The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

Based on the book by JRR Tolkien, and serving as a prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy from the early 2000s, this film - the first part of a trilogy - tells the story of Bilbo Baggins and his earlier adventures with a band of dwarves.

Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) lives in a hole under the ground in Hobbiton known as Bag End.

After an unexpected visit from a group of dwarves - led by their leader Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), Bilbo hears of a plot by the dwarves to retrieve their gold from their ancestral home in the Lonely Mountain where it is guarded by a dragon called Smaug.

At first, Bilbo is reluctant to join the team, but after being encouraged by Gandalf the wizard (Ian McKellen), he decides to sit out with them.

Along the way they encounter many obstacles, which readers of the book will no doubt be familiar with.

Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman).

As mentioned, this film is the first film in a trilogy directed by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson.

The screenplay - by Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson & Guillermo del Toro - is based not only on Tolkien’s book, but on other supporting material describing the history of Middle Earth at the time, bringing together the entire story in a way that is true not only to the original source text but to the environment of Middle Earth at that time.

Howard Shore's music is once again transcendent. He uses leitmotifs again, in a similar way to what he did in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, to bring together a fully realised and unified score that feels almost operatic in its scope and its function.

Gandalf (Ian McKellen).

The cinematography by Andrew Lesnie is also superb. This film, as with its predecessors, was shot entirely in New Zealand, a country with some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. Lesnies use of light, dark, shadow, and contrast is virtually second-to-none.

The production design - by Dan Hennah - and costume design - by Bob Buck, Ann Maskrey and Richard Taylor - also work together in this film, as they often do in a lot of films, to transport the reader to a different place and time.

It is however the prop and weapon construction - and even incorporating set dressing - that shines above the rest. The attention to detail by Richard Taylor and his team at Weta Workshop is so fantastic that everything seen on screen conveys so much information regarding the races and culture of the people of Middle Earth.

Thorin Oakinshield (Richard Armitage).

The performances of the cast are absolutely superb. A particular standout is Martin Freeman in the lead role of Bilbo Baggins. Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf, a role he is by this point accustomed to and familiar with. Yet in this film, we see a different side to Gandalf then we have seen in the past.

Director Peter Jackson has made a visually breathtaking and emotionally stirring piece of cinema here, which he would then follow up with the second and third installments of the trilogy.

9 out of 10.