I recently had the pleasure of watching The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012). I have to say, if you're a fan of The Lord of the Rings then this should pique your interest.
Personally, I have watched all three of the trilogy and was quite excited to see this film. Peter Jackson is a legend in the fantasy/adventure genre of movie-making, and this film is made even better by the addition of Andy Serkis (AKA: the voice of Gollum) as the second unit director. There was also talk of it being shot in 48 frames rather than 24 (the first film to ever do this) for an enhanced experience; something else to make me curious.
What are 'frames'?
The amount of frames in one second (as usually you say frames per second) is the same as saying the amount of still shots you see in one second of video footage. The more frames there are, the smoother the transaction between shots. For example, 60 frames per second is miles better than 6 frames per second, which we would probably term as lag.
The film is beautiful - nobody can say otherwise; the landscapes and scenery are just the type of magical you'd associate with a fantasy film. The acting is pretty darn good too, particularly Martin Freeman (as Bilbo) and Richard Armitage (as Thorin). Any and all visual effects are done superbly, as to be expected, and look very realistic. The plot keeps your interest with moments of comic relief to tone down moments of stress and you're never short a suspenseful scene.
However, though you can still follow along and enjoy yourself, there is the time old issue when it comes to renovations of books as films. Facts that an avid reader would know appear throughout the film and fun references, such as Glóin being (in the future) Gimli's father, are mostly lost to those who have not read J. R. R. Tolkien's work. The topic of frames is very controversial for this film; some say 48 is better, some say it's rubbish. I personally think that 48 frames allows for more 'blurred' moments of footage, though it can make the film richer. It's a matter of opinion - if you're unsure, watch it in the normal style of 24 frames.
Overall, I suppose the bad points can be overlooked. Whilst watching the film, I couldn't have named all of the dwarves for you at all, but it didn't really lower my enjoyment of the film. Anyone who likes The Lord of the Rings is certainly still in for a treat.
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