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How Long Are All the ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Hobbit’ Films?

The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy are a series of high fantasy films directed by Peter Jackson. The trilogies are based on author J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, as well as his standalone novel, The Hobbit . Jackson’s film adaptions are by far the most popular and successful adaptions of Tolkien’s work to date. However, they might yet be rivaled by Amazon’s upcoming Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power TV series.

Amazon’s The Rings of Power premieres its first season on September 2, 2022. Unlike LOTR and The Hobbit , The Rings of Power isn’t based on a specific book. While it draws largely from The Silmarillion , it is more of an all-encompassing history of the Second Age of Middle-earth. With a staggering budget of over $1 billion, The Rings of Power is set to be a large-scale adaption of Tolkien’s work.

With this new Tolkien adaption coming to Amazon soon, fans might be interested in diving into LOTR and The Hobbit for a refresher . However, doing so can be quite an investment in time, as most of these films run close to 3 hours long. Here is the runtime for every LOTR and The Hobbit film. So, pull out that calendar, and get ready to block some hours off.

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2h 58m)

The Fellowship of the Ring is the film that started it all. Released in 2001, the film sees the formation of a fellowship to destroy the One Ring in Mount Doom and keep Dark Lord Sauron from reclaiming it. This film boasts a runtime of 2 hours and 58 minutes. Of course, there is also the extended edition. However, the extended edition of Fellowship of the Ring only adds an extra 30 minutes, making it the shortest LOTR extended edition with a runtime of 3 hours and 28 minutes.

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2h 59min)

The Two Towers premiered in 2002, and sees the continuation of Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam’s (Sean Astin) journey to Mordor. However, they are intercepted by the ring’s previous owner, Gollum (Andy Serkis), during their journey. Meanwhile, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) travel to the war-torn nation of Rohan to rescue Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd). Despite covering multiple storylines, The Two Towers has almost the exact same runtime as The Fellowship of the Ring . The Two Towers theatrical version has a runtime of 2 hours and 59 minutes. However, its extended edition offers a full 44 extra minutes of extended scenes and new scenes, bringing its runtime to 3 hours and 42 minutes.

Lords of the Rings: Return of the King (3h 20m)

The Return of the King is the final, and longest, film in the LOTR trilogy. The film follows the final part of Frodo, Sam, and Gollum’s journey to Mount Doom—while the rest of the fellowship takes on Sauron and his legions. The Return of the King ended the trilogy with a bang, taking home 11 Oscars at the 76th Academy Awards and being hailed as a masterpiece by critics and audiences alike. Hence, it isn’t surprising that Return of the King ‘s runtime is 3 hours and 20 minutes. Additionally, Return of the King’s extended edition adds an extra 51 minutes of content, bringing its runtime to a whopping 4 hours and 11 minutes.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2h 49m)

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey kicked off Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy on December 6, 2012. The Hobbit trilogy is an adaption of Tolkien’s novel The Hobbit . However, portions of the trilogy were also inspired by The Return of the King ‘s appendices. An Unexpected Journey follows Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), 60-years before the events of the Lord of the Rings when he is convinced by Gandalf (Ian McKellan) to join a band of Dwarves in their quest to reclaim The Lonely Mountain from Smaug. The Hobbit runtimes are a bit shorter than the Lord of the Rings runtimes. An Unexpected Journey is the longest Hobbit film with a run time of 2 hours and 49 minutes. Meanwhile, the extended edition’s runtime is 3 hours and 2 minutes.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2h 41m)

The Desolation of Smaug premiered on December 13, 2013 and follows the continuation of Bilbo and the Dwarves’ quest to reclaim The Lonely Mountain. While none of The Hobbit films quite live up to the LOTR trilogy, the Desolation of Smaug came the closest to it. It is largely considered the best film in the trilogy and it resembles the grandeur of the LOTR films. Additionally, it’s more concise than the first film, wrapping up in 2 hours and 41 minutes. However, its extended edition is a bit longer, with a runtime of 3 hours and 6 minutes.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2h 24m)

The Battle of the Five Armies marked the final film in this trilogy, and the conclusion of Jackson’s Middle-earth forays. The film sees The Lonely Mountain being reclaimed by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage). However, victory is short-lived when Smaug’s full fiery is unleashed and as Sauron launches a surprise attack on The Lonely Mountain. This final film also proved the shortest with a runtime of 2 hours and 24 minutes. Meanwhile, the extended edition adds only an extra 20 minutes, culminating in a run time of 2 hours and 44 minutes. Ah, the brevity!

(featured image: New Line Cinema)

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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Where to watch.

Watch The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey with a subscription on Prime Video, Max, rent on Fandango at Home, Apple TV, or buy on Fandango at Home, Apple TV.

What to Know

Peter Jackson's return to Middle-earth is an earnest, visually resplendent trip, but the film's deliberate pace robs the material of some of its majesty.

Critics Reviews

Audience reviews, cast & crew.

Peter Jackson

Ian McKellen

Martin Freeman

Bilbo Baggins

Richard Armitage

Thorin Oakenshield

Graham McTavish

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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the first film of The Hobbit film trilogy , lasting 3 hours and 2 minutes. It was directed by Peter Jackson , who previously had directed The Lord of the Rings film trilogy . It was a major box office success, grossing over $1.017 billion worldwide. The film is the fourth Middle-earth film adaptation to be released, and the first chronologically.

Martin Freeman portrays a young Bilbo Baggins and Ian Holm reprises his role as an older Bilbo Baggins. Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis reprise their roles as Gandalf and Gollum , respectively, as do Hugo Weaving and Cate Blanchett , as Elrond and Galadriel .

The character of Radagast the Brown appears in the movie and is portrayed by Sylvester McCoy , who had been known mostly for his portrayal as the seventh incarnation of The Doctor on Doctor Who .

• 2 Memorable quotes
• 3 Development
• 4.3 Extended Edition only
• 4.4.1 People of Dale
• 4.4.2 Dwarves of the Lonely Mountains
• 4.4.3 Mirkwood Elves
• 4.4.4 Hobbits of the Shire
• 4.4.5 Hunter Orcs
• 4.4.6 Elves of Rivendell
• 4.4.7 Goblins
• 5 Appearances and mentions
• 7 Extended Edition
• 10 Translations
• 11 References
• 12 External links

A reluctant Hobbit , Bilbo Baggins, sets out to the Lonely Mountain with a spirited group of Dwarves to reclaim their mountain home, and the gold within it from the dragon Smaug . [1]

Memorable quotes [ ]

Gandalf: Agreed. "

Development [ ]

Credits [ ].

• Ian McKellen as Gandalf
• Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins
• Richard Armitage as Thorin II Oakenshield
• Ken Stott as Balin
• Graham McTavish as Dwalin
• William Kircher as Bifur
• James Nesbitt as Bofur
• Stephen Hunter as Bombur
• Dean O'Gorman as Fíli
• Aidan Turner as Kíli
• John Callen as Óin
• Peter Hambleton as Glóin
• Jed Brophy as Nori
• Mark Hadlow as Dori
• Adam Brown as Ori
• Ian Holm as Old Bilbo
• Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins
• Hugo Weaving as Elrond
• Cate Blanchett as Galadriel
• Christopher Lee as Saruman
• Andy Serkis as Gollum
• Sylvester McCoy as Radagast
• Barry Humphries as Great Goblin
• Jeffrey Thomas as Thrór
• Michael Mizrahi as Thráin
• Lee Pace as Thranduil
• John Rawls as Yazneg
• Stephen Ure as Fimbul
• Timothy Bartlett as Master Worrywort
• William Kircher as Tom
• Peter Hambleton as Bert
• Mark Hadlow as William
• Bret McKenzie as Lindir
• Stephen Ure as Grinnah
• Kiran Shah as Goblin Scribe
• Manu Bennett as Azog
• Conan Stevens as Gundabad Orc Chieftain
• Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug and Necromancer
• Glenn Boswell as Dwarf Miner
• Thomas Robins as Young Thráin

Extended Edition only [ ]

• Luke Evans as Girion
• Dan Hennah as The Old Took
• Stephen Gledhill as Old Gammidge
• Tim Gordon as Old Hob
• Oscar Strik as Little Bilbo
• Sonia Forbes-Adam as Belladonna (Took) Baggins
• Erin Banks as Lobelia Sackville-Baggins
• Brian Hotter as Otho Sackville-Baggins
• Eric Vespe as Fredegar Chubb
• Mervyn Smith as Tosser Grubb
• Ruby Acevedo as "Cute Young Hobbit"
• Katie Jackson
• Honor McTavish
• Louis Serkis
• Ruby Serkis
• Sonny Serkis

Uncredited [ ]

People of dale [ ].

• Mary Nesbitt
• Peggy Nesbitt
• Many unknowns

Dwarves of the Lonely Mountains [ ]

• Peter Jackson
• Jabez Olssen
• James Wells
• Richard Whiteside

Mirkwood Elves [ ]

• Brendan Casey
• Cameron Jones
• Carl Van Room
• Few unknowns

Hobbits of the Shire [ ]

• Joan Z. Dawe
• Melissa Kern
• Aaron Morgan
• Kaela Morgan
• Ravi Narayan

Hunter Orcs [ ]

• Frazer Anderson
• George Harach
• Christian Hipolito
• Ane Kirkeng Jørgensen
• Joseph Mika-Hunt
• Elliot Travers

Elves of Rivendell [ ]

• Jared Blakiston
• Shane Boulton
• Melanie Carrington
• Andrew Fitzsimons
• Luke Hawker
• Dean Knowsley
• Luke Wilson

Goblins [ ]

• Renee Cataldo
• Ben Fransham
• Tim McLahlan
• Nathan Meister
• Terry Notary
• Thomas Rimmer
• James Trevena-Brown
• Mark Trotter

Appearances and mentions [ ]

Species and creatures

Factions, groups and titles

Objects and artifacts

Miscellanea

Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey, in a photo from the set of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

Deviations from the book [ ]

• Elijah Wood appears briefly as Frodo Baggins , while this character does not appear in the book. However, his appearance is purely a cameo as the set-up for the movie, as the Red Book of Westmarch is being written and read by Bilbo, shortly before the start of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring .
• The Dwarves do not arrive in order (first Dwalin, then Balin, then Kíli and Fíli, then Óin, Glóin, Dori, Nori, Ori, Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur all at once, and then Thorin arrives significantly later) and they do not have their multi-colored hoods or beards as they did in the book.
• Bilbo was shown to be allergic to Horses .
• The Dwarves surrender when the Trolls threaten to rip Bilbo in two instead of being overpowered and popped into bags.
• Bilbo goes to the Trolls because they steal the Dwarves' ponies.
• In the book, it was Gandalf that stalled the trolls until they turned into stone. This was done by Bilbo in the film.
• The trolls' cave is wide open, and there is no locked door blocking it.
• In the book, Bilbo finds Sting and takes it. In the film, Gandalf comes upon it and gives it to Bilbo.
• The group is attacked by Orcs on the way to Rivendell , just after the Trolls sequence in the movie. This did not happen in the book.
• Radagast the Brown aids the Dwarves in escaping the Orc Warg-riders near Rivendell. In contrast, Radagast did not appear in the book at all, and there is only one mention of him.
• Radagast investigates the darkness of Mirkwood, and at Dol Guldur encounters the Necromancer and the Witch-king of Angmar , with whom he briefly duels and from whom he takes a Morgul Blade. In contrast, Tolkien never wrote of any such incident.
• Azog has survived the War of the Dwarves and Orcs in which he was wounded by Thorin, who cut off his arm, and hunts Thorin Oakenshield and his followers. In contrast, in the Tolkien literature Azog was beheaded by Thorin's cousin Dáin Ironfoot in the Battle of Azanulbizar , well before the events of The Hobbit . The events of leading to and included in the battle are also altered: Thrór leads an army to Moria to reclaim it as opposed to investigating it with a single companion, and he is beheaded during the battle while in the books this occurred several years beforehand. The origin of Thorin's name of Oakenshield is taken from the appendices of The Return of the King , but here takes place during battle with Azog and involves him picking up an oaken branch rather than cutting it off a tree.
• While at Rivendell with Thorin's party, Gandalf meets with Elrond , Galadriel , and Saruman (the film's version of the White Council ) and relates Radagast's news about Mirkwood, but Saruman discounts Radagast's news about the Necromancer, who he says must be no more than a human pretending to be a wizard. This conflicts with Tolkien's version, in which the White Council already knew that the Necromancer was Sauron and was at Dol Guldur , since Gandalf had already confirmed this 89 years earlier, and Saruman had discovered two years earlier (although he did not inform the Council of this) that Sauron had learned of Isildur 's loss of the One Ring at the Gladden Fields by the river Anduin and his servants were searching the area. Accordingly, in Tolkien's original version, in the year of the events of The Hobbit , Saruman finally agreed to an attack on Dol Guldur because he wanted to prevent Sauron from finding the Ring. [2]
• There is no mention of Galadriel in the book, although she is part of the White Council.
• At the White Council meeting, Galadriel relates how the Witch-king of Angmar, after his defeat near Fornost , had been killed and sealed in a tomb in that could not be opened in the High Fells . This is a serious departure from canon (Tolkien's writings), in which the Witch-king had not died, but fled. In fact, Glorfindel had stopped pursuit of the Witch-king and prophesied, "Do not pursue him! He will not return to these lands. Far off yet is his doom, and not by the hand of man will he fall." [3] This prophecy, of course, was the basis for the later dramatic moment in The Lord of the Rings in which Éowyn was able to kill the Witch-king because she was not a man. This prophecy no longer makes sense if the Witch-king had already been killed and is now (as Saruman implies) just a spirit raised by a necromancer who could "summon the dead." Furthermore, per Tolkien the White Council knew the Witch-king had not been killed because he and the rest of the Nazgûl had previously been fighting with Gondor and had captured (and presumably killed) the last King of Gondor at Minas Morgul in TA 2050, long after he had fled Fornost [2] . It is possible, however, that the Ringwraiths could not die due to their Wraith nature and were imprisoned in the tombs, and only Sauron had the power to call them forth. As for how they presumably killed the last King of Gondor , Galadriel never specifically says if the other Ringwraiths were sealed in the High Fells along with the Witch-king when Angmar fell. So it is possible that the other Ringwraiths challenged and killed Eärnur , and were defeated and sealed with their leader centuries later.
• When traveling along the mountain pass, Bilbo observes the stone-giants hurling rocks at a distance, "across the valley." Bilbo and his companions take refuge under a hanging rock during the thunderstorm (thunder-battle), but are never involved in the stone-giants' game.
• In the book, it was Bilbo that alerted the party when the trapdoors in the Front Porch open. In the film, the Dwarves realize this just as they fall into the hole.
• In the book, the Goblins only had tunnels, not rope bridges.
• In the book, Bilbo is with the Dwarves when they are taken to the Great Goblin and later rescued by Gandalf. In the film, Bilbo is separated from the group and falls to Gollum's cave before the Dwarves are taken to the Great Goblin.
• In the book The Hobbit , as in the prologue to The Fellowship of the Ring film, Bilbo Baggins finds the One Ring by chance when his hand happens to fall upon it as he is crawling through one of the dark Goblin-town tunnels, well before he comes across Gollum. In this film, Bilbo sees Gollum fighting with a Goblin and we see Gollum drop the Ring during the fight.
• Gollum has six teeth in the book, not nine.
• In the book, when Gollum and Bilbo were playing the game of riddles, the cave was pitch black and Bilbo could only see Gollum's glowing eyes and hear his voice echoing through the walls of the cave. In the film, the cave was partly lit up and Bilbo could see Gollum entirely.
• In the book, Gandalf saves the Dwarves in the goblin cave with a storm of burning smoke and instantly slays the Goblin King with his blade. In the film, the Goblin King is merely knocked aside in this scene (though many of his minions die in the telekinetic blast), and slain later on.
• In the film, Gandalf does not use multi-colored fire when lighting the pine cones.

Extended Edition [ ]

The extended edition of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was released on October 22 , 2013 for digital downloads and November 5 2013 for hard copies. It includes these scenes:

• The introduction. The Elvenking Thranduil is given more screen time. He approaches the throne while Thráin gestures for a Dwarf to show Thranduil a chest of gems. As Thranduil looks entranced and reaches for it, the Dwarf closes the lid. Bard's ancestor Girion is given screen time. He is seen behind his Wind lance attempting to shoot down Smaug during the dragon's attack on Dale .
• Bilbo's introduction to himself. A flashback wherein a young hobbit boy comes running up to Gandalf and plays with him. His mother Belladonna runs after him and acknowledges Gandalf as an old friend.
• After Bilbo meets Gandalf on the front bench, he buys supper from Hobbiton while suspiciously looking around everywhere to make sure Gandalf is not around.
• Kíli glances over to a female Elf in Rivendell and winks at her. Dwalin sees him and Kíli begins making excuses. In one of his excuses, he mistakenly calls another male Elf a female and Dwalin corrects him. The rest of the Dwarves laugh much to Kíli's embarrassment.
• While eating, Nori and Óin complain about the song played by the Elf musicians. Bofur climbs up a platform and begins singing. The other Dwarves join in and start throwing food around. Elrond and Lindir look surprised and angry about Dwarves activities because they start throwing fruit to Elrond, Lindir and Bofur but they say nothing about it.
• Bilbo is wandering around Rivendell during the daytime. He approaches the statue holding the shards of Narsil before a particular painting catches his eye. The painting depicts Isildur about to cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand. Bilbo is particularly interested in the One Ring on Sauron's hand.
• A conversation between Bilbo and Elrond in Rivendell. Elrond also welcomes Bilbo to stay in Rivendell if he wishes.
• Lindir complains to Elrond about the Dwarves' behavior. They find them swimming in a large fountain.
• Gandalf and Elrond further discuss Thorin and Company's quest. Elrond voices his concern of Thorin himself, since both his grandfather and father succumbed to madness. Bilbo and Thorin overhear this conversation.
• At the White Council, Gandalf brings up the fact that the Ring of Power once owned by Thorin's father mysteriously vanished. Saruman dismisses this as it would be of no use since all believe the One Ring was lost long ago.
• A new song from the goblin king and longer interrogation.

Bilbo in Rivendell with the Dwarves

• Guillermo del Toro was originally on board to direct, but bowed out due to "ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming."
• When it appeared Martin Freeman would not be available to play Bilbo in The Hobbit film trilogy due to scheduling conflicts with the BBC television series Sherlock , other actors such as James McAvoy and Tobey Maguire were considered. A false rumour was spread online that David Tennant was considered, but both Tennant and Jackson denied this. Tennant was actually considered for (and offered) the role of Thranduil but had to turn it down when his girlfriend discovered she was pregnant.
• Ryan Gage was originally cast to play Drogo Baggins , father of Frodo Baggins . According to Peter Jackson , "Ryan is a great young actor who we originally cast in a small role, but we liked him so much, we promoted him to the much larger Alfrid part."
• This is the only film in both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies in which Legolas makes no appearance.
• The scene when Bilbo first puts on the Ring is very similar to the scene in The Fellowship of the Ring where Frodo puts on the Ring in The Prancing Pony .
• The filmmakers titled the project Little Rivers to aid in hiding the film's identity.
• When a Giant Eagle grabs Thorin's unconscious body, his oak-log shield falls off his arm and is permanently left behind.
• This was both the last film not distributed by Disney, Universal or Paramount and the last film distributed by Warner Bros . to gross $1 billion until the release of Aquaman in 2018.

Gallery [ ]

Translations [ ]

References [ ].

• ↑ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903624/
• ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Lord of the Rings , Appendix B
• ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings , Appendix A (I, iv).

External links [ ]

• Official site of The Hobbit films
• Trailer for the movie
• Differences between the book and the film
• Lord of the Rings
• 3 Celebrimbor

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

• A reluctant Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, sets out to the Lonely Mountain with a spirited group of dwarves to reclaim their mountain home and the gold within it from the dragon Smaug.
• Bilbo Baggins is swept into a quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever ... Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum's "precious" ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities ... A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know. — Production
• Once upon a time, the Kingdom of Erebor in the Lonely Mountain was taken from the dwarfs by the evil dragon Smaug. One day, the young Hobbit Bilbo Baggins is unexpectedly visited by the wizard Gandalf the Grey and twelve homeless dwarfs led by their former king Thorin and decided to vanquish Smaug and recover Erebor and their treasure. Bilbo joins the company in an unexpected journey through dangerous lands of the Middle-Earth where they have to fight against Trolls, Orcs and other magic creatures. Bilbo also meets the Gollum and finds his lost magic ring. — Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• A well mannered Hobbit named Bilbo Baggins, embarks upon a journey to take back a kingdom, and a very important jewel ,with twelve dwarves, and a wizard named Gandalf the Grey. Halfway throughout the journey, Bilbo embarks upon a magic golden ring, which he stole, or earned from Gollum.
• With his days of adventure and excitement nearly forgotten, the now 111-year-old Bilbo Baggins, has finally settled down for a more conventional, comfortable--and above all--safe way of living in his beloved green Shire. Almost sixty years before the formation of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) , a knock at Bilbo's door from the wise Gandalf the Grey and an assortment of uncontrollable Dwarves led by King Thorin II Oakenshield prepared the ground for an unexpected quest to help them reclaim their homeland, Erebor. As the Lonely Mountain was taken over by the gargantuan gold-loving dragon, Smaug, this unlikely company would face challenge upon challenge that would later seal the fate of the entire Middle-earth. — Nick Riganas
• Approaching his 111th birthday, the hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) begins writing down the full story of his adventure 60 years earlier for the benefit of his nephew Frodo. Long before Bilbo's involvement, the Dwarf king Thror (Jeffrey Thomas) brings an era of prosperity to his kin under the Lonely Mountain until the arrival of the dragon Smaug. Thror had a precious diamond (the heart of the mountain) and untold riches of gold that had led his city to prosperity. This drew the dragon Smaug to it, as dragons covet gold with a deep desire. Destroying the nearby town of Dale, Smaug drives the Dwarves out of their mountain and takes their hoard of gold. The dragon then sets base in the Lonely Mountain & drives all the dwarfs out. Thror's grandson Thorin (Richard Armitage) sees King Thranduil and his Wood-elves on a nearby hillside and is dismayed when they take their leave rather than aid his people, resulting in Thorin's everlasting hatred of Elves. The dwarfs were scattered all over the Middle Earth. Prince Thranduil took work wherever he could find it, mostly in the city of men. In the Shire, young Bilbo is tricked by the wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) into hosting a party for Thorin and his company of dwarfs: Balin (Ken Stott), Dwalin (Graham McTavish), Fili (Dean O'Gorman), Kili (Aidan Turner), Dori (Mark Hadlow), Nori (Jed Brophy), Ori (Adam Brown), Oin (John Callen), Gloin (Peter Hambleton), Bifur (William Kircher), Bofur (James Nesbitt), and Bombur (Stephen Hunter). Gandalf's aim is to recruit Bilbo as the company's "burglar" to aid them in their quest to enter the Lonely Mountain. Thorin believes that the time is right for Smaug's reign to end. He knows that others have read the signs too. So, he has assembled the company of Dwarfs along with Gandalf to recover the lost treasure of Erebor for his people. Bilbo is unwilling to accept at first but has a change of heart after they leave without him. On their journey, Balin tells Bilbo that once Erebor was lost to Smaug, Thror tried to reclaim the dwarf city of Moria, but it had already been taken over by a legion of Orcs. The Orcs were led by the vilest of Orc, Azog the defiler (Manu Bennett). Azog killed Thror & had sworn to kill Thorin, making Orcs the sworn enemy of dwarfs for all eternity. Thorin cuts offs Azog arm in the same battle & rallies his troops to a famous victory over the Orcs. Traveling onward, the company is captured by three trolls. Bilbo stalls the trolls from eating them until dawn, when Gandalf exposes the trolls to sunlight, which turns them to stone. They search the trolls' cave and find treasure and Elven blades. Thorin and Gandalf each take an Elf-made blade-Orcrist and Glamdring, respectively-with the latter finding an Elven short sword, which he gives to Bilbo. The company encounters the wizard Radagast the Brown (Sylvester McCoy) (Radagast & Gandalf are 2 of the 5 wizards in Middle earth, led by Saruman the white), who tells them of an encounter at Dol Guldur with a Necromancer that has been corrupting Greenwood with dark magic. A Necromancer is an evil spirit with powers to interact with the underworld. The Necromancer had attacked Radagast at Dol Guldur, but Radagast escaped. While escaping, he picks a strange blade from Dol Guldur that is not from the land of the living. The company is then chased by orcs on Wargs. Radagast covers the company's escape as Gandalf leads the company through a stone passage to Rivendell. There the company is rescued by Elves who chase the Orgs away. Thorin is dead against asking for any help from Elves, but Gandalf convinces him. There, Elf Lord Elrond (Hugo Weaving) 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, which is fast approaching. Gandalf later tells the White Council-consisting of Elrond, Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) and Saruman the White (Christopher Lee) about his involvement with the Dwarves. He presents a Morgul-blade Radagast obtained from Dol Guldur as a sign that the Necromancer is linked to the Witch-king of Angmar and may attempt to use Smaug for his evil purposes. Saruman is skeptical, not believing the Necromancer to be a true threat. Galadriel knows that Angmar used to serve the evil lord Sauron. Sauron & his armies were defeated 400 years ago & there has been peace in middle earth. She believes that the riddle of the Necromancer must be resolved as it is hiding an evil that has not yet revealed itself. Galadriel thinks that the council should assemble an army to counter the impending threat, but Gandalf re-iterates his faith in the deeds of everyday ordinary folk to keep evil at bay. The leader of the Orc pack returns to his base & it is revealed that Azog is still alive & is baying for Thorin's blood. Without Gandalf, the company journeys into the Misty Mountains, where they find themselves amid a colossal battle between stone giants. They take refuge in a cave and are captured by Goblins, who take them to their leader, the Great Goblin (Barry Humphries). Bilbo becomes separated from the dwarfs and falls into a cave where he encounters Gollum (Andy Serkis), who accidentally drops a golden ring while killing a stray goblin to eat. Pocketing the ring, Bilbo finds himself confronted by Gollum. They play a riddle game, wagering that Bilbo will be shown the way out if he wins or eaten by Gollum if he loses. Bilbo eventually wins by asking Gollum what he has in his pocket. Noticing his ring is lost, Gollum suspects that Bilbo possesses it and attacks the hobbit. Bilbo discovers that the ring grants him invisibility and evades a furious Gollum. Bilbo finds his way out into the sunlight where the Gollum can't follow. Gollum curses Baggins & vows to hate all Baggins forever. Meanwhile, the Great Goblin reveals to the dwarfs that Azog, an Orc war-chief who beheaded Thror and lost his forearm to Thorin in battle outside the Dwarven kingdom of Moria, has placed a bounty on Thorin's head. Gandalf arrives and leads the dwarfs in an escape, killing the Great Goblin. Bilbo, sparing the pursuing Gollum, exits the mountain and rejoins the company, keeping secret his newly obtained ring. The company is ambushed by Azog and his hunting party and takes refuge in trees. Thorin charges Azog but is knocked to the ground. Bilbo saves Thorin from the orcs just as the company is rescued by eagles, who fly them to the safety of the Carrock. In the distance, the company sees the Lonely Mountain, where the sleeping Smaug is awakened by the knocking sound of a thrush.

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Movie Review

Bilbo Begins His Ring Cycle

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By A.O. Scott

• Dec. 13, 2012

In “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” Peter Jackson’s adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s first Middle-earth fantasy novel, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) sets out with the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and a posse of dwarfs to battle a fearsome dragon. [Spoiler alert] they do not kill the dragon, although [spoiler alert] they eventually will, within the next 18 months or so, because [spoiler alert] this “Hobbit,” which is [migraine alert] 170 minutes, is the first installment in [film critic suicide-watch alert] a trilogy .

What’s that old saying so memorably garbled by a recent president? Fool me twice — won’t get fooled again! This is not to say that Mr. Jackson is a con man. On the contrary: He is a visionary, an entrepreneur, a job creator in his native New Zealand. And his “Lord of the Rings” movies, the last of which opened nine years ago, remain a mighty modern gesamtkunstwerk , a grand Wagnerian blend of pop-culture mythology and digital magic now available for easy, endless viewing in your living room.

“The Lord of the Rings” was the work of a filmmaker perfectly in tune with his source material. Its too-muchness — the encyclopedic detail, the pseudoscholarly exposition, the soaring allegory, the punishing length — was as much a product of Tolkien’s literary sensibility as of Mr. Jackson’s commitment to cinematic maximalism. These were three films to rule them all, and they conjured an imaginary world of remarkable complexity and coherence. This voyage, which takes place 60 years before Frodo’s great quest, is not nearly as captivating.

Part of this has to do with tone. The “Rings” trilogy, much of which was written during World War II, is a dark, monumental epic of Good and Evil in conflict, whereas “The Hobbit,” first published in 1937 (and later revised), is a more lighthearted book, an adventure story whose comical and fairy-tale elements are very much in the foreground.

The comparative playfulness of the novel could have made this “Hobbit” movie a lot of fun, but over the years Mr. Jackson seems to have shed most of the exuberant, gleefully obnoxious whimsy that can be found in early films like “Meet the Feebles” and “Dead Alive.” A trace of his impish old spirit survives in some of the creature designs in “The Hobbit” — notably a gelatinous and gigantic Great Goblin and an encampment of cretinous, Three-Stooges-like trolls — but Tolkien’s inventive, episodic tale of a modest homebody on a dangerous journey has been turned into an overscale and plodding spectacle.

Also, not to be pedantic or anything, but “The Hobbit” is just one book, and its expansion into three movies feels arbitrary and mercenary. This installment takes Bilbo and his companions, led by the exiled dwarf king Thorin (Richard Armitage), son of Thrain, through a series of encounters with orcs, elves, trolls and other beings, some scarier or more charming than others. The only character who manages to be a bit of both is the incomparable Gollum, once again incarnated by Andy Serkis in what remains an unmatched feat of computer-assisted performance.

The meeting between Bilbo and Gollum, which takes place in a vast, watery subterranean cavern, is the one fully enchanted piece of “An Unexpected Journey.” It’s a funny, haunting and curiously touching moment that summons the audience to a state of quiet, eager attentiveness. Even if you aren’t aware of the apocalyptic importance of Gollum’s precious ring, you feel that a lot is at stake here: Bilbo’s life and integrity; Gollum’s corroded soul; the fate of Middle-earth itself.

If only some of that feeling animated the rest of the movie. There are, of course, plenty of shots of noble characters turning their eyes portentously toward the horizon, and much talk of honor, betrayal and the rightful sovereignty of dwarfs over their dragon-occupied mountain. But it all sounds remarkably hollow, perhaps because the post-“Lord of the Rings” decade has seen a flood of lavish and self-serious fantasy-movie franchises. We have heard so many weird proper names intoned in made-up tongues, witnessed so many embodiments of pure evil rise and fall and seen so many fine British actors in beards and flowing robes that we may be too jaded for “The Hobbit,” in spite of its noble pedigree.

But I don’t mean to blame the cultural situation for the specific failings of the movie, which rises to weary, belated mediocrity entirely on its own steam. Mr. Jackson has embraced what might be called theme-park-ride cinema, the default style of commercially anxious, creatively impoverished 3-D moviemaking. The action sequences are exercises in empty, hectic kineticism, with very little sense of peril or surprise. Characters go hurtling down chutes and crumbling mountainsides or else exert themselves in chaotic battles with masses of roaring, rampaging pixels.

It seems harder and harder to bring any real novelty or excitement to this kind of thing, though it is not clear how much Mr. Jackson really tries. (“Giants! Stone giants!” someone cries, and a couple of mountains dutifully slug it out.) When the initial rush of a chase or a skirmish dissipates, you are left with the slightly ripped-off feeling of having been here before, but with different costumes, in a “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie or “Clash of the Titans.”

And near the end, when giant birds arrive to pull “The Hobbit” out of the squall and muck of tedious combat, your pleasure at this soaring aerial tour of New Zealand may be accompanied by a shrug of recognition, since the flight plan retraces the routes of “Avatar” and “How to Train Your Dragon.”

“The Hobbit” is being released in both standard 3-D and in a new, 48-frames-per-second format, which brings the images to an almost hallucinatory level of clarity. This is most impressive and also most jarring at the beginning, when a jolly dwarf invasion of Bilbo’s home turns into a riot of gluttonous garden gnomes.

Over all, though, the shiny hyper-reality robs Middle-earth of some of its misty, archaic atmosphere, turning it into a gaudy high-definition tourist attraction. But of course it will soon be overrun with eager travelers, many of whom are likely to find the journey less of an adventure than they had expected.

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). Mass slaughter of digital monsters.

Follow A. O. Scott on Twitter, @aoscott , and watch The Sweet Spot , with A. O. Scott and David Carr on culture and criticism.

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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

Directed by peter jackson.

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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is a 2012 epic high fantasy adventure 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 Hobbit trilogy is the first instalment in acting as a prequel to Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

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Movie Reviews

A 'hobbit,' off on his unhurried journey.

Bob Mondello

Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) takes a fantastic adventure across Middle-earth in Peter Jackson's prequel to his Lord of the Rings trilogy. James Fisher/Warner Bros. Pictures hide caption

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

• Director: Peter Jackson
• Genre: Fantasy
• Running time: 169 minutes

With: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage

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'Funeral Arrangements'

Credit: Warner Brothers Pictures

'Cut The Ropes'

'I'm A Hobbit'

'At Your Service'

The Hobbit 's path to the screen may have started out as tortuous as a trek through the deadly Helcaraxe, filled with detours (Guillermo del Toro was initially going to direct), marked by conflict (New Zealand labor disputes) and strewn with seemingly insurmountable obstacles (so many that the filmmakers threatened to move the shoot to Australia).

But with Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy having taken in almost $3 billion at the box office, there was never any real doubt that J.R.R. Tolkien's remaining Middle-earth fantasy would ultimately become a film — or, as it happens, three of them.

In that sense, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey isn't "unexpected" at all, though between its lighter tone and a decade's worth of improvements in digital film techniques, there should be enough of a novelty factor to delight most fans.

After a sequence that recounts the eviction of the dwarves from their Lonely Mountain kingdom by the treasure-coveting dragon Smaug, Jackson takes us to the Shire, 60 years before the Rings cycle. Frodo's adopted Uncle Bilbo, played by LOTR 's Ian Holm in a framing sequence and by a smartly cast Martin Freeman thereafter, is a comparative youngster, while Gandalf (Ian McKellen) looks as old as the New Zealand hills.

"I'm looking for someone," says the wizard, "to share in an adventure."

Bilbo says no way, but that night, dwarfs start showing up at his door. First one, who eats his dinner; then another, who raids his pantry; then lots more. They are a boisterous bunch — not seven dwarfs, but 13, all with alarming facial hair and all hell-bent on taking back their homeland — right after they 1) get acquainted, 2) have dinner, 3)attend to some paperwork and 4) sing a couple of songs.

You'll sense that there's a bit of padding going on here. Although Tolkien's novel The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, is shorter than any one of the three books that make up Lord of the Rings , it's being turned all by itself into three new movies. So where the challenge in LOTR was to condense and reduce and condense again, the challenge here is to include every syllable, plus an appendix or two to boot.

In this first film — which covers just six book chapters in close to three hours — the filmmakers are reduced to detailing troll recipes and staging a hedgehog rescue. They also, happily, make much of an encounter with the one little dude who makes any trek to Middle-earth worthwhile: Gollum.

Actor Andy Serkis plus motion-capture still equals the most memorable character in all of 21st century film. Here, though the surrounding story tends toward boisterous high spirits befitting the material's origins in a child-friendly book, Gollum is insidious — even dangerous. The high-stakes game of questions he plays with Bilbo is the one moment when this movie can't be dismissed as Lord of the Rings -lite.

It wouldn't be a Tolkien adventure without dwarfs like Bombur (Stephen Hunter, left), Ori (Adam Brown) and Dori (Mark Hadlow). Warner Bros. Pictures hide caption

Still, even if it's mostly technology this time rather than story that's providing the depth, there is a new feel to reckon with. Director Jackson takes to 3-D like an orc to battle, turning an escape from a cave full of goblins into a plunge inside a Rube Goldberg contraption — the camera soaring one way as our heroes careen another, across spindly wooden bridges that sway and collapse in a choreographed frenzy. Waves of goblins swinging in on ropes get turned into pinwheels, giant logs become pinball flippers flicking them right and left, all in a new process that doubles the number of frames per second, making even the fastest action clear, smooth and stutter-free.

Does that high frame rate also make slower scenes look too real — not orcs and dwarfs, but actors in makeup? Well, if you're worried about that, you have a record six viewing options for The Hobbit : the usual standard format and 3-D format, plus IMAX and 3-D IMAX, the new high-frame-rate 3-D, and high-frame-rate 3-D-IMAX. So you can choose how "realistic" you want your fantasy world.

Just remember that all that's really required for willing suspension of disbelief is an army of the willing. An army that is already, a day before the opening, lining up at your local multiplex.

Recently, we've done several changes to help out this wiki, from deleting empty pages, improving the navigation, adding a rules page, as well as merging film infoboxes.

You can check out the latest overhauls that we have done on this wiki so far, as well as upcoming updates in our announcement post here .

• Adventure films
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• Films with screenplays by Guillermo del Toro
• Films with screenplays by Peter Jackson
• Films with screenplays by Fran Walsh
• Films with screenplays by Philippa Boyens
• Treasure hunt films
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• Films directed by Peter Jackson
• Films based on British novels
• Films based on works by J. R. R. Tolkien
• Films starring Hugo Weaving
• Rated TV-14
• Films starring Ian McKellen
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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The story is set in Middle-earth sixty years before the 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 the Grey (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 James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Cate Blanchett, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Elijah Wood and Andy Serkis, and features Sylvester McCoy, Barry Humphries and Manu Bennett.

An Unexpected Journey premiered on November 28, 2012 in New Zealand and was released internationally on December 12, 2012. The film has grossed over $1 billion at the box office, surpassing both The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Desolation of Smaug and The Battle of the Five Armies , becoming the highest-grossing movie of The Hobbit franchise, the fourth highest-grossing film of 2012, the second highest-grossing entry in the Middle-earth Saga and the 18th highest grossing film of all time and the 7th fantasy film to reach the $1 billion mark. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects, Best Production Design, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling. It was also nominated for three BAFTA Awards.

An Unexpected Journey was also nominated for nine Saturn Awards, winning one for Best Production Design.

• 4.1 Critical reception
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Approaching his 111th birthday, the hobbit Bilbo Baggins begins writing down the full story of his adventure 60 years earlier for the benefit of his nephew Frodo. Long before Bilbo's involvement, the Dwarf king Thrór brings an era of prosperity for his kin under the Lonely Mountain until the arrival of the dragon Smaug. Destroying the nearby town of Dale, Smaug drives the Dwarves out of their mountain and takes their hoard of gold. Thrór's grandson Thorin sees King Thranduil and his Wood-elves on a nearby hillside, and is dismayed when they take their leave rather than aid his people, resulting in Thorin's everlasting hatred of Elves.

In the Shire, 50-year-old Bilbo is tricked by the wizard Gandalf the Grey into hosting a party for Thorin and his company of dwarves: Balin, Dwalin, Fíli, Kíli, Dori, Nori, Ori, Óin, Glóin, Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur. Gandalf's aim is to recruit Bilbo as the company's "burglar" to aid them in their quest to enter the Lonely Mountain. Bilbo is unwilling to accept at first but has a change of heart after the company leaves without him. Travelling onward, the company is captured by three trolls. Bilbo stalls the trolls from eating them until dawn. Gandalf exposes the trolls to sunlight turning them to stone. They search the trolls' cave and find treasure and Elven blades. Thorin and Gandalf each take an Elf-made blade—Orcrist and Glamdring, respectively. Gandalf also finds an elven shortsword ("Sting"), which he gives to Bilbo.

The company meets the wizard Radagast the Brown, who tells them of an encounter at Dol Guldur with the Necromancer, a sorcerer who has been corrupting Greenwood with dark magic. The company is then chased by orcs on wargs. Radagast covers the company's escape as Gandalf leads the company through a stone 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 later approaches the White Council—consisting of Elrond, Galadriel and Saruman the White—about his involvement with the dwarves. He also presents a Morgul blade Radagast obtained from Dol Guldur as a sign that the Necromancer is linked to the Witch-king of Angmar, despite Saruman's skepticism. When Saruman presses concern to the more present matter of the dwarves and Smaug, requesting that Gandalf put an end to the quest, Gandalf secretly reveals to Galadriel he had anticipated this and had the dwarves move forward on their quest without him.

The company journeys into the Misty Mountains where they find themselves amid a colossal battle between stone giants. They take refuge in a cave and are captured by Goblins, who take them to their leader, the Great Goblin. Bilbo becomes separated from the dwarves and falls into a cave where he encounters Gollum, who accidentally drops a golden ring while killing a stray goblin to eat. Pocketing the ring, Bilbo finds himself confronted by Gollum. They play a riddle game, wagering that Bilbo will be shown the way out if he wins or eaten by Gollum if he loses. Bilbo eventually wins by asking Gollum what he has in his pocket. Noticing his ring is lost, Gollum suspects that Bilbo possesses it and attacks him. Bilbo discovers that the ring grants him invisibility, but when he has a chance to kill Gollum, Bilbo spares his life and escapes while Gollum curses the hobbit.

Meanwhile, the Great Goblin reveals to the dwarves that Azog, an Orc war-chief who beheaded Thrór and lost his forearm to Thorin in battle outside the Dwarven kingdom of Moria, has placed a bounty on Thorin's head. Gandalf arrives and leads the dwarves in an escape and kills the Great Goblin. Bilbo exits the mountain and rejoins the company, keeping secret his newly obtained ring. The company is ambushed by Azog and his hunting party, and takes refuge in trees. Thorin charges at Azog, but is knocked unconscious and left defenseless on the ground. Bilbo saves Thorin from the orcs just as the company is rescued by eagles. They escape to the safety of the Carrock where Gandalf is able to revive Thorin, who renounces his previous disdain for Bilbo after being saved by him. In the distance, the company sees the Lonely Mountain, where the sleeping Smaug is awakened by the knocking sound of a thrush.

• Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey
• Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins
• Richard Armitage as Thorin II Oakenshield
• Ken Stott as Balin
• Graham McTavish as Dwalin
• William Kircher as Bifur
• James Nesbitt as Bofur
• Stephen Hunter as Bombur
• Dean O'Gorman as Fili
• Aidan Turner as Kili
• John Callen as Oin
• Peter Hambleton as Gloin
• Jed Brophy as Nori
• Mark Hadlow as Dori
• Adam Brown as Ori
• Ian Holm as Old Bilbo
• Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins
• Hugo Weaving as Elrond
• Cate Blanchett as Galadriel
• Christopher Lee as Saruman
• Andy Serkis as Gollum
• Sylvester McCoy as Radagast
• Barry Humphries as Great Goblin
• Jeffrey Thomas as Thror
• Mike Mizrahi as Thrain
• Lee Pace as Thranduil
• Manu Bennett as Azog the Defiler
• Conan Stevens as Bolg
• John Rawls as Yazneg
• Stephen Ure as Fimbul & Grinnah
• William Kircher as Tom Troll
• Mark Hadlow as Bert Troll
• Peter Hambleton as William Troll
• Bret McKenzie as Lindir
• Jared Blakiston as Musical Elf
• Andrew Fitzsimons as Elf
• Branden Casey & Cameron Jones as Thranduil's Lieutenants
• Kiran Shah as Goblin Scribe
• Benedict Cumberbatch as the Necromancer
• Thomas Robins as Young Thrain
• Timothy Bartlett as Master Worrywort
• Luke Evans as Girion

Gallery [ ]

Trailer [ ]

Critical reception [ ]

The film received positive reviews, with critics praising the film itself, particulary for its visuals, Peter Jackson's return to Middle-earth and the performances of the cast, especially that of Martin Freeman, but criticized it for its long running time of 169 minutes. The film holds a rating of 64% "Fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes, while the film received mixed reviews on Metacritic with a rating of 58 out of 100.

Related Links [ ]

• One Wiki To Rule Them All (LOTR Wiki)
• Feature on the 2012 Moviepedia Film Guide
• 1 XXX: Return of Xander Cage

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The hobbit: an unexpected journey (hbo).

: Bilbo Baggins is swept into an epic quest to reclaim Erebor with the help of Gandalf the Grey and 13 Dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield.

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The adventure follows Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim Erebor with the help of Gandalf the Grey and 13 Dwarves led by the legendary warrior Thorin Oakenshield.

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Starring: Ian Mckellen , Martin Freeman , Richard Armitage

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