Fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels and Peter Jackson’s awe-inspiring Lord of the Rings film trilogy have long been excited about the prospect of a return to Middle Earth. After years of gestation, the director agreed to return to the reins for a new trilogy about a halfling from the Shire, adapting Tolkein's earlier work, The Hobbit. Questions have been asked about the need for three films, given that the book in question is a fifth the size of the source material on which the first three films were based. Those questions will now be, at least partially, answered with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Set sixty years before The Lord of the Rings, the film sees the wizard Gandalf (a returning Ian McKellen) arrive on the doorstep of the familiar Bag End to see respectable hobbit, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman). With him, he brings a band of raucous and hungry dwarves, led by the solemn Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), with whom he intends Bilbo to go on an adventure. The hobbit cannot imagine leaving comfort of his quiet home life, but ends up tagging along in their quest to reclaim their mountain home from a villainous dragon, Smaug. And so it is that a little hobbit, from The Shire, sees the wider world

The first thing to say is that fans of the original trilogy will enjoy this film as a chance to return to the fantastically realised Middle Earth. Jackson and his crew have once again gone beyond the pale and brought Tolkein’s world wonderfully to life. Martin Freeman is perfectly cast as Bilbo; his comic timing is excellent as expected, but he also conveys a perhaps less likely level of pathos and heroism to the character. Actor returning to familiar roles, such as Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis, Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving, are also on great form.