The Hobbit

On Thursday at midnight, the day I had been waiting so many years for finally came- I saw The Hobbit in theatres.  And not the creepy animated version, though I do own that- no, Peter Jackson had finally turned my favorite book into a movie, and he did it brilliantly.

In fifth grade, my teacher used to read to us after lunch; she'd start a chapter book and read some of it to us every day.  At some point during the year, she started reading The Hobbit to us, and I was immediately in love with it.  I was so interested in Bilbo Baggins, this hobbit who lived in a hobbit hole and didn't want to go on adventures but was also friends with a wizard and ended up having twelve dwarves over to his house for tea.  As an impatient ten year old who had just gotten into Harry Potter, I wanted to read more and not have to wait for the next chunk of pages, so I got it out of the library and started reading it on my own.  Since then, it's been my favorite book.

 I hadn't read the Lord of the Rings books when I saw the movies, but I read them while waiting for the Return of the King movie to come out, but there was just something about Bilbo that I loved so much that those books couldn't compare.   However, you could definitely say I'm obsessed with the Lord of the Rings movies.  I've seen them more times than I can count and can pretty much recite them word for word.  I own the extended cuts, have watched all the behind-the-scenes documentaries and commentaries, and I am a force to be reckoned with in Lord of the Rings Trivial Pursuit.  So of course after Return of the King came out, the first thing I wanted to know was, "When is Peter Jackson going to make The Hobbit into a movie?"

December 2012 always seemed like so far away when it was first announced, but when Thursday rolled around I still couldn't believe it was happening.  But I packed up my Swedish fish (in honor of Gollum, despite the fact that he would prefer them "raw and wriggling"), opted against wearing the elf ears and shimmery cloak I had worn for Halloween the year of the Return of the King release when I was an Elf Princess, because they looked silly without the dress that no longer fits me, and got to the theatre over an hour early despite the fact that it wasn't sold out here (for some weird reason).

I actually haven't read the book in a while- I bought a copy in Spanish while in Mexico last summer and got a few chapters in before I stopped having time to read, and I started to reread it after I got my ticket but never got past chapter one.  I may go back and read it again now that I've seen it, but I think I made a better choice of not rereading it immediately before seeing it because I didn't spend the movie nitpicking on whether or not they were following the book closely.

Since it's still technically opening weekend, I won't do a detailed movie review, but maybe I will after the second or third time I see it.  Because there's no way I won't see it at least that many times.  From start to finish, it was the most enjoyable movie experience I've ever had.  It was entertaining from start to finish.

The acting in the movie was completely brilliant.  Martin Freeman was absolutely perfect as Bilbo Baggins- he was wonderfully expressive and had just the right amount of awkwardness and naivety that Bilbo should have.  In the scene where the dwarves arrive at his house, he perfectly portrayed Bilbo's inner struggle between wanting the dwarves to leave, wondering why they were there, and his natural inclination as a hobbit to be a gracious host.  Freeman doesn't just make Bilbo the main character, he makes him into a lovable hobbit that you'll be rooting for throughout the whole movie.

Sir Ian McKellan was fantastic once again as Gandalf, but that was to be expected.  I didn't, however, expect such an excellent performance from Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield.  I hadn't seen him in anything other than his brief scene in the Captain America movie.  Thorin was supposed to be a regal, proper leader, and Armitage portrayed that perfectly.  From the way he held himself to the way he spoke, you could tell he was an important dwarf.  He was a weathered warrior, a determined leader, a king in exile.  He was, in one word, perfect.

I have to admit, I got a little bit teary-eyed when the opening credits rolled and we were back in the Shire again.  I also got a little teary-eyed again towards the end- not because the ending was sad, but because I was sad that it was ending.   Despite the fact that it was 3am and I had to get up at 8 the next day, I would have happily watched the movie again immediately because it was just that good.  I saw it in 2-D so maybe next time I'll try the 48 fps.  Because I'm definitely going to go see it again and again and again, as many times as I can.