Director: Peter JacksonStarring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchette, Hugo Weaving, Christopher Lee, Sylvester McCoy, Ian Holm, Elijah Wood, Andy Serkis, Lee Pace, Richard Armitage, Graham McTavish, Ken Stott, Aidan Turner, Dean O'Gorman, Mark Hadlow, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen, Peter Hambleton,William Kircher, James Nesbitt, Stephen Hunter, Barry Humphries, Manu Bennett
Distributed By: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: December 2012
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It's hard to believe that 11 years have passed since The Lord of the Rings first graced our screens and one of the things I love most about this film is that it's a seamless transition back into the world of Middle Earth.
Peter Jackson shows us once again that his vision from page to screen is crafted with absolute love and care and I love that he links up to The Fellowship of the Ring by revisiting Ian Holm's Bilbo and Elijah Wood's Frodo and both actors are a joy to watch.
Ian McKellen simply is Gandalf and it feels like watching an old friend on the screen as he brings kind authority to this wonderful character.
Martin Freeman is the perfect choice for Bilbo and does a great job conveying a range of emotions as he suddenly deals with a noisy and hungry group of Dwarves in his home and considering there are so many characters in one place these scenes are very well shot and well performed by all.
The group of Dwarves are a mixture of wonderful and colourful characters and I particularly like James Nesbitt as Bofur, Ken Stott as Balin, Aidan Turner as Kili and Dean O'Gorman as Fili, whilst Richard Armitage brings a brilliant moody and serious tone to Thorin.
Lee Pace looks wonderful as the Elvenking Thranduil and I am looking forward to much more with him and the Elves of Mirkwood.
I am so very happy that the character Radagast is given an extended role and Sylvester McCoy perfectly captures his eccentricities with a wonderful performance and all the scenes with him and his forest friends are enchanting.
Galadriel is also given extended scenes and beautiful Cate Blanchette makes her elegant and wise, bringing a charmingly subtle performance to light up the screen.
It's also lovely to see the return of Hugo Weaving as Elrond and Christopher Lee as Saruman. The Rivendell sets are particularly beautiful and I love Bilbo's wonder as he sees it for the first time.
Gollum is one of my favourite characters and Andy Serkis is paramount in making his scenes so memorable and enjoyable and as 'Riddles in the Dark' is my favourite chapter in the book I was eagerly waiting for this scene on film and it doesn't disappoint.
Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis are both wonderful as they try to outsmart each other and the use of motion capture for Gollum is once again breathtaking as his emotions flit from childlike innocence to that of a snarling creature in the blink of an eye and I especially love that we get to see Bilbo's pity for Gollum as mentioned by Gandalf way back in The Fellowship of the Ring.
The many Orcs throughout are impressive; especially Azog who is very menacing and quite creepy as he pursues Thorin and the brief glimpses of Smaug the Dragon are intriguing and I can't wait to see him in greater detail!!
Every scene is enjoyable and this movie brings back the feelings of wonder that I felt when seeing The Fellowship of the Ring for the first time!
The scenery, sets, and music are all integral pieces that help to make this movie look and feel beautifully epic and I am so looking forward to the next two instalments!
Wonderful and inspiring; I will happily lose myself in the world of Middle Earth and feel the magic and wonder of it all again and again!
~~Nikki~~
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