By Anton Massopust III—

“Adventure is not in maps or books….it’s out there!”

The box office has been taken over by a Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins by name, in The Hobbit – The Unexpected Journey. The story has been split into three movies, of which this one is the first, even though the book is relatively short.

A wizard named Gandalf approaches Bilbo and asks him to partake in an adventure. He is recruited by a group of dwarves to help them retake their homeland from a monstrous dragon named Smaug. Bilbo is very reluctant at first because he feels that adventures make one late for dinner but eventually joins the group as the 14th member of the Thorin Oakenshield group to recover the treasure and homeland from Smaug. Together they battle trolls, a grey orc with one arm, a goblin king and his many minions, and of course Gollum.

Many of the actors from the Lord of the Rings trilogy also were mentioned throughout and returned to play their parts in this film. Sir Ian McKellan played Gandalf, and Martin Freeman (who played Dr. Watson in the BBC series Sherlock) played the hobbit Bilbo Baggins. Dr. Who fans will be excited to see Sylvester McCoy playing a prominent role as the Radagast, the Brown Wizard of Murkwood Forest.

This movie is filled with adventure, excitement, and huge special effects. It is heartwarming and intelligent. It is also shot in 3-D, so if you want to pay a little extra, it is worth every penny. It is a wonderful story that was well adapted from the J. R. R. Tolkien story, and parts have been added to this new trilogy to extend its length. Congratulations to Peter Jackson for returning us to Middle Earth in style.

My only quibble is that it might be a little too violent for younger children as some scenes are a bit too frightening for younger viewers, so judge wisely. Grade A plus, go see it for it is definitely worthy of being seen before Oscar time. Don’t forget, Bilbo’s journey continues in two more adventures – look for it!