"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"

For a Saturday night, I'd consider a trip to the movie theater to definitely be an unexpected journey. However, that's not the point of this post, because while my harrowing trek to the cinema was very much a real journey, I'm sure people are more interested in hearing my thoughts on the classic, though very much fictional, prequel to Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. It also happens to be, first and foremost, a screen translation from the pages of J.R.R. Tolkien. Yes, it was also a book. Just wanted to make sure I reinforce that point.

Okay, back to the movie. I grew up reading the classic books and also grew up in a household of Star Wars fans, which I somehow parallel to Lord of the Rings (there are fans of both franchises that I definitely just offended with that comparison, so I want to quickly just send out a sweeping apology). I enjoyed the acting of Elijah Wood and Orlando Bloom. I even thought that guy from The Matrix was pretty awesome. I was a fan.

Bring in another movie to the franchise, and I was ready for it. Here's what I've got for you. Though a lengthy film, the plot was at least somewhat engaging though not as good as the other films, the special effects were realistic enough for non-realistic situations (but not as cool as the other films), and that guy from The Matrix was still pretty awesome.