Customer Ratings & Reviews

What can I say that hasn't already been said? I loved every minute of this movie! I love that they take the time to set up the story and the characters right at the start. And they manage to keep it interesting and the action moving while they do it. I found it a lot like Fellowship in that respect. The mix of humor, drama, and action is just about perfect. I've watched the movie several times already and love it even more every time. The only bad thing is that it always leaves me wanting more at the end!

The Hobbit is overall a fantastic film and discrepancies with the book don't matter much to me. Ever since LOTR: ROTK ended I've been wanting to go back to the Tolkien/Jackson universe and I enjoyed every minute of The Hobbit. PQ/AQ is fantastic and while I'm interested in seeing it in 3D, I didn't get it since the movie is split between two discs. Minor gripe. I don't care that there are going to be two more movies! My wallet and girlfriend might not like me but I can't wait for more!

This was my first 3d movie purchase and I was not dissappointed. It took a few minutes for my eyes to get used to the 3d effect, but after that I could enjoy the movie for what it is, a great first addition to the Hobbit trilogy. The actions scenes could be a bit hectic at times and I did not expect the Goblin King to be quite so articulate, but I think it is a great first addition to the trilogy and I expect each additional movie to up the ante to the third movies climatic end.

I loved the movie about as much as I loved the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. FX did not disapoint, and The only complaint I have is a few scenes were a bit of a stretch even for a fantasy adventure story. Particularly the scene with the goblins...too much dumb luck in their escape. Its been over 20 years since I read the book so I don't remember enough to compare, but it could have been more believable in my opinion. Overall I loved it and am glad I bought ir for my collection.

Overall I like the film, but it falls short when comparing it to The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I find the plot to be lacking, but maybe my dislike is due to all of the little changes in the storyline from the book. I'm a little disappointed with all of the CGI in this film when it comes to the characters/creatures. I'd much rather have the makeup and costuming that was done in the LOTR. It seemed to be more "realistic." I keep comparing this to the LOTR films, which may be erroneous, but I think the acting is great, and so is the level of production. The CGI is top notch, and I loved seeing all of the returning actors. Overall I would definitely suggest any LOTR fan to see it.

Stretching the Hobbit into three films initially sounded ludicrous being that the average person could read the book in a few hours. Peter Jackson did an excellent job of including elements from Tolkien's world to flesh out the film without making anything feel like it was crammed in just to add time. The lighter air of the story is evident versus the more serious tone of the Lord of the Rings which may be what makes the three hour movie not seem like three hours at all. I can the film repeatedly without tiring of it. The Blu-Ray looks incredible and the 3D version makes wearing the glasses worth it. Seeing a troll's teeth fly out of your TV at you is amazing.

Let me preface this review by saying that I realize this is only half the tale because there will be a Hobbit 2. The problem with the first installment of the Hobbit is that there is really no big payoff, due to the fact the story is cut in half. Lord of the Rings left a very high watermark for any other Tolkien story that the Hobbit would never ever be able to replicate the success (not monetarily) of the first 3 films. That being said it is still awesome in its scope and visual effects etc. What the first Hobbit does successfully is make me eagerly await the Hobbit part 2, where all of the real action takes place. Still a must for any action/adventure fans.

I enjoyed the movie and overall I thought it was good. The special effects were spectacular. As I'm sure others have said, the Hobbit is not a very long story and actually a children's book. It is being broken into three different movies. Other content in appendixes of the Lord of the rings trilogy's is also being used but I still feel the story is a bit stretched. In spite of that, I enjoyed it and I'm sure I will watch it again. I am not sure I will double dip for the extended edition being released later this year. What the movie did very well is take you into the land of middle earth. If you're a fan of that I'm sure you like the movie.

I enjoyed this film a lot but the one thing that just kept it from achieving the greatness of the Lord of the Rings trilogy was the tone. Unexpected Journey's tone is significantly more lighthearted than the previous entries in Middle-earth. Yes, I realize that Tolkien wrote the Hobbit as a children's book but even he went back with revisions to make it fit better with the Lord of the Rings. Anyway, I'm nitpicking here. The bluray offers unparalleled picture and sound along with near two hours of behind the scenes material (also available on Peter jackson's youtube as of June 2013). This is a bluray for the hobbit in us all.

I know I'm probably in the minority here, but I'm going to say it anyway; I like this film more than the original trilogy films! It has such great pacing, acting, humor, and action scenes. It doesn't take itself too seriously like the original trilogy. I realize this is based on a kid's book and that's part of the reason, but I'm 36 and I loved it. I saw it three times in theaters and three times now at home. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

While I worry that the Hobbit trilogy on the whole will be stretched too far with the addition of irrelevant/boring material, this is not the case with An Unexpected Journey. The original version was engaging and fun, despite not getting very far into the plot of the book, and the extended scenes in this version are all just as great as what made it into theatres. Far superior to the bloated second installment.

This was a very enjoyable film that left me in anticipation of the next 2 installments. Great acting by the majority of the newcomers, especially Martin Freeman and Richard Armitage. Ian McKellan is always superb as Gandalf. Some scenes felt like they were forced (adding Saruman and Galadriel), as they are trying to stretch one book out into a trilogy. But overall was very entertaining and I can't wait for the next 2.

THIS MOVIE starts out being about nothing and ends up being about everything that lord of the rings ever had in all of its three movies from men to dwarves to elves you will be both amused and surprised by the way this hobbits tale winds its way into your mind and makes you want to see the sequel. As i said it starts out as seinfeld and ends up with lord of the ring this movie grabs you and pulls you in be prepared

Although I was hesitant to invest in a series that has expanded such a short book into 3 epic movies, I was pleasantly surprised at the love that was put into this movie! It is a little hard to get attached to the many characters (all the dwarves) in this movie but I think character development may grow in the future movies. This is a visual feast and entertaining experience although it can drag a little at times.

This is a fantastic movie occurring before the events of the LOTR trilogy with its own unique storyline with critical events leading up to the LOTR trilogy. The casting is once again fantastic and the story is magical. The special effects are great especially with gollum. The 3D is great but a bit subtle with a few pop outs here and there. Overall, the movie was really good and sets up the next film nicely.

I loved the Hobbit so much that I have purchased BOTH Blu Ray sets. I love the commentaries that further explain and give more background info. The singing and lyrics were magical which allowed you to take the journey with the Hobbit. I will be watching it over and over and over and over again as I do with Lord of The Rings!!! Definitely a winner! I love my Hobbitses....and Gollum toooooooooooo!

Great film that should whet the appetites of almost any Tolkien fan that enjoyed Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, though some may take exception with some of the liberties taken with the story. For example, the scene where Bilbo first finds The One Ring, to me at least, didn't really convey the depth of why Gollum hates the filthy hobbittses so very much. Also, needs more Smaug. As expected, the cinematography was great and still looks fabulous on this Blu-Ray release. The sound mix was likewise fantastic. Definitely a worthwhile addition to any movie buff's collection.

This movie is a great prequel to the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. It is the story of Bilbo Baggins and his adventures previous to Frodo's journey. It was good to see Middle Earth again and the layout of the land was awesome. This was a must for Peter Jackson and regretfully, we will all have to wait until the last two movies are released to see if it follows the book as closely as his last Trilogy.

The extended film adds little to the theatrical version. If you are not a fan of goblin music the extended material is actually a detriment. But let's face it, you're buying this version for the appendices which are impressive. Hours of material detailing the entire production. Done with the same quality of the extended versions of the LOTR trilogy. If you like special features this version is a must have. Otherwise just grab the theatrical version.

A very enjoyable film, the tone of The Hobbit is a bit different from the original Lord of the Rings films. But that's not a bad thing. The movie is still lots of fun, and it looks stunning. Especially in 3D, really great depth and some nice pop out moments. I think they could have done more with the special features, instead of just adding vlogs. But overall I highly reccomend this movie!