 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
- Review Date: December 11, 2012
- PG-13
- Genre: Fantasy
- 2012
Common Sense Media says
Tolkien tale isn't as great as LOTR, but better for tweens.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, director Peter Jackson's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's stand-alone quest through Middle-earth, is less violent than the scarier Lord of the Rings trilogy. But there are definitely some frightening sequences, like the battle between the dragon and the dwarves of Erebor, during which one character is decapitated, another has an arm amputated, and there's mass destruction. The group of Bilbo, Gandalf, and 13 dwarves is often tracked and pursued and nearly killed several times, but they manage to avoid death -- at least in this installment. Bilbo (like Frodo and his friends in the LOTR movies) again shows that size doesn't matter when it comes to making a difference.
What's the story?
Peter Jackson's first installment in his three-part adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's THE HOBBIT starts off with an eleventy-one-year-old Bilbo Baggins (played once again by Ian Holm) narrating the tale of how he, a mellow hobbit from the Shire, ended up enmeshed in a dangerous quest. Sixty years before The Fellowship of the Ring is formed, a considerably younger Bilbo (Martin Freeman) sets off an the titular Unexpected Journey with his friend Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) to help 13 dwarves reclaim their homeland -- the kingdom of Erebor, which was taken over by a killer, gold-seeking dragon that forced the dwarves into exile. The motley crew, led by Gandalf and the smoldering heir to the Erebor throne, Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), encounter two-and-a-half hours of conflict (most notably with the bloodthirsty orcs) with a brief respite found in the elven homeland of Rivendell, where Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) offers Gandalf her unconditional support.
Is it any good?
As a novel, The Hobbit skews younger than The Lord of the Rings, so it's only natural that the film is also more accessible for tweens -- just have them look the other way for a few of the darker battle sequences. The story is simple enough, and the visuals are dazzling (the 48 frames per second rate is neither as spectacular or headache-inducing as rumors would have you believe). The acting is admirable, including the return of our favorite wizard, Gandalf, Lady of Lorien Galadriel, and head elf Elrond (Hugo Weaving). Unfortunately, the dwarves all sort of blend together in a tangle of hair and mischief, with the notable exception of the broody Thorin and his swashbuckling nephews, Fili and Kili (Dean O'Gorman and Aidan Turner).
The main issue with Jackson's adaptation is that the run time is brutal, even for hardcore fans of Jackson's epic LOTR trilogy. Whereas that trilogy made sense as three separate movies -- considering it was the adaptation of three books -- The Hobbit isn't a substantive enough work to demand three movies, even with Jackson pulling extra material from Tolkien's indices. The fabulous visuals and impressive action sequences reminiscent of the trilogy are bogged down by an overlong and overly thorough first quarter that could have used a considerable edit job. Still, despite the issues with length and pacing, there's no denying that overall this is a production worth seeing, especially with kids new to Tolkien's detailed universe, where even the smallest creature can make the biggest difference.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about how The Hobbit compares to The Lord of the Rings. How are the stories similar (a hobbit joins a dangerous quest), and how are they different? Which adventure do you prefer?
For those familiar with the book, how does the movie adaptation differ? If you haven't read the book yet, does the movie make you want to delve into Tolkien's classic?
What does Bilbo learn about himself throughout the journey?
Why do you think Tolkien's fantasy tale has withstood the test of time?
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
Teen, 15 years old
December 15, 2012
AGE
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is AMAZING!!! I CANNOT wait until Hobbit 2!!!
Just saw this with my family yesterday! My parents haven't let me seen the original trilogy, but they know I am a huge fan of the books, and they decided it would be okay. I am so glad they gave in- It was so much fun! The movie was beautiful, with gorgeous landscapes, and it was pretty funny, so younger viewers will enjoy too. There's tons of battle scenes that show violence through out the movie. One scene shows an "Orc" lifting up the head of the Dwarf King and another showed a Dwarf chopping the same Orc's arm off. The battle scenes may frighten some, but then the creatures who they fight with alone could be considered "scary." Things like the Trolls, the Goblins, the Orcs, The Wargs, and possibly the Rock Giants could bother those too young. There was as scene that disturbed my 12 year old brother, and that was the scene where the shadows of giant spiders could be seen on the windows. That didn't last very long however. And then of course, there is Gollum. Poor little Gollum tends to be very disturbing to younger and older audiences alike. That scene was amazing, by the way, and stuck very closely to the book. In fact, the entire movie stuck very well the the original novel. My dad disagrees, but I think it does. It took what was there in the book and stretched it, going further into details and character development. Lots of people are complaining that it was waaay too long (2 hours and 50 minutes!!) but to be honest? I didn't even notice. I was just hoping it would never end. This was a really fun movie, the best fantasy film I've seen in forever, and I am so excited for the second and third installments. The best part about it though, is that young viewers and old alike can love it.
What other families should know:
Was this review useful?
|
|
Teen, 16 years old
December 14, 2012
AGE
An Expected Delight
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is a beautiful movie. It stays mostly true to the book, and once it jumps a couple of the small hurdles of the opening scenes, it is also well paced. Don't get me wrong, the early scenes are great, but don't expect to get started on the journey to the Lonely Mountain until a good 50 minutes into the show. There is much humor to be found in this adventure, however at times, the film doesn't take itself entirely seriously. I heard someone describe Radagast (The Brown Wizard...) as a sort of Jar Jar Binks, which I would somewhat agree with, although it is not as extreme; he does play an important role in the storytelling. I saw this movie in the 3D 48 FPS format, and let me tell you, it was visually breathtaking. Go see it in 3D; it's well worth the extra bucks. There were rumors that the high frame rate gave many people headaches, etc. However, not a single person that I talked to said that they were bothered by it. It truly made you feel like you were right there in the action. The CGI was also fantastic, although there are some parts that aren't completely polished. The action and violence is not quite as extensive as The Lord of the Rings, but it still earns it's PG-13 rating. Characters also occasionally smoke and drink. Overall, this movie would be fine for anyone 12 and up.
What other families should know:
Was this review useful?
|
|
Teen, 13 years old
December 14, 2012
AGE
Amazing! But some creepy and violent content. Maybe even more graphic than the LOTR
Personally, I thought this movie was better than the LOTR movies. I thought it was definately more graphic than them as well. During the goblin scene, while the dawrfs are running, there were heads flying everywhere. Also, in the opening battle scene, when the orc's arm is chopped off, some blood sprayed out. But, the story and effects were full of amazing detail and great messages, but the gollum scenes were rather..... frighting. I would be cautious but overall, i thought it was fantastic! Cant wait for the others!!
What other families should know:
Was this review useful?
|
|
Adult
December 15, 2012
AGE
More violence, NOT less
I disagree with the reviewer about this not being as violent as the LOTR movies; basically, Jackson has apparently decided to eke out the story into three movies by putting a fight or battle in every few minutes, and all of these fights were every bit as violent and gory as the "LOTR" movies' fights were. There was more of a sense of HUMOR in one or two places, but that doesn't make it less VIOLENT. It even STARTS with a massive, gory battle, rather than with the opening of the book, which is one of the most famous first lines in English literature (they stick it in later, but by that time, sheesh!). One thing we couldn't help noticing was that there were more moments in the fights that were obviously "video game violence," in that they didn't really seem to be obeying the same laws of physics that we have here, whereas there were only one or two of those obvious video game violence moments in LOTR (for example, Legolas' impossible actions on the oliphaunt). But parents should NOT take young children to this expecting it to be less violent than LOTR; if anything, there is definitely more violence per unit of time than in LOTR. Disappointing, since some of the scenes they replaced with fights or bizarre, pointless, violent chases would have shown kids the value of, for example, cleverness, courage, and persistence, rather than just bashing around non-stop action.
What other families should know:
Was this review useful?
|
|
Parent of 9 and 14 year old
December 15, 2012
AGE
my girls loved it, but they're pretty hardcore
The violence is the biggest wild card here. If you've seen the LoTR movies, it's on the same level as that. There is plenty of swordplay, limbs chopped off, blood, and war scenes. The violence is never for it's own sake, even in the hands of the bad guys. It's always in battle. There is a reference to torture that will happen to the good guys including showing the instruments of that torture, but that never comes to pass.
It is scary and there are scary looking creatures throughout. My younger one only got so nervous as to want an arm around her at the apex of action when it looked like we may lose a main character.
Of course, there were messages of fealty to friends & family, empathy (especially in the Gollum story line), as well as nods to brains over brawn.
There were a few potty humor jokes that I did not expect, but they were not so bad as to turn me off. They merely caught me off guard in this film.
What other families should know:
Was this review useful?
|
|
Adult
December 14, 2012
AGE
Not a disappointment! - Love it!
I was worried after the poor reviews that this got but had been so looking forward to it that I went anyway. This telling is very true to the original story it ends at the point that the eagles drop the troop off. The battle scenes are similar to the Lord of the Rings scenes with beheadings and slashings, etc but nothing terribly gory and scary. There are some tense moments when we were on the edge of our seats waiting to find out if the dwarves would make it through their latest scrape. I brought an 8 and 10 year old and they were laughing hysterically at some of the battle moments. I'm not sure why this got panned so badly by the critics. It had a different feel than LOTR, much funnier, but was awesome. Even the 10-year-old who had never seen LOTR or read the book loved it and followed it. Some really good lessons came out of it as we saw Bilbo make choices and live with the consequences.
What other families should know:
Was this review useful?
|
|
Teen, 17 years old
December 14, 2012
AGE
The Lord Of The Rings prequel.
The Hobbit is the prequel to the Lord Of The Rings trilogy which is quite popular in kids and teens so don't be surprised if your son or daughter will be asking you to take them to this 170 minute epic... especially if they're fans of the original books and LOTR movies. Be aware that this first of three parts adaption of the book of the same same does feature some fairly scary violence especially involving trolls, orcs, and blood-thirsty wolves who are hot on our heroes' tails. However, none of our favorite characters get killed or severely injured, but they are in peril fairly frequently. The main character, Bilbo Baggins is a strong fellow who is weary of joining Gandalf and the dwarves on their wild adventure, but he decides to come along and winds up becoming a hero despite his size. Bilbo is a great example for young children and teens that even though you may be small doesn't mean that you can't be a hero like those bigger than you. Bilbo and Gandalf are good leaders and the dwarves are always seem to have the others' backs. Is the movie long? Yes. Is it painfully long? No. But it's a Lord Of The Rings movie, should you expect it to be an hour and a half? But don't worry, it's a fun adventure and your kids should enjoy it.
What other families should know:
Was this review useful?
|
|
Teen, 13 years old
December 14, 2012
AGE
Wonderful Movie for a Wonderful Fandom
For all the LOTR fans this is the perfect film. Only just coming back from the midnight premiere about ten minutes ago I can honestly say it was a wonderful film and great adaptation. The movie does end in a clifhanger awaiting a second film which was a little dissapointing bu other than that a wonderful, tween friendly film!
What other families should know:
Was this review useful?
|
|
Kid, 12 years old
December 14, 2012
AGE
The Hobbit
Great movie, sticks to the book pretty well. If you are a fan of the lord of the rings triligy, Go see it! I just saw it, and i think that it was epic and really funny!
What other families should know:
Was this review useful?
|
|
Parent of 10 year old
December 27, 2012
AGE
Battle Fest, with Little Appeal. -From a LOTR fan.
I am extremely disappointed with Common Sense's under estimation of the violence in this movie. Half of the movie is battle scenes. I saw one parent review this and say it's okay for 8 year olds. I figured it must be pretty tame. OOOPS. My 7 year old spent half the movie with his head under my arm. My 10 year old can handle it, but the whole POINT of the movie seems to be the battle sequences. I am a fan of Lord of the Rings, but I will not be forking out any more money on this. There was little dialogue, and the character development was poor. Of course, the special effects and action sequences are brilliant as you would expect, but they were the sum of the movie. I found myself wanting it to end, checking the time, and growing tired of the battle scenes. This is not a Fantasy adventure film. It's a fantasy blood fest designed to sell video games. I made a mistake taking my child. The last money I will put into Peter Jackson's pocket. I can't think of a better way to describe this, that to say it was simply an empty film, that will leave you 'feeling' emotionless, or worse. The worst film I've ever seen from Jackson. Thankfully, I went to the $5.00 show.
What other families should know:
Was this review useful?
|
|
| Topics: | magic and fantasy, adventures, book characters, misfits and underdogs |
| Studio: | New Line |
| Director: | Peter Jackson |
| Cast: | Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage |
| Genre: | Fantasy |
| Run time: | 166 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | December 14, 2012 |
| DVD release date: | March 19, 2013 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | extended sequences of intense fantasy action violence, and frightening images |
Review It
Video review
Great alternatives handpicked by our editors
More from Common Sense Media
Top advice and articles
