The Lord of the Rings is a big book, and so the trilogy of films were big films. Big, ponderous films with the turning circle of an oil tanker. The Hobbit, written as a children’s book several years before Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings, is a much lighter affair, less weighed down by the sense of gravitas and doom that permeates its sequel.

When the plans to film The Hobbit were announced, there was some speculation that a similar approach might be adopted, reining back on the grandiosity and darkness of tone that characterised the original trilogy. In general, however, Peter Jackson has made The Hobbit in a similar style to the earlier films. This is made plain in the opening sequence which, after some scene-setting with the older Bilbo, takes us through the ruinous coming of the dragon Smaug to the dwarf kingdom of Erebor, with all the sweeping shots, epic sets and casts of CGI thousands that one has come to expect from Jackson.

Filming the whole thing in 90 minutes would have resulted in a Middle-earth Fast Show…

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY tells the story of Bilbo Baggins’ transition from respectable hobbit-of-leisure to thief and adventurer, as he is persuaded by Ian McKellen’s Gandalf to forsake his comfortable but safe pipe-smoking torpor in the Shire to accompany thirteen dwarves on their attempt to take back their lost mountain kingdom from the Dragon. The story has been padded out into three films by including other strands of Tolkien’s Middle-earth history that were previously confined to appendices and Lost Tales, thus tying it in more closely with the mythology behind The Lord of the Rings. In AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY, the plot only takes us half-way to the Mountain in 2 hours and 50 minutes; there is still much more to come in the next two films. One might be forgiven for thinking there is not enough actual story available to fill that time satisfactorily, but though The Hobbit is indeed a short book, it packs in a lot of action. Filming the whole thing in 90 minutes would have resulted in a Middle-earth “Fast Show”, zipping from location to location without having time to do anything more than giving us the punchline of each scene.

An early example of the benefits of the director taking his time is the unexpected party, when Gandalf invites thirteen dwarves to turn up unannounced at Bilbo’s home and lay siege to his larder. Martin Freeman is perfect as Bilbo, playing him with just the right amount of exasperated bafflement and clenched-teeth politeness when his home is invaded by with a swarm of hungry strangers. He’s a big improvement on Elijah Wood’s wide-staring-eyed Pete Doherty impression as Frodo.

…we finally get to the Stone Giants, who are really there to show off some large-scale special effects…

The banter between the dwarves is good fun, and considerable effort has been spent trying to differentiate their characters and appearance. The number of dwarves in the book is basically a plot device to provide a rationale for Bilbo’s participation in the quest; he’s chosen to avoid them being stuck with an unlucky number. Tolkien never really bothered to flesh out the majority of their characters, with the notable exception of the proud and brooding Thorin Oakenshield and possibly the fat Bombur. If one cast the book using Michael Green’s The Art Of Coarse Acting as a guide, all the other dwarves would just be slight variations of Stock Characters #1, #3 or #4 (just increase beard length and subtract height). Here, they have different ages, temperaments, jobs, facial hair, intelligence and numbers of axe heads lodged in their skulls, and the interaction between them is good fun, even if some of the dialogue might annoy Tolkien purists.

Once Bilbo’s dormant sense of adventure is awoken, they set off on the now-traditional trek through various stunning New Zealand beauty spots. In order to drive the film on, Jackson includes some altered backstory lifted from the LOTR appendices (the war of the dwarves and orcs), with the Dwarves being harried across country by Azog, a rather dull CGI villain-by-numbers who really should find a better manufacturer of artificial limbs. He also gives the wizard Radagast the Brown (an engagingly eccentric and birdshit-besplattered Sylvester McCoy) a greater part to play in the discovery of Evil Things Afoot in Mirkwood. Not only do these scenes serve to build up plotlines for the next two films, they also give McCoy the excuse (if excuse were needed) to dash about the place on a sled pulled by outsize rabbits.

What is slightly puzzling is Jackson’s apparent reluctance to change tiny parts of the book that make no difference at all, while being perfectly content to compress or change or add to so much else. He makes a point of not inventing names for the two Blue Wizards (something Tolkien never got round to doing), and he includes the throwaway Stone Giants (mentioned almost in passing in one paragraph of The Hobbit and never referred to again anywhere); but he has no qualms about radically compressing timelines, mixing up generations of orcs and dwarves and inventing entirely new scenes as it suits him.

…a real streak of mean sinewy menace, especially when singing to himself while bashing an unconscious goblin’s head in…

After a meeting in Rivendell of Serious People Talking Serious Middle-earth Stuff (with the likes of Gandalf, Galadriel, Elrond and Saruman, the latter played once again by Christopher Lee, who is ace as always), where far too many portentous Rs are rolled, we finally get to the Stone Giants, who are really there to show off some large-scale special effects. It’s when the party get captured by goblins that things really start picking up though. Goblin Town is well-realised, and Barry Humphries is superb as the voice of the Great Goblin, giving real spark and life to the character (in sharp contrast to the bland Azog); the CGI rendering of his sagging pendulous chin is nicely repellent.

Bilbo’s fateful first encounter with Gollum is fantastic: creepy and unsettling in places, with Andy Serkis’s Gollum showing both wide-eyed pathos and a real streak of mean sinewy menace, especially when singing to himself while bashing an unconscious goblin’s head in with a rock. After that there’s a huge underground battle, with lots and lots of goblins being knocked off rope bridges by increasingly angry dwarves, and much plunging into chasms on splintering wooden platforms. I expected to be more cynical about widescreen hyper-CGI scenes like this, but actually rather enjoyed them.

 Instant Peril Plus – just add precipice.

Jackson does like to ramp up the jeopardy, though. The dwarves and Bilbo find themselves at one point climbing trees to escape Azog and his entourage of orcs and wolves, as well as fire, which one might think would be peril enough for a director. But no! The tree has to be precariously balanced on the edge of a giant cliff as well. Instant Peril Plus – just add precipice. After that, there’s just enough time to get your breath back with a quick peek to see what Smaug is up to before the credits roll, and then sit around waiting for the next round of teaser trailers in a few months’ time.

So that’s THE HOBBIT: a fun film with some excellent moments, not as overlong as some critics have complained (peanut bladders, the lot of ‘em), and anchored by Martin Freeman’s charming performance. Big and spectacular in all the right places, it’s bound to do booming business at the box office and annoy some Tolkien purists. But speaking as an ostensible purist who has read all the books far too many times, though I had a few niggles about the manner in which the backstory is incorporated, I cared about that a lot less than I thought I would. An unexpected journey indeed.

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