Price Zimmer ’14| Staff Writer

Kicking off a new trilogy in the Lord of the Rings universe based off the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, director Peter Jackson once again delivers a well-made epic.  While the deliberate and slow-moving plot may be a turn-off to some, the movie is just as excellent as the proceeding Lord of the Rings trilogy-with no detectable regression in any of the major facets of the series.

For those not in the know, “The Hobbit”, is a fantasy children’s book written before “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, set in the same Middle-earth, as well as serving as prequel to the much-famed trilogy. Another high-fantasy adventure, the story focuses on the grand adventure of another Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and his journey with Gandalf the Grey (Sir Ian McKellen reprising his role from “Lord of the Rings”) and the quest of twelve Dwarves to reclaim their stolen homeland.

A lone area of criticism is how they movie becomes bogged down some by a slow, deliberate pace the movie assumes early on, and feels significantly more like the characters are just plodding along Middle-earth with no rush or vigor to pursue their grand adventure. However, all of the “wasted” minutes of the movie are of high quality, which lessens the impact of the slow pace.

The acting is solid and believable, with McKellen once again making Gandalf one of the best characters in the entire movie, and does not buckle with a much larger role in the prequel. Despite being the titular Hobbit, Freeman only has a few instances to separate his character and for much of the movie feels like he is just along for the ride.  The Dwarves led by Richard Armitage, who plays exiled Dwarf Prince Thorin Oakinshield, are a good collective and maintain an emotional center for the movie, much like Samwise Gamgee in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.

Of course, it is impossible to mention the acting without mentioning Andy Serkis as Gollum, who is as twisted and demented as ever. Gollum once again his “precious” ring, and the movie documents exactly how it came to be Bilbo Baggins possession. It is great fun to see an actor so totally immersed in a role and Serkis has not lost a step.

Middle-earth has never looked better, as one of the key areas of improvement this time around is the special effects. Not only is the makeup excellent, but the Dwarves and Hobbits appear believably short, Gollum is just as creepy looking and the sweeping vistas this series is known for are back. Viewing the movie in 3D is also a pleasure, as gimmicks are kept to a minimum.

Another great aspect of the trilogy returns with the musical score, composed by Howard Shore, who was also in the trilogy. Arguably one of the greatest strengths of the series, and Shore does not miss a beat after a decade lay-over. The music still feels like it is a part of an epic quest, Middle-earth still feels like Middle-earth, and getting back into the swing of things is a pretty painless process, all because of this very well-made score.

All-in-all, the criticisms being thrown out by critics at Jackson and others are really unfounded when looking purely at the movie. “The Hobbit” succeeds in living up the epic world of the series and no one is phoning anything in. Even if this is an exploitive money-grab by Jackson, this is probably the best made exploitation piece ever put to film.