Peter Jackson brings us back into the wonderful fantasy world, created by J. R. R. Tolkien so many years ago. It is a world inhabited by hobbits, dwarfs, wizards, and elves; by trolls, orcs, precious wolves and mountainous monsters, not forgetting a dragon. Though at 169 minutes this first installment of The Hobbit Trilogy is a little too long, it is nevertheless magnificent. As a Tolkien fan who thoroughly enjoyed The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, I wasn't disappointed.
Much has been said already about the film’s special effects and art direction, but the cast, for the most part, is able to keep up and maintain our attention on their adventures; not a small task given Jackson's tendency to overpack the screen. With that said, Jackson's vision is a large part of what makes this as his other films so special and absorbing.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is, all in all, an indulgible fun.