I am lucky enough to have been one of the first in the world to experience the first part of Peter Jackson's hugely anticipated The Hobbit trilogy, and if you haven't yet, you can read our extensive review
here. It's clear that while the film has many exceptional aspects, it's also subject to a lot of the criticism and scepticism that many fans and critics expected going in. It's evident without a doubt that An Unexpected Journey is a work of excess as well-produced as it is, and that leaves us somewhat unsure of how Jackson is going to proceed with the two remaining films. Nevertheless, here are 5 things about The Hobbit Part 1 that were awesome, and 5 things that sucked...
5 Things That Were Awesome...
5. Cinematography
The first thing that strikes viewers when watching The Hobbit is how visually striking it is, and that's thanks to a combination of stunning visual effects - which we'll get to later - and the evocative, vibrant cinematography from Andrew Lesnie, who has been Peter Jackson's faithful lenser through all of the Lord of the Rings films, and will be on the impending Hobbit trilogy. Whatever the environment in An Unexpected Journey, Lesnie's work hugely contributes to the sense of atmosphere throughout, whether it's the crisp warmness of the Shire at the beginning, the cool cleanliness of Rivendell, or the detached darkness of the goblin tunnels later on. In many ways, it's this look that, despite the film's many misgivings, help give it a consistent feel with the Rings films; it means that the action has an apt sense of scale, but the more intimate, character-based scenes are also effective. Isn't it just a shame about that script, eh?