| The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012),
				Director: Peter Jackson, rated PG-13 
				From the smallest 
				beginnings come the greatest legends. 
				
		  Starring: 
Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Andy Serkis, Ken Stott, Ian 
Holm, Graham McTavish, Aidan Turner, Dean O-Gorman, Mark Hadlow, Jed Brophy, 
Adam Brown, John Ccallen, Peter Hambleton, William Kircher, Cate Blanchett 
				DML Rating: 
				★★★★★★★★☆☆ 
				- great 
				"You will have to do 
				without pocket handkerchiefs, and a great many other things, 
				before we reach our journey's end, Bilbo Baggins. You were born 
				to the rolling hills and little rivers of the Shire, but home is 
				now behind you. The world is ahead." - 
				Gandalf Why watch this?
				It's a cinematic return to Middle Earth. 
				Plot Summary: 
				In this fantasy adventure, a home-loving hobbit named Bilbo 
				Baggins is recruited by the wizard Gandalf to join a company of 
				thirteen dwarves on a quest. They embark on a perilous journey 
				across treacherous lands to reclaim the dwarves' lost kingdom 
				from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Along the way, Bilbo must find 
				the courage he never knew he had while facing orcs, goblins, and 
				a creature named Gollum. 
				Dad's Preview: 
				This film was originally planned as a two-film adaptation of 
				Tolkien's 
				
				The Hobbit (1937), and Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy 
				(2004)) was slated to direct. As things will happen, del 
				Toro exited the project and Peter Jackson took over as director. 
				The result is a film that divided critics. There is a lot to 
				like: Freeman is excellent as Bilbo Baggins, Ian McKellen 
				returns as Galdalf, the ending is the film's strongest segment. 
				However, there are some negatives, too. It feels rushed, 
				probably a result of Jackson stepping in to direct at the last 
				minute. The opening of the film, where the dwarfs gather at Bilbo's house, is overtly silly and just too long, as 
				is the film as a whole. Tolkien purists will probably be in 
				their glory here, but as a casual film-goer, I expected more from the 
				same team that gave us the amazing original Lord of the Rings 
				trilogy. 
				 New Line Cinema, 
				Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Wingnut Films; Warner Bros. Pics
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