Peter Jackson brings us back into Middle-earth about 60 years prior to the event of The Fellowship of the Ring where we meet Bilbo Baggins as a young Hobbit living a quiet life in the Shire. That tranquility is shattered when an unexpected visit from a certain well-known wizard named Gandalf leads Bilbo on the adventure of his life. Bilbo is recruited by Gandalf to assist 13 dwarves on their quest to take back their homeland in Erebore, now called the Lonely Mountain, from a dragon named Smaug. It is on this journey that fate is set in motion to ultimately lead to the finding of the Ring and the re-emergence of Sauron in The Lord of the Rings.
When I heard that they were making The Hobbit into a movie I was ecstatic because it is one of my favorite books. My happiness waned a little when I heard it was being turned into a trilogy instead of just a two-part deal. The book is so short that I didn't think there was enough that Peter Jackson could stretch out into three parts. I felt a little better when I heard later that Jackson had inserted parts of The Silmarillion into the film. The result is a fantastic thrill ride that is sure to make die hard fans of Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings happy. Peter Jackson even got several people who were involved with the original trilogy to come back for the prequel: Frodo, Gandalf, Saruman, Elrond, Galadriel, the older version of Bilbo, and of course Gollum/Smeagol. Overall I was happy with Peter Jackson for returning to Middle-earth and recreating the same atmosphere as the original trilogy. Some have expressed concern that The Hobbit is more kid friendly, so it lost some of its appeal. That argument is somewhat crazy because if you know anything about the book then you'll know that the book itself is more light hearted than the original trilogy and also geared more towards kids. In that regards Peter Jackson stays true to the nature of the book. The movie does feel a little stretched at times due to the (almost) three hour length, but it's worth every second. I can't wait until the next two parts come out.
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