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Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
New Line Cinema
WingNut Films
The Hobbit Collection
From the smallest beginnings come the greatest legends.
Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit enjoying his quiet life, is swept into an epic quest by Gandalf the Grey and thirteen dwarves who seek to reclaim their mountain home from Smaug, the dragon.
Dr Nostromo
May 4, 2026 · via TMDB
81/100 The first film in the LOTR timeline, a hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, is enlisted as a burglar to help a troop of dwarves retake their mountain home, Erebor, from the dragon, Smaug. Exquisitely well casted, awesome photography, delightful characters and wonderful, exciting and humorous adventures dealing with trolls, orcs, wargs, goblins, stone giants, Gollum and Azog the Defiler. Meanwhile, what's going on in Dol Guldur. So nice to revisit Middle Earth after all these years. I would highly recommend watching the Extended version. So much story is lost in the Theatrical version.
CinemaSerf
Mar 26, 2023 · via TMDB
It's one thing saying this isn't "Lord of the Rings" but it's quite another trying to watch without constantly comparing them. The same style of production with wonderful visual effects, Howard Shore's superb score and for much of the time it features many of the same actors from the earlier Peter Jackson trilogy. Similarly, it takes an age to get going. This first of three struggles in a different way too - there are no clearly defined roles for the characters; no "fellowship" if you like, for either the characters or the audience to focus on, so we are effectively starting from scratch with a whole slew of new characters whilst having to adjust to the new timelines for those we already know. Much less of a problem for those who have read the books, but for us other mortals that takes a while - and to be honest, I wasn't so impressed with the casting this time round. Martin Freeman was fine as "Dr Watson" in the BBC iteration of "Sherlock" but here, he is frankly quite annoying as "Bilbo". Newbie to the franchise Richard Armitage fares slightly better as Dwarf king "Thorin" but it is an otherwise unremarkable cast that joins Sir Ian McKellen's "Gandalf" as they set off to reclaim their underground kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon "Smaug". To be fair, the story itself is not so good so the team have less to work with; and we are also now very used to the style and look of events from Middle Earth, so this was always going to make less of an impact - but the acting could have been considerably more robust. The saintly elves are bit too wholesome for me - though Cate "loads of audio reverb" Blanchett looks stunning as "Galadriel". There are plenty of evil orcs, goblins, and wargs to keep their perilous task engaging enough, though, and we are mercifully spared much of the infuriating "Gollum" (Andy Serkis) whom I cheered into the volcano at the end of "Return of the King" (2003). It is a good film, the two hours fly by and as a fan of the first trilogy, I shall stick with these - but I fear this is really a big screen experience that loses much on a smaller one with far to much dialogue and padding and not enough action.
Peter McGinn
Sep 5, 2022 · via TMDB
There is no doubt that Peter Jackson does a great job bring Tolkien’s fantasies to life, much better, I imagine, than anyone must have assumed when they heard about the Lord of the Rings series way back when. I must confess that I don’t like them as much as I enjoyed reading the books. I am sure there are complex reasons applicable to me. I read them when I was very young and it would be difficult to match that first-time experience. Also, the fighting and battles seem more central to the story than I remember. Perhaps that relates more to the modern movie audience rather than my memory. As a funny side note, the film seemed to resemble in places that other fantasy series: the Jurassic Park franchise, in that they seemed to always be going from one close call to another, and the Wizard or somebody repeatedly yelled, “Run!” This series certainly sends the message that if you ever go on a dangerous adventure, it helps to have a wizard along for the journey.
r96sk
Feb 20, 2021 · via TMDB
Of course off the level of its <em>'The Lord of the Rings'</em> predecessors, but I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed <em>'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'</em>. It has good lure to it, the plot is more than interesting, it features pleasant callbacks and - like LOTR - looks exquisite. As for the casting, I like 'em. Martin Freeman (Bilbo) is, like Elijah Wood, an actor I've always found hit-and-miss, but I really did enjoy Freeman's performance here - the humour is his usual schtick, though the rest of his showing is strong. Ian McKellen (Gandalf) returns and is as much a joy to watch as before. None of the others, though all good, stand out massively, James Nesbitt (Bofur) does bring decent comedic stuff. Hopefully the two sequels to this are just as fantastic!
Matt Golden
Jul 21, 2013 · via TMDB
Over a decade after a little-known director from New Zealand managed to con New Line Cinema into giving him $300 million to make a trilogy based on JRR Tolkien's seminal fantasy (and long considered unfilmable) work The Lord of the Rings, the cinematic landscape for fantasy has changed drastically. Much like Tolkien's tome, the Lord of the Rings films came to utterly define high fantasy in film, with even competing fantasy adaptations like The Chronicles of Narnia and Alice in Wonderland cribbing from Peter Jackon's critically-acclaimed, audience-adored multipart epic. Now Jackson has returned to the land that made him famous for a go-round with Tolkien's earlier work, The Hobbit. Tolkien's The Hobbit is far more modest in scope than its enormous sequel, and geared for a younger audience. It introduced the world to Bilbo Baggins, a typically quiet hobbit who is coaxed into adventure by the grey wizard Gandalf, enlisted to aid thirteen dwarves in reclaiming their long-lost homeland. Jackson had the unenviable task of following up on his blockbuster Academy Award-winning masterpiece, and initially passed off the directing responsibilities to fantasy master Guillermo del Toro. Difficulties securing the film rights led to delay after delay, and del Toro finally departed, leaving the original creative team the ability to step back into place and create a follow-up/lead-in with the same creative staff in front of and behind the camera. Jackson returned as director, co-writing with Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyens (though del Toro retains a screenwriting credit), Andrew Lesnie as cinematographer, and Howard Shore as composer, along with all of the other stalwarts of the original trilogy. The lone exception to that is the recasting of Martin Freeman as the titular hobbit, taking over for the aging Ian Holm. Holm appears in the film's framing sequence (a scene that takes place immediately prior to the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring), along with that trilogy's star, Elijah Wood. But this time out, it's Freeman's show, and he's as charming, witty, and engaging as you could imagine. He also makes a perfect Young Ian Holm. The casting is truly inspired. Sir Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf (here playing his more impish grey incarnation, rather than the frankly humorless white version) and the heralded thespian manages to imbue his character with both immense power and gravitas, while still throwing in little flourishes that sell Gandalf as an imperfect man, rather than just an all-knowing power. Rounding out the third of this film's main characters, and an addition to this world, is Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield, the leader of the motley crew of dwarves. Armitage likewise manages to imbue Thorin with both rage and honor, and is easily believable as someone who could lead these dwarves into life-threatening battle. The other twelve dwarves are something of a blur, but a few of them manage to make an impression, even with limited screen time. I imagine the two future installments of the series will afford them each the chance to shine. Which brings up the most contentious point of this whole Hobbit affair: the fact that it's a three-part epic. The Hobbit, as written, is a comparatively slim tome of around 300 pages (compare that to The Lord of the Rings' combined 1,600). This installment alone is ten minutes shy of a whopping three hours. And as anyone who's seen The Return of the King can attest, Jackson can get rather indulgent at times (the end[s] of that film). Initially the film was going to be split in twain, then later divvied up into three parts. Tolkien, ever the completist, wrote volumes of backstories for this world, and Jackson decided to pull from them to bulk out these films. I've seen a lot of hay being made about the film being bloated and, yes, indulgent. I'm an editor at heart, and am generally hyper-sensitive about cutting down to the bone. But the strangest thing happened on the way to the Lonely Mountain: I found myself simply rolling along with the shaggy-dog pace of the film. It's astonishing in hindsight. The film virtually redefines "taking the scenic route," but the crazy thing is I didn't mind it in the least. I believe it's because of the lowered stakes of The Hobbit. Every single frame of The Lord of the Rings was suffused with overbearing doom; that trilogy's "save the world" plot became as heavy a burden to bear as the ring hung around Frodo's neck. But The Hobbit is lighter, freer, funnier, and doesn't have the weight of the world on its shoulders. It's rather the difference between having an appointment you need to get to in heavy traffic and taking a weekend to just drive around, stopping when and where you like. This pace will likely have a dire impact on the film's rewatchability, but sitting in the theater for a midnight showing? Magic. The structure of the film itself seems to have ADD. Its innumerable diversions began to remind me of a live-action Family Guy episode, with character or event mentions that suddenly cause the film to cut away to a dramatization of said. But again, and I can't stress enough how unexpected this was for me, I didn't mind in the least (with one exception: it appears to be an inviolable rule that any scene in Rivendell will stop a film dead in its tracks). The craft of the film manages to best that of its predecessor trilogy: Howard Shore turns in one of his most stirring scores, the production design and art direction are again immersive and beautiful, and Andrew Lesnie continues his unique style of cinematography combining gorgeous shots (wonderful) with frequently blowing out highlights (distracting and ugly). One complaint I do have is Jackon's newfound over-reliance on CGI. Azog the Defiler (a chief antagonist of the film) and the Goblin King (a bit of a lark) are the sorts of character that would have (and should have) been practical effects in the original trilogy. Here they're fully CGI, and their menace is undermined by it. Gollum returns for his most famous scene, and looks wonderful; Andy Serkis' performance and the CGI truly sell this pitiful creature. CGI can be pitiful but not threatening, it appears. I don't know what the other two installments of The Hobbit have in store. What I do know is that this return to Middle-earth is off to a great start, and if this is any indication of things to come, I'll most assuredly enjoy the ride.
GeekMasher
Mar 15, 2013 · via TMDB
An other great master peace has been added the the Lord of The Rings collection. This movie was an excellent example of how great actors, an amazing story and a beautiful world can be produced in such an excellent way. Peter Jackson has out done his self by creating this great film. There are differences from the book but I can't complain about any of them, yes I love the original story but this one is still one of the best. All in all a amazing movie.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Martin Freeman
Bilbo Baggins
Ian McKellen
Gandalf the Grey
Richard Armitage
Thorin Oakenshield
James Nesbitt
Bofur
Ken Stott
Balin
Sylvester McCoy
Radagast the Brown
Barry Humphries
The Great Goblin
Dean O'Gorman
Fili
Aidan Turner
Kili
Graham McTavish
Dwalin
Adam Brown
Ori
Peter Hambleton
Gloin / William Troll
John Callen
Oin
Mark Hadlow
Dori / Bert Troll
Jed Brophy
Nori
William Kircher
Bifur / Tom Troll
Stephen Hunter
Bombur
Andy Serkis
Gollum
Cate Blanchett
Galadriel
Lee Pace
King Thranduil
Hugo Weaving
Elrond
Christopher Lee
Saruman the White
Ian Holm
Old Bilbo Baggins
Elijah Wood
Frodo Baggins
Benedict Cumberbatch
Necromancer
Manu Bennett
Azog the Defiler
Conan Stevens
Bolg
Jeffrey Thomas
Thror
Michael Mizrahi
Thrain
John Rawls
Yazneg
Stephen Ure
Fimbul / Grinnah
Timothy Bartlett
Master Worrywort
Bret McKenzie
Lindir
Kiran Shah
Goblin Scribe
Thomas Robins
Young Thrain
Katie Jackson
Cute Young Hobbit
Louis Ashbourne Serkis
Cute Young Hobbit
Sonny Ashbourne Serkis
Cute Young Hobbit
Ruby Ashbourne Serkis
Cute Young Hobbit
Terry Notary
Great Goblin / Yazneg (uncredited)
Peter Jackson
Running Dwarf in Erebor (uncredited)
Brendan Casey
King Thranduil's Lieutenant
Jarred Blakiston
Musical Elf (uncredited)
Alan Lee
Conceptual Design
John Howe
Conceptual Design
Mike Mignola
Conceptual Illustrator
Duane Williams
Construction Buyer
Dan Hennah
Production Design
Ra Vincent
Set Decoration
Andrew Lesnie
Director of Photography
Winston Harris
Grip
Bob Buck
Costume Designer
Richard Taylor
Costume Designer
Peter Swords King
Hair Designer
Flora Moody
Makeup & Hair
Flora Moody
Makeup Artist
Rick Findlater
Makeup Department Head
Peter Swords King
Makeup Designer
Natalie Crane
Other
Tami Lane
Prosthetic Supervisor
Richard Taylor
Special Effects Key Makeup Artist
Jodie Hillock
Animal Wrangler
Richard Taylor
Armorer
Daniel Macarin
CG Supervisor
Steven Boyle
Makeup Effects
Michael Homick
Stunt Double
Peter Dillon
Stunt Double
Allan Smith
Stunts
Andrew Cottle
Stunts
Aron Eastwood
Stunts
Gemma Weston
Stunts
Genevieve Aitken
Stunts
Ingrid Kleinig
Stunts
Isaac Hamon
Stunts
Justin B. Carter
Stunts
Kiran Shah
Stunts
Mana Hira Davis
Stunts
Mark Trotter
Stunts
Matt Bennett
Stunts
Min Windle
Stunts
Patrick Morrison
Stunts
Rosalie Button
Stunts
Shane Rangi
Stunts
Steven A. Davis
Stunts
Tim McLachlan
Stunts
Tom Cotton
Stunts
Vincent Roxburgh
Stunts
Winham Hammond
Stunts
Richard Taylor
Weapons Master
Steven McMichael
Weapons Master
Peter Jackson
Director
Carolynne Cunningham
First Assistant Director
Carolina Jiménez
Layout
Andy Serkis
Second Unit Director
Liz Tan
Second Unit First Assistant Director
Jabez Olssen
Editor
John Hubbard
Casting
Liz Mullane
Casting
Victoria Burrows
Casting
Philippa Boyens
Co-Producer
Alan Horn
Executive Producer
Ken Kamins
Executive Producer
Toby Emmerich
Executive Producer
Carolynne Cunningham
Producer
Fran Walsh
Producer
Peter Jackson
Producer
Howard Shore
Conductor
Laurence Love Greed
Music Editor
Mark Willsher
Music Editor
Michael Pärt
Music Editor
Stephen Gallagher
Music Editor
Eos Chater
Musician
Howard Shore
Orchestrator
Howard Shore
Original Music Composer
David Farmer
Sound Designer
Christopher Boyes
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Michael Semanick
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Neil Finn
Theme Song Performance
David Clayton
Animation Supervisor
Marc Dominic Rienzo
Compositing Artist
Richard Taylor
Creature Design
Richard Taylor
Creature Technical Director
Jason Lei Howden
Rotoscoping Artist
Paul Story
Senior Animator
Chang Jung-min
Senior Modeller
Joe Letteri
Senior Visual Effects Supervisor
Alexander Nowotny
VFX Artist
Christian Rivers
Visual Effects Designer
Kevin Sherwood
Visual Effects Producer
Eric Saindon
Visual Effects Supervisor
Matt Aitken
Visual Effects Supervisor
R. Christopher White
Visual Effects Supervisor
Erik Winquist
Visual Effects Technical Director
J. R. R. Tolkien
Novel
Fran Walsh
Screenplay
Guillermo del Toro
Screenplay
Peter Jackson
Screenplay
Philippa Boyens
Screenplay
Dec 6, 2012
New York City, New York
Dec 14, 2012
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Bicara Cinta
2020
The Pied Pipers of Harlow
1965
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
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