The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

Genre: Adventure/Fantasy

Starring: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Cate Blanchett, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Elijah Wood, Manu Bennett, Andy Serkis

Directed by: Peter Jackson

Rated: US: PG-13, UK: 12A, India: U/A

Movie Review:
Being a true LOTR (Lord Of The Rings) fan, this film did not go up to my expectations. I did not fall in love with this film as I thought I would, because I had this misunderstanding that this movie is going to be on the level where LOTR stands.

The first part of The Hobbit Trilogy, and the prequel to the LOTR, this J.R.R. Tolkien's epic saga has been mishandled at many aspects. Its slow pace (especially in the beginning) gets boring, (I think the idea of making it a trilogy made him to make a slow slithering plot. If only he would have thought to complete the book in two parts, this movie would have been far far better than it is.) Jackson's attempt to connect this film to LOTR again and again without any necessity has made him to add on scenes which were not required at all.

Beside its slow paced plot, major drawbacks had been, the overwhelming (and at few places - inept)  CGI (it was too much to digest sometimes), non - humor screenplay and comparably not to the extent of LOTR cinematography, plus an expected ending which just promises that the second part will be better and if that's the story, I would love to write all the good about it (after all I am an LOTR fan remember?), but not this time.

 But there was one impeccable scene that has been made with extreme care (an eye candy for sure), and that would be the conversation between 'Bilbo' and 'Gollum'. And yes, the mind blowing background score by Howard Shore. He did some really good job there.

All in all, this movie is okay on its own level but it is shallow if compared to LOTR. Hope Peter Jackson comes up with a blast in 'The Hobbit - The Desolation of Smaug'.

My Recommendation: Well, the second part looks promising, so you have to get yourself equipped by watching this one. And if you are an LOTR fan, you cannot miss it no matter how shallow it is if compared with its predecessors. So, anyhow, watch it, just for the sake of it.

Why Should I See?: To get yourself acquainted with the plot as the second part looks promising, some high end background scores and high - end CGI at some places.

Why Should I Not?: Slow paced plot, non-humor as compared to its predecessors

Rating: 6/10

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The Lovely Bones (2009)

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The Lovely Bones (2012)

Genre: Drama/Fantasy

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, Michael Imperioli

Directed by: Peter Jackson

Rated: USA: PG-13, UK: 12A

Review:

If Peter Jackson would have thought to make a suspense thriller by keeping this story in mind, he would have aced it. But The Lovely Bones, though good at times, does not get hold of Peter Jackson's magic. The plot is strong which makes me believe that 'The Lovely Bones' by Alice Sebold must have been a great book. But its depiction, does not inspires much of creativity.

Peter Jackson should have thought that CGI is more important part of film, but the truth is, it was the plot that was heart winning. There are some really intense scenes and nail biting sequences that has been well shown. But the afterlife plot has been inappreciably stretched too much and sometimes goes incoherent.

The Lovely Bones has some brilliant piece of acting by Ronan, Wahlberg and Weisz. But if it had been more of  a killer mystery rather than a fantasy, I would have loved the movie more.

My Recommendation: Its not boring, but can be confusing at times, so watch if you like fantasy and Ronan or Wahlberg or Weisz. An above than average movie.

Why Should I See?: Plot and Good Acting.
Why Should I Not?: Incoherent afterlife scenes.

Rating: 3/5

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