hobbit was one of my favorite books as a child, and the animated rendition was likewise among my favorite. So I have very little forgiveness for a couple of jerks who come along with huge pile of money to ruin it. Yes you can buy a lot of CGI with a lot of money. You can hire people to fill in holes where none existed (did we really need another wizard?). You can market the hell out of the finished product to make sure people watch it. But you know what money alone cannot buy? Forgiveness. I will never forgive the producers for this pile of garbage. If you want to see a good Lord of the Rings film, go watch the *real* trilogy (there's nothing remotely trilogy-like about the single book this was derived from). It's obvious they didn't really want to make The Hobbit, they wanted to remake Lord of the Rings a second time. Stupid. Lame. Just plain bad. And to you who have it a positive review: grow a spine and have your own opinion. There's no valid argument that forgives this cesspool of hubris. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 11/20/24 Full Review Affleberry F I believe that too many are going to judge these 3 films against the utter masterpieces that are the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, & while that's not completely unfair, I try to measure them on their own. It seems to me that Jackson was going for much more of a "fantasy adventure" with The Hobbit trilogy more so than a "fantasy/adventure/drama" as with the LOTR. That said, the first installment, An Unexpected Journey, was extremely enjoyable for me. I think it was a very well rounded film. My main critique would be the very heavy use of CGI. While I can totally understand the need of it for films like these, I wish they pulled back & went with more practical effects & features. Other than that, I highly recommend this movie. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 11/01/24 Full Review 10541 Felipe H This movie is A MASTERPIECE, THE PEOPLE WHO DID NOT LIKE THE MOVIE ARE VERY SCARE OF MONSTERS Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/08/24 Full Review babarizam D Its an alright film, given the fact that book itself has so many loopholes. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 10/07/24 Full Review naim c It's not that bad. But you can't compare it to the first trilogy. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/05/24 Full Review Read all reviews
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

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Cast & Crew

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 74% 85% The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Watchlist The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 92% 95% The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Watchlist TRAILER for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 96% 89% Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 Watchlist TRAILER for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 95% 95% The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Watchlist Jack the Giant Slayer 52% 55% Jack the Giant Slayer Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) lives a simple life with his fellow hobbits in the shire, until the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) arrives and convinces him to join a group of dwarves on a quest to reclaim the kingdom of Erebor. The journey takes Bilbo on a path through treacherous lands swarming with orcs, goblins and other dangers, not the least of which is an encounter with Gollum (Andy Serkis) and a simple gold ring that is tied to the fate of Middle Earth in ways Bilbo cannot even fathom.
Director
Peter Jackson
Producer
Carolynne Cunningham, Zane Weiner, Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson
Screenwriter
Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Guillermo del Toro
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
WingNut Films
Rating
PG-13 (Intense Action Violence|Frightening Images|Intense Fantasy Violence)
Genre
Fantasy, Adventure
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 14, 2012, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 11, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$303.0M
Runtime
2h 49m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital, SDDS, Datasat
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