The Hobbit An Unexpected Journey 4K 2012 EXTENDED Ultra HD 2160p

Bilbo Baggins takes part in a grandiose journey, the goal of which is to return the Dwarven Kingdom of Erebor, captured by the dragon Smaug. Suddenly, the wizard Gandalf the Gray joins him, and Bilbo finds himself in the company of thirteen dwarfs under the leadership of the legendary warrior Thorin Oakenshield. Dangerous paths this journey will lead them to the Wild Lands, teeming with goblins and orcs, deadly wargs and shape-shifters, giant spiders and sorcerers. There, the humble Bilbo Baggins will become the owner of the "lovely" Gollum ring, which is fraught with strange and unexpected possibilities ... This simple golden ring is so closely connected with the fate of Middle-earth that Bilbo cannot even imagine.

The Hobbit An Unexpected Journey 4K Review
Through the efforts of the "everywhere sticking his nose" wizard Gandalf, the hobbit from the Shire Bilbo Baggins is embroiled in an adventure and goes on a journey with a small detachment of dwarves ("13 not the best and not the smartest"), whose goal is to return their treasures and their homeland, which were captured by the dragon Smaug. Meanwhile, evil returns to Middle-earth ...

"Any good story deserves to be embellished," Gandalf the Gray (Ian McKellen) tells Hobbit Bilbo (Martin Freeman) before he has to climb out of his comfy leather chair in Bag End and embark on his Unexpected Journey. This phrase, which concludes with shock the tale of Bilbo's ancestor, Old Took, who allegedly blew off the goblin's head and invented golf along the way, is by no means accidental. The Hobbit is a good story, and embellishments and exaggerations, whether they like it or not, are an integral part of the adaptation of Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Guillermo del Toro. This is noticeable in the structure of the narration itself ("An Unexpected Journey" is now not the first part of two, but the beginning of a trilogy), and on the screen: the events that took place in sunny Middle-earth 60 years before "The Lord of the Rings" were filmed digitally with a frame rate of twice higher than the one used in the previous saga about the difficult autumn of the fairy kingdom.

In this regard, the fear immediately arises that "The Hobbit" from Jackson and company, unlike "The Lord of the Rings", for which the immense epic in the genre of historical fantasy had to be reduced, will turn out to be a painfully bloated version of a thin book from the category of fairy tales that is read to children at night ... Jackson's team goes far beyond the storyline of the original, which, despite the fact that the action in it develops faster than in "Overlord ...", is replete with details and all kinds of randomness. The filmmakers cover the entire universe of Tolkien, openly interpreting "The Hobbit" as a prequel, an ill omen of the future appearance of Sauron the Deceiver in Middle-earth.

And yet, inserts like the one in which the naturalist wizard Radagast Kariy (Sylvester McCoy), with his face smeared with bird droppings and bulging eyes, goes to the ruins of an eerie fortress in a sleigh pulled by rabbits, are not directly related to the main plot. With the exception of the episode in which Gandalf expresses his fears to the skeptical Saruman (Christopher Lee) that the dragon Smaug, who appropriated the gold and currency reserves of the dwarves, could be used by the "enemy" as a fire-breathing weapon of mass destruction, the storylines regarding the White Council, the Necromancer and The aforementioned Dol-Guldur fortress (all of which are closely related to the "Hobbit" function as a prequel), as yet, have little agreement with Bilbo's relatively modest adventure. Although the hobbit finds the Ring of Omnipotence, the fact that it has to do with Sauron is currently known only to us and the orchestra under the direction of Howard Shore (especially his string group).

And yet the journey, the ultimate goal of which, as usual, is the mountain - this time the Lonely, not the Fatal - is filmed with the mind. The action develops quickly, the main adversary Azog (Manu Bennett), an albino and the leader of the orcs, is introduced into the plot, which is only mentioned in the book in passing. Here, from the very beginning, he hunts for the "gnome scum", and this gives the quest the fierce fury of the chase films. The book's signature scenes have been thoughtfully reworked, so don't expect the troll scene to be exactly the same as Tolkien's. New episodes have also been added, such as the skirmish with warg-riding orcs on the border of Rivendell. The sabotage in Goblin City is filmed in a purely Jacksonian style. However, such scenes are not as important as in the trilogy about the Ring or King Kong. It's nice to see Gandalf in big trouble, but still this isn't Moria. In addition, although the film runs for almost three hours, at times it feels like Jackson is rushing things. This is confirmed by the fact that, despite the careful study of characters, the images of most gnomes remain somewhat amorphous. Some special attention is paid except perhaps to Thorin (impressive role of Richard Armitage), Balin (Ken Stott), Bofuru (James Nesbit) and Fili / Keely (Dean O'Gorman / Aiden Turner).

And yet, thanks to the prologue presented by Ian Holm, we have no doubts about the importance of their mission. This is not just a treasure hunt, this is a desperate attempt to return their homeland to a people who have lived in exile for a generation. There is a special charm in the fact that Tolkien's book, at the beginning telling, it would seem, about things small and even trivial (Bilbo, this burglar unwillingly, reluctantly goes on a journey full of dangers), then rises to describe events of a huge scale, such as the decisive battle of five armies. But, as is generally typical of Jackson's interpretation of Middle-earth, we quickly understand Thorin's place in the vast history of this world passed on by word of mouth: in some ways he is Aragorn, in something Boromir. This becomes clear not only from the prologue, in which we see Erebor at the zenith of glory and its destruction by Smaug, a vicious cross between a raptor and a bat (here he is shown briefly); the film also features an impressive flashback of Thorin's short-lived triumph against Azog on the mountain slopes at the entrance to Moria.

The main question of the book is this: why did Bilbo, a simple man in the street and connoisseur of the simple joys of life, agree to expose himself to such dangers? And why didn't he give up when the adventure got really extreme? The same question is raised in the film; moreover, it was he who served as the basis for the plot of "An Unexpected Journey". The Hobbit: Episode I is the story of how Bilbo begins to see this adventure as his mission, how he comes to understand his own motives. The answer that Jackson's team gives in their masterful, filigree script is simple to the point of elegance: the hobbit, who wants only one thing - to find himself in his own hole again, suddenly realizes that his duty is to help the dwarves return to their homes.

Martin Freeman flawlessly brings this idea to life: the choice of the actor for the role of the old-fashioned halfling turned out to be perfectly accurate. There is not a single character in Tolkien's chronicles that even remotely resembled Bilbo. Although many may disagree with this, he is the strongest hero of the saga: a simple, decent and decent, albeit somewhat conservative fellow, who draws his ingenuity from a deep well of his own inner strength. He is not torn by internal problems like Frodo, he is not unresponsive like Samwise, or comical like Merry and / or Pippin. "I am not a hero or a warrior," says Bilbo. He is us, and Freeman demonstrates this perfectly, without grimacing or winking. His Bilbo takes his own troubles quite seriously, and although "An Unexpected Journey" is currently the funniest (and at times the most ridiculous or funniest, but certainly the most childish) of all films about Middle-earth, emotionally Freeman is his the main figure.

The most impressive scene in the film is the game of riddles in the dark. Here, for a while, Andy Serkis's Gollum reappears, another of the strongest characters in the saga (although many, again, would disagree). Seeing the master of motion capture Serkis again in this role and watching how this famous episode is brilliantly recreated through the prism of the Smeagol / Gollum split personality is joy and pleasure, and yet the pinnacle and turning point of the entire narrative is the episode in which the invisible Bilbo standing over Gollum and putting his sword to his throat gives him life. Jackson keeps Freeman's face in the frame, and it's not just Tim from The Office or Dr. Watson with pointed ears. This is an actor at the peak of his skills, revealing every smallest trait of the character's character, which, as it now seems, he was destined to play.

And, finally, what to say about the next embellishment - the historical visual of the film? 48 frames per second is, as they say, something with something. And take it as you please: on the one hand, the clarity of detail is almost overwhelming, whether it's the seam on Gandalf's hat or the scabby growth hanging from the ugly bloated muzzle of Supreme Goblin (Barry Humphries). On the other hand, the lack of grain and motion blur in a strange way makes the film less epic - everything is perceived so directly and even intimate that the distance between the audience and the screen practically disappears. As a result, the action may seem even more exciting to you - or vice versa, the entertainment will decrease, since the completely natural dependence of the film on the scenery will appear in a less flattering light. Keep this in mind when deciding if you need these extra experiences.

Although part of the film is about a hidden (literally) threat, but, fortunately, it is completely different from "Episode I: The Phantom Menace". "The Hobbit" is lighter than "The Fellowship of the Ring" and its sequels, its characters look younger, but at the same time it will not disappoint the fans of "The Lord ...".

Bilbo performed by Martin Freeman is so good that the future trilogy may well become on a par with the existing one. A real treasure.

Info Blu-ray
Video
Codec: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1

Audio
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles
English SDH, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Chinese, Korean, Czech, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Polish, Swedish, Japanese, Thai.