The Hobbit - An unexpected journey. An undeniable triumph.

It was 3 and a half years ago when I sat in a planning meeting at school working out topics for the following year. We decided the opening topic would be based around a well-loved children's story/author. The neighbouring Year 3 class would do Roald Dahl and we came up with some ideas for a 'Harry Potter' topic in Year 4. Later, I felt uneasy. Firstly, it was such a huge set of books, plus in a C of E school, there may be parents who wouldn't be keen. As I sat on the train, my mind suddenly leapt to 'The Hobbit'. Hmmm I thought. I think I read that a few years ago, but I'd have to read it again. Maybe it would be a possibility. (Turns out I read the beginning but must have given up).

Upon reading the first two or three pages, I remember thinking 'YES!' The first page alone yielded 2 or 3 possible strong ideas. I was hooked. I then had to remember that if we were to read this as an ongoing class book, I'd have to work out how long it would take. So I timed myself reading it aloud (a process which felt slightly odd at first). 2 minutes per page. 5 pages in a 10 minute story slot. 250+ pages meant 50+ days oh my. I set about 'editing' great paragraphs of long description (in the end I cut out about 1/3 of the whole text).

The topic (which I did for 2 years running) was a great success and the 'Hobbit Days' (including some very imaginative costumes) will always live long in my memory.

What I am trying to say is... I have a very strong connection with this book, and I felt nervous and excited about the prospect of the film. "Peter Jackson knows what he's doing" I told myself. Every new announcement would bring either excitement or anxiety. Excitement at the prospect of 2 films, anxiety at a trilogy. Really?

Inevitably, it has been greeted with a fair amount of 'backlash'. Not slating it outright, but lots of unhelpful (yet inevitable) comparisons to LOTR, and saying it was too long and drawn out. This was something I expected seeing as this film was covering only 6 chapters of the book.

So I approached the film slightly expecting possible disappointment. I also worried (as I do in any film like this) that certain casting wouldn't be quite right.

Without giving too much away, one character says to another near the end of this film something along the lines of:

"I didn't think you were right for this journey. I thought you were unsuitable. I have never been more wrong."

Which is a pleasing parallel to my own expectations. My fears could not have been more misplaced.

It was sensational.

How anyone could be 'disappointed' or think it 'wasn't epic enough' is beyond me. It had everything. A variety of characters, situations, action, fantastic scenery and some amazing stunts and set pieces, beyond anything seen in LOTR. What it also added, which goes along with the book, is humour.

All the way through the film there are moments that make you laugh, a little light relief amidst the seriousness of the story. Gollum's scene in particular was extremely well done; the film playing with his double personality and Bilbo's initial lack of awareness of this very effectively.

As Bilbo, Martin Freeman was better than I could have hoped for. Funny without being over the top, a very dry humour, typically English, just right for Bilbo.

Sylvester McCoy, Barry Humphries and Richard Armitage step into their roles superbly, as do all of the dwarves. As Thorin, Richard Armitage balanced Thorin's pride and deep hatred of certain people/characters with a vulnerability and compassion that made us back him all the way. Returning characters were also excellent, with Christopher Lee playing a pre-turning Saruman very well, showing little hints of what is to come for his character.

My only (slight) gripe is that in some of the additions, Jackson has gone a bit over the top. The need to create an 'enemy' for Thorin, just to have a 'bad guy' in this film seems a bit unneccessary, although it is used well in the final climactic event of this film. Also, I am a little unsure of the 48 frames per second look. It looked too real, but maybe I need to get used to this.

Finally, I can honestly say that it didn't feel like 2  3/4 hours long. I was gripped from start to finish. A criticism has been that it was too 'drawn out'. To those people I (politely) say "Improve your attention span!" I worry that in this 'instant' generation, many people (myself definitely included) expect everything immediately, and have lost the art of enjoying something slowly.

What Jackson has done in this first film is lay out many seeds that will be watered in the next two films. When people have seen all three, they will watch this opening segment and a lot will make sense.

So, in summary, a truly brilliant film, one of the best I have ever seen, and worthy to sit alongside the LOTR trilogy. It's a different beast to them, though. The Hobbit is a children's book after all, and the tone is lighter. The quality remains outstanding. Bring on the next film!