Eleven years ago, Peter Jackson, with the help of New Line Cinema, did the impossible. He took J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings Trilogy and brought it to life. Taking a group of mostly low-profile character actors and an unproven visual effects team, he did the unprecedented - made three films in one back to back moment and turned the beloved books into classical legends.

It’s hard to look back now and think about how those films weren’t supposed to work. Even now, I wonder how different the world of film would be if Jackson had failed. Would we have 2 hour plus epic films in theaters every week? Would dramatically accurate adaptations to known properties still be taken as seriously by movie studios? It’s an interesting thing to ponder. But as many wanted when The Return of the King was released in 2003, Peter Jackson has returned to the world of Middle-Earth (after a long and difficult journey there) to give us how the story began - The Hobbit.

The Hobbit was the first release in the Middle-Earth saga, published originally in 1937. Originally set for a trilogy with two other Lord of the Rings films in 1995, the Rings trilogy quickly became the focus. But after the success of the three films, and some impressive legal wrangling, The Hobbit was set in late 2007 as two films - to release in December 2011 and 2012 respectively. A flirtation with Guillermo Del Toro as director (his credit remains on the final screenplay) lead to the eventual return of Peter Jackson as director, a delay to 2012 for the first film, and over the summer, the expansion into a new Hobbit trilogy.

But as dramatic and exciting as this was for the fans - at the end of the day, it’s about the film. And today, the first film, An Unexpected Journey hit cinemas. Set 60 years before Fellowship of the Ring, it’s the tale of Bilbo Baggins (played here by Martin Freeman of Sherlock, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and The Office fame) as he went from a gentle hobbit to an adventurer of legend.

The die is cast as the story thrusts us into the legendary past of the dwarves of Middle-Earth - their kingdom in Erebor lost due to the strike of a powerful dragon named Smaug. The dwarves persevere on, although spread among the world, and a plan is hatched by wizard Gandalf the Grey (the returning Ian McKellen) and rightful dwarf heir, Thorin Oakenshield to take back the Lonely Mountain of Erebor and allow the dwarves to reclaim their history.

How does a simple hobbit become involved, you ask? Gandalf has always known Bilbo, since Bilbo was a child, and remembers him as a hobbit with a heart for adventure - and tells the dwarf party (13 gregarious dwarves strong) that Bilbo would make a perfect burglar to top off their team. This is a journey that will send him all across Middle-Earth, and after some indecision he joins them, and with that, we are off and running.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has a lot of weight on its shoulders. Following an undeniable classic trilogy and having to setup a new one is a lot to do - but don’t worry, this won’t have you wishing that Peter Jackson never revisited this world. While the movie (and presumably the series) is much lighter hearted than the Lord of the Rings Trilogy was, you still enjoy. From the first shot of the kingdom of Erebor to the final shot of this film, you are riveted. It’s amazing how transfixed you can become into a fantasy world when you are guided from a master filmmaker. WETA Digital truly shines here, with amazing environments and photo-real creatures mingling with human actors, with only the Uncanny Valley separating them. Hobbits, Elves, Trolls, Dwarves, Giants and more come to life before your eyes in a more joyous way than the Rings trilogy, which could be dour at times.

That said, the film isn’t perfect. At a nearly three hour running time, this shorter story turned dramatically longer sags under its own weight at times. Entire sequences feel unnecessary - the council in Rivendale could have been excised, I feel - and there are many moments where you’re anticipating the “To Be Continued” to arrive. Luckily, this is countered by some solid action beats, including the story of Thorin becoming “Oakenshield”, a madcap battle through the Goblin Cave, and a personal favorite, a fight between rock giants.

Performances in the film are mostly solid - the returning Lord of the Rings cast members deliver just as you’d like, and Martin Freeman is absolutely perfect in his role of Bilbo Baggins - he almost feels like an old hand in Middle-Earth, just as you’d want him to. Sadly, for such a large portion of the cast, the Dwarves aren’t truly fleshed out. They’re given some minor character traits (He’s fat! He’s goofy! He’s old!) and for as solid as Richard Armitage is as Thorin Oakenshield, he feels a bit like Aragorn-lite here. I must make note of Sylvester McCoy’s turn as Radagast the Brown - he is absolutely ridiculous, almost as if he’s from a much more dangerous and subversive film, and I hope we get more of him in the rest of the trilogy (if not the extended versions as well). Performances remain key to the series, of course, as for as much as I enjoyed the action mentioned above, I found the most riveting scene to be the meeting of Bilbo and Gollum (played here again by Andy Serkis, who is SUCH a joy to watch in the role).

If the movie has a flaw it is this - much of the drama is removed from the film simply because you know exactly how certain situations will play out. Its as if we’re now getting Harry Potter Years 1-3 after the dramatic success of 4-7. While drama can be built and certain moments absolutely hit, a certain amount of wind is gone from the sails.

All of that being said, at the end of the day, even though you know its destination, I feel that The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey remains a journey worth taking. Grab your family this weekend and go on an adventure.

Worth mentioning - I saw the film in 2D, 24 Frames Per Second, so I cannot speak to how good or bad the 3D or the much hyped higher frame rate turned out. The movie was shot digitally, so there is some of the digital funkiness found here, but overall, everything looked great.