![]() Once the quest proper begins, though, The Hobbit, like the book, becomes a relentless series of chase scenes and action episodes, from hungry trolls to Rivendell to the netherworld realm of the goblins to Bilbo's fateful encounter with Gollum (Andy Serkis, who also directed second unit). The use of a fast-moving body double for Holm is fairly obvious throughout this sequence, which coupled with Frodo really having no reason to be onscreen makes you wonder when the hell the show will literally get on the road. Seriously, why is Frodo in this movie? He accomplishes two things in his nearly 10 minutes of screen time: he gets Bilbo's mail and reminds him of his party, which will lead directly into the events of Fellowship of the Ring. Prolonging this prelude to the main narrative - the dwarves' journey to the Lonely Mountain - is a sequence reintroducing audiences to elder Bilbo (Ian Holm) and, in a wholly unnecessary cameo, his nephew Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood). For a film that's more kid-friendly than its predecessors - there are snot gags and belching jokes sure to make kids giggle - it'll be interesting to see if youngsters will have the patience to get through this movie. The first hour - which includes the amusing invasion of the dwarves into Bilbo's domestic bliss and their subsequent song-and-slapstick dinner - drags along and robs the film of a sense of urgency and forward momentum. This elaboration on events once left to footnotes makes The Hobbit run 160 minutes, which isn't noteworthy (given the runtime of the LOTR films) except that unlike the preceding trilogy it takes a full hour for anything to really happen here. Jackson and his co-writers Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Guillermo del Toro pad out this first installment in what is now a trilogy adaptation of a rather slender kid's book with supplemental material from Tolkien's other works, additions meant to not just draw out the story into three films but to also further explain some characters' motivations and whereabouts, as well as to establish more connective tissue to the LOTR films. ![]() This quest will see Bilbo - chosen as the company's burglar since Smaug doesn't know the scent of hobbit - prove himself to the doubtful Thorin (and to himself) as they endure a series of dangerous encounters with the many creatures and races of Middle-earth. ![]()
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