The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is a 2012 epic fantasy film directed by Peter Jackson from a screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Jackson, and Guillermo del Toro. It is based on the 1937 novel The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. The film is the first installment in The Hobbit trilogy, acting as a prequel to Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003). The story is set in Middle-earth sixty years before the main events of The Lord of the Rings and portions of the film are adapted from the appendices to Tolkien's The Return of the King. An Unexpected Journey tells the tale of Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), who is convinced by the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) to accompany thirteen Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), on a quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug. The ensemble cast also includes Ken Stott, Cate Blanchett, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, James Nesbitt, Elijah Wood, and Andy Serkis. It features Sylvester McCoy, Barry Humphries, and Manu Bennett.
An Unexpected Journey premiered in Wellington on 28 November 2012, then released on 12 December in New Zealand and on 14 December in the United States, by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was almost nine years after the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $1.017 billion at the box office, making it the fourth highest-grossing film of 2012. The film received numerous accolades; at the 85th Academy Awards, it was nominated for Best Production Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Visual Effects.
Two sequels, The Desolation of Smaug and The Battle of the Five Armies followed in 2013 and 2014, respectively.
Plot
Before his 111th birthday, the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins writes a story of his adventure for his nephew, Frodo.
Many years ago, the Dwarf king Thrór led his kin to prosperity under the Lonely Mountain until the dragon Smaug arrived. Smaug destroyed Dale, drove the Dwarves from their mountain, and took their gold. Thrór's grandson, Thorin Oakenshield, appealed to Elf king Thranduil for help, but was denied, causing him to hate Elves.
In the Shire, 51-year-old Bilbo is tricked by the wizard Gandalf the Grey into hosting a dinner for Thorin and his company of Dwarves: Balin, Dwalin, Fíli, Kíli, Dori, Nori, Ori, Óin, Glóin, Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur. Gandalf aims to recruit Bilbo as the company's "burglar" to assist them in their quest to enter the Lonely Mountain. Reluctant at first, Bilbo changes his mind after the company leaves without him the next day, racing to join them. Traveling onward, they are captured by three Trolls. Bilbo delays the Trolls from eating them until dawn, and Gandalf exposes them to sunlight, turning them to stone. The company discovers the Trolls' cave, where they find treasure and Elven blades. Thorin and Gandalf each take an Elf-made blade, Orcrist and Glamdring, respectively; Gandalf gives an Elven dagger to Bilbo.
The wizard Radagast the Brown finds the company and tells Gandalf about his encounter with the Necromancer, a sorcerer who has been corrupting Greenwood with dark magic, at Dol Guldur. Chased by Orcs, Gandalf leads them through a hidden passage to Rivendell. There, Lord Elrond discloses a hidden indication of a secret door on the company's map of the Lonely Mountain, which will be visible only on Durin's Day. Gandalf approaches the White Council — consisting of Elrond, Galadriel and Saruman the White — and presents a Morgul blade, the Witch-king of Angmar's weapon, which Radagast obtained from Dol Guldur as a sign that the Necromancer is linked to an eventual return of Sauron. Saruman expresses concern about the Dwarves' quest and requests Gandalf to end it. However, Gandalf secretly reveals to Galadriel that he anticipated this and had the Dwarves move forward without him.
The company ventures into the Misty Mountains and evades fighting Stone Giants. They seek refuge in a cave but are captured by Goblins and taken to their leader, the Great Goblin. Bilbo becomes separated from the Dwarves and falls into a crevice where he meets Gollum, who accidentally drops a golden ring. Bilbo pockets the ring and confronts Gollum. They play a riddle game, wagering that if Bilbo wins, he will be shown the way out; if he loses, Gollum will eat him. Bilbo tricks Gollum and wins, but Gollum realizes his ring is missing. Chased by Gollum, Bilbo discovers the ring grants him invisibility. As he escapes, Bilbo briefly considers killing Gollum, but spares him out of pity.
The Great Goblin informs the Dwarves that Azog, an Orc war-chief who killed Thrór and lost a hand to Thorin outside of Moria, has placed a bounty on Thorin. Gandalf arrives, helps the Dwarves escape, and kills the Great Goblin. Bilbo reunites with the group and hides his new ring. The company is ambushed by Azog and takes refuge in trees. Thorin charges Azog but is injured by his Warg. Bilbo saves Thorin and confronts Azog, just as eagles summoned by Gandalf to rescue them arrive.
The company escapes to Carrock, where Gandalf heals Thorin, who then renounces his disdain for Bilbo. They see the Lonely Mountain in the distance, where the sleeping Smaug is awoken by a thrush knocking a snail against a stone.
Cast
The characters of Galadriel, Saruman, and Frodo Baggins appear in the novel The Lord of the Rings, but not in the novel The Hobbit. (Radagast was also dropped from the film version of Lord of the Rings, merely being mentioned in passing). Gandalf, Gollum, Bilbo Baggins, Elrond and the Necromancer appear in both novels, although the latter is referred to in Lord of the Rings as Sauron. Only Bilbo is portrayed by a different actor in the two sets of films, as the age difference affects his character more. The older Bilbo (Ian Holm) appears in the prologue section of this film.
Martin Freeman as Young Bilbo Baggins: a hobbit hired by the wizard Gandalf to accompany 13 dwarves on a quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug. Ian Holm, who portrayed Old Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings trilogy appears also in scenes that take place directly before the events of The Fellowship of the Ring. Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey: a wizard who recruits Bilbo and helps to arrange the quest to reclaim the dwarves' lost treasure in Erebor. Gandalf was also portrayed by McKellen in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield II: the leader of the Company of dwarves who has set out to reclaim his birthright as King of the Lonely Mountain from Smaug. Ken Stott as Balin: Dwalin's brother. He is described in the novel as "always their look-out man". Graham McTavish as Dwalin: Balin's brother. Aidan Turner as Kíli: Thorin's nephew and Fíli's younger brother. Dean O'Gorman as Fíli: Thorin's nephew and Kíli's older brother. Mark Hadlow as Dori: Nori and Ori's brother. He is described in the novel as "a decent fellow, despite his grumbling", while Thorin described him as being the strongest member of the company. Hadlow also plays Bert the Stone-troll. Jed Brophy as Nori: Dori and Ori's brother. Adam Brown as Ori: Dori and Nori's brother. John Callen as Óin: Gloin's brother. Peter Hambleton as Glóin: Óin's brother. Hambleton also plays William the Stone-troll. William Kircher as Bifur: Bofur and Bombur's cousin. Kircher also plays Tom the Stone-troll. James Nesbitt as Bofur: Bombur's brother and Bifur's cousin, described as "a disarmingly forthright, funny and occasionally brave Dwarf". Stephen Hunter as Bombur: Bofur's brother and Bifur's cousin; described in the novel as fat and clumsy. Cate Blanchett as Galadriel: the elven co-ruler of Lothlórien along with her husband, Lord Celeborn. She was also portrayed by Blanchett in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Hugo Weaving as Elrond: the Elven-Lord of Rivendell, who gives shelter to Bilbo's party, despite Thorin's great suspicion of Elves. He was also portrayed by Weaving in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Christopher Lee as Saruman the White: the head of the Istari Order and its White Council. He was also portrayed by Lee in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins: Bilbo's favourite nephew. His scenes take place shortly before the events of The Fellowship of the Ring. Sylvester McCoy as Radagast the Brown: a wizard whose wisdom involves nature and wildlife. Andy Serkis as Gollum: a wretched hobbit-like creature corrupted by the One Ring. Serkis portrayed Gollum through motion-capture, as he did in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Serkis also acted as second unit director of the trilogy.. Retrieved 16 December 2013. Manu Bennett as Azog the Defiler: the Orc chieftain of Moria who beheaded King Thrór in the battle of Azanulbizar and now hunts for Thorin and his company after taking an oath to break the line of Durin. He leads a band of Hunter Orcs and rides a huge white warg. Barry Humphries as the Great Goblin: the king of the caverns of Goblin Town in the Misty Mountains. Conan Stevens as Bolg: son of Azog. John Rawls as Yazneg: Azog's second-in-command. Movement choreographer Terry Notary played Yazneg during pick-up shots. Bret McKenzie as Lindir: an elf of Rivendell. Kiran Shah as the Goblin scribe: a scribe and messenger for the Great Goblin. Jeffrey Thomas as Thrór: the former king of Durin's Folk and Thorin's grandfather. Stephen Ure as Fimbul, one of Azog's Orc hunters, and lieutenant to Yazneg. After Yazneg is killed, Fimbul becomes Azog's right-hand man. Ure also played a goblin, named Grinnah, who acted as the Great Goblin's acolyte. Michael Mizrahi as Thráin II: the last Dwarf-King of Erebor and Thorin's father. Benedict Cumberbatch as the voice of the dragon Smaug, as well as The Necromancer, a mysterious sorcerer residing in Dol Guldur with the ability to summon the spirits of the dead. Cumberbatch provided performance capture for the character's brief appearance in this film.
Cameos in the film include director Peter Jackson and editor Jabez Olssen as Erebor Dwarf refugees running from the dragon Smaug in the opening prologue; picture double Hayden J. Weal as a dwarf carrying gems during Thranduil's visit in Erebor; James Nesbitt's then-wife Sonia Forbes-Adam as Belladonna Took, Bilbo's mother; Nesbitt's daughters Peggy and Mary as children of Dale; Luke Evans as Girion; and production designer Dan Hennah as the Old Took, Belladonna's father. Peter Jackson's daughter, Philippa Boyens's second son, and Andy Serkis's children appeared in the Old Took's party; and Jabez Olssen's wife and children, Weta Workshop founder Richard Taylor's children, and set decorator Ra Vincent's children can all be seen in the market scene. Writer for Ain'tItCoolNews.com, Eric Vespe, portrays Fredegar Chubb, the fish seller at the market. The appearances in the Old Took's party and the market scene are shown only in the extended edition.
Production Development