Conclusion
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is a mammoth and striking spectacle that showcases Peter Jackson as a director back at the top of his game. It does everything it needs to do as the first third of a three-part epic, and it does so with a phenomenal cast and dazzling special effects while all-the-while providing great entertainment. To top it all off it's set against a spectacular score. For me this this was as epic, grandiose, and thrilling as the previous pictures, and in 48-frames-per-second Middle-earth in 3D looks so gorgeous its like stepping into a dream. That being said I hope you see the film and enjoy it for what it is: a rip-roaring blockbuster- rather than obsessing, as many critics seem to be doing, about frame rate choices and the decision to turn a previously planned two-parter into a trilogy.