The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - 9 Reasons It Deserves To Be Remembered Fondly

9. Return to Middle Earth

As a child raised on The Lord of the Rings trilogy I can say that there was no thrill quite so big as the annual trip to the cinema to see the new Lord of the Rings film. The world of Middle Earth took over every aspect of our lives from the fantasy world games we would play in the playground to the Top Trump cards that we collected and to return to the world in which our minds had matured (mostly) was like being seven again.

Peter Jackson and his team took great care in upholding the continuity between the two trilogies, keeping the action in New Zealand and adding in recognizable locations like the orc encampment upon Weathertop and the wonderful, flawless recreation of Hobbiton.

Returning designers Alan Lee and John Howe create with Jackson a thoroughly consistent world, recognizable at a glance are the architectural designs of the elves compared to the dwarves and the Goblins. Becoming immersed in Middle Earth is easy thanks to the wonderful world building and the effect is achieved without the need for 48 fps.