After seeing the first part of Peter Jackson\u2019s new \u201cHobbit\u201d trilogy, which opens everywhere today, it\u2019s easy to see why he filmed its literary successor, \u201cThe Lord of The Rings,\u201d first. \u201cLOTR\u201d is simply the better story, at least in cinematic form. Even in just its first incarnation, \u201cThe Fellowship of the Ring,\u201d the trilogy presented a journey of such depth and complexity that its status as an art movie as much as a mega-budget blockbuster is no longer in question.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Hobbit\u201d has a steeper road to plow. In its much-anticipated first entry, \u201cAn Unexpected Journey,\u201d the central quest is far less compelling. Rather than the destruction of a sentient ring that tempts its wearers like a succubus, the plot is predicated on a group of impressively bearded but militarily challenged Dwarves \u2013 that old clich\u00e9 \u201ca ragtag army\u201d fits the bill \u2013 attempting to reclaim their decimated homeland long after it was overtaken by a dragon.<\/p>\n
The movie attempts to make a case for why I should care about this, but I never really did. Dwarf leader Thorin, as played by Richard Armitage, comes off as such a humorless wet balloon that if he were to be beheaded by the vengeful Pale Orc who killed his father years ago, I would shrug it off as an occupational hazard and wait for the next epic set-piece.<\/p>\n
I was much more taken with Martin Freeman\u2019s endearing performance as Bilbo Baggins, the shy Hobbit whom the Wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen, amiably returning to Middle Earth) insists would be an essential asset in the Dwarves\u2019 quest. Freeman plays Bilbo like the Woody Allen of the Shire \u2013 a nebbishy, milquetoast figure who would rather stay at home with his books, doilies and his mother\u2019s cookware than partake in any adventure, unexpected or otherwise. He remains a compelling, real-world conduit into a domain of ever-increasing fantasy.<\/p>\n
Clocking at a brisk 169 minutes \u2013 practically a short film for Jackson \u2013 \u201cThe Hobbit\u201d is a movie that throws everything against the wall during the Dwarves\u2019 quest, and most of it sticks. There are lumbering Trolls, psychotic Orcs, giant spiders, Necromancers (or possibly just \u201cconjurers of black magic\u201d), Elves, Wizards (Christopher Lee is back, as Saruman) and Storm Giants, each of whose environments are articulated with the utmost care and detail. The production design, CG or otherwise, is staggering, the set-pieces are visually stunning, and the action is presented with surprises and coherence \u2013 though I could do without the numerous \u201clast-minute saves\u201d that cheapen the proceedings like a bad TV thriller.<\/p>\n
Jackson, who originally did not want to direct this project, clearly had a lot of fun with the results. His superb handling of the material comes across as one-third George Lucas, one-third Cecil B. De Mille, and one-third Roger Corman. More so than the \u201cLOTR\u201d trilogy, Jackson\u2019s roots as a B-movie maestro are apparent in a few gross-out grace notes, from the presentation of a blubbery, pustule-filled, Jabba the Hut-like Orc to a Dwarf who inhales and exhales flies with every nocturnal breath. The impromptu musical number toward the beginning, in which the Dwarves belt out a rowdy song with Bilbo\u2019s dishware as percussion instruments, is ridiculously enjoyable, and I never wanted it to end.<\/p>\n
All of this talent still can\u2019t turn a ho-hum narrative into a monumental story, though. Maybe \u201cThe Hobbit\u201d will gain in dramatic potency in its later chapters, but judging by this picture alone, the journey is simply slighter and less substantial than \u201cLord of the Rings.\u201d It\u2019s telling that the best scene in \u201cThe Hobbit\u201d is the one that most conjures \u201cLOTR:\u201d an extended playlet in a dank cave between Bilbo and Gollum (Andy Serkis, who once again deserves a Best Supporting Actor nomination), in which the notorious ring is first introduced. This intimate sequence, virtually free of cutaways to other scenes, is an absolute knockout, plainly staged with characters worth caring about \u2013 a beacon, one hopes, for the next two films.