10 Reasons You Should Give The Hobbit A Second Chance
2. Martin Freemans Performance
The Hobbit Trilogy may have broadened scope, but Bilbo Baggins is still the audience's viewpoint into this story; get him wrong and it'll be very hard to make us to care about this fantastical world. Even though audiences were already accustomed to Middle Earth thanks to The Lord Of The Rings, a miscasting of the protagonist could have proved fatal. And it could have so easily been done wrong; he's a sheltered, proper character who is completely out of his depth being thrown down rapids and dodging dragon fire, with none of the adventurous bent that glimmered behind Frodo's eyes. Thankfully Martin Freeman is the ideal Bilbo; his breakout role as Tim in The Office showed him as a master of bemusement, while Watson in Sherlock (which was integral in getting him the role) showed he wasn't just a comedy actor (and also that had the ability to run). Although Andy Serkis' Gollum or Ian McKellen's Gandalf are much more showy, as The Hobbit has gone on Freeman's performance has proven to be one of the big grounding forces of the series. That it hasn't been as resoundingly recognised is almost fitting of a character capable of "passing by unseen". It's understated, but only because Baggins himself is.
