If You Love Lord of the Rings, You’ll Love The Hobbit!
Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opened last weekend, breaking records around the globe. Rated PG-13 for extended sequences of intense fantasy action violence and frightening images, you might want to think twice before taking your tweens or teens. Filled with battle scenes, decapitation, amputation, and repeated stabbing and slashing with swords, it’s not for the squeamish.
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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the prequel to the epic trilogy, Lord of the Rings. This story follows the simple Hobbit Bilbo Baggins who is recruited by a group of Dwarves and Gandalf the Grey to be a burglar on their journey to the Lonely Mountain. They must make it to the Mountain to reclaim their treasure and home stolen by the Dragon Smaug.
KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Raven Devanney (age 15) found the cinematography to be outstanding but the movie’s length a bit much to handle. Anthony Aranda (age 10), KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, says, “this movie is awesome, adventurous, and I guess scary for some people”, and though he loved the film, he also admits that it has “a lot of violence and killing and stuff.”
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Reviewed by Raven Devanney, age 15, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic
I thought this movie was okay, but I only think that’s because I watched the Lord of the Rings when I was 5 and can hardly remember anything about it at all. Plus fantasy films aren’t my thing. However my mother who happens to be a huge Lord of the Rings fan loves the movie.
I have to give the movie props for the cinematography. I mean, oh my God, the visuals are beautiful!! All of the images are so clear and crisp, I literally felt like I was right there with Bilbo. I especially love the Elf kingdom and the graphics for that are amazing. I can’t even explain with words how beautiful the imagery and 3D are in this film, you just have to see it for yourself. There are a few things that bothered me about the visuals though. Some of it is almost too perfect and too clear. You can see every piece of grass in the field and every pore or drop of sweat on the Dwarves. It is a bit too much. The other thing that pulled me away from the movie is how the Orcs look. They look like videogame characters and they don’t have the same quality of the rest of the CGI in the film.
My favorite character is, by far, Gollum. Even though he is only in one scene of this movie, he is really funny in a creepy way. I really want to go back and re-watch the Lord of the Rings just to see more of him! I also like Bilbo Baggins because everyone doubts him, but he never gives up or turns back. My favorite scene is a toss up between when Bilbo meets Gollum and when the Dwarves are in the underground world of the Goblins. I love when Bilbo meets Gollum because the two of them have a very funny interaction of riddling each other. I also like when the Dwarves are escaping the Goblins because their world is underground and very rickety.
I think the biggest downside of this movie is the length. It is way too long in my opinion, but then again, all of the Lord of the Rings films have been very long as well. If you enjoy the Lord of the Rings then you will love The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, but will I see it again? No. The cinematography deserves 5 out of 5 stars but, the overall film only gets 3.5 out of 5 from me.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Reviewed by Anthony Aranda, age 10, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic
Click here to see Anthony’s full video review!
This movie is awesome, adventurous, and I guess scary for some people. It is also really funny. I just love it. This movie was really good; it has really good graphics and lots of action, and some parts that could creep you out but with all of it together, it is perfect.
This movie is all about a guy named Bilbo Baggins who is chosen to go on a huge adventure. The best thing is, there is going to be a second movie. All the action is really cool with the dragon, the Orcs, the weapons and their enemies. It is a really cool movie that I love.
The main characters in the movie are Bilbo and Gandalf. My favorite character is Bilbo Baggins because he isn’t sure he wants to accept Gandalf’s instruction but then he realizes it would be fun to go on an adventure. There are a couple twists and turns but everything turns out okay, or does it?
My favorite part of the movie is when they find out the mountain monsters are real. They throw big chunks of mountains at each other which is really cool. The most exciting thing is when they find out they are standing on a giant’s knee. It was a little crazy, but they all survive. This is the best part of the movie and really cool to see in 3D. It really feels like they are standing right in front of me.
I recommend this movie for ages 8 and up. Kids seven and under will probably get scared of some things. There is a lot of violence and killing and stuff that could encourage kids to smash plates and cups trying to do a scene in the movie. Kids older than seven should see this movie because they would like all the things they do in the movie. I mean lots of kids like adventures movies and would probably like this one too. Go out and see this movie in theaters now.
