Review for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Review for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
I know what everyone is thinking.. that this movie was too long and put them unexpectedly on a journey to boredom! Or that it was not Peter Jackson’s best movie. Well, this is at least what my Lord of the Rings enthusiast boyfriend felt. However, for the Lord of Rings novice ( and self -proclaimed girlie girl who usually does not watch movies like this) like me, this movie helped me understand the world of the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings. 10 or 11 years ago when I saw the first Lord of the Rings movie, I was very perplexed and apparently fell asleep. I had never read any of J.R.R Tolkien’s novels, and without any background knowledge those movies were very, very confusing to me.
However, with this movie it was very easy for me to understand what happened. Dwarf Thror was the original King of the Lonely Mountain and under him there was a time of peace and goodwill… until Smaug the Dragon comes to take over Lonely Mountain. His primary interest is of course the gold. Thror’s grandson Thorin wishes one day to have a home again. So Gandalf tries to get Bilbo’s help to steal the treasure so that Thorin and the dwarves can one day reclaim their home. This was such an understandable story and the voiceover of Ballin really was one of the most clarity filled voiceovers- if that ever was one.
But the real treasure of the movie is the arch of Bilbo’s character development in this movie. Bilbo starts off as a person who is very much in love with his hole in the cave house ( Which I have to say that the art direction/set design did an amazing job with). It’s very much organized to his liking, he has his mother’s treasured chest, his mom’s dishes, and really everything in his house is as it should be. Bilbo wants to enjoy the simple pleasures and comforts of his life, drinking tea, having the security of a packed pantry, and really doesn’t want to leave this life.
Then comes Gandolf who asks him for his “burglary” help in the Quest to reconquer Lonely Mountain. But in doing so, Gandolf poses it as a challenge to Bilbo and how it may a great growth opportunity for him. In this, the mainstream can identify. Bilbo’s story is of the common man, and how we can all stay safe in our little organized worlds or we can travel the journeys less traveled. Bilbo eventually takes the challenge and grows along the way (like figuring out spur of the moment how to delay the trolls from eating the dwarves). Of course, though many of us face the dilemma of which road to take, many of us unlike Bilbo never take the road less travelled.
I also loved the portrayal of characters in this movie. I loved Ballin and his wise, grandfatherly-ness as much as I loved the dark, brooding yet steadfastness of Thorin. They are tied as my favorite characters? For all my readers out there, what is your favorite character?
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The Bottom Line:
I will give it a 3 stars ( if not 3.5)…. And as I expect people to through rabbit poo pellets at me for daring to give it such a high rating but I’m sorry I liked it.
PS- I also realize that I am a tad ( like 1.5 months late reviewing this.. but school break happened when we cannot review, then the beginning of the semester was crazy.. So I am sorry)