Metacritic Movie Ratings
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Reviews

A sample of reviews from critics across the country.

• 83

  out of 100

  Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum

  I'm holding the filmmaker responsible for getting us all back again - to feelings of excitement and delight. Vital as they are, Gollum and Bilbo can only do so much to keep us enchanted. Is Jackson able to sustain the magic in two more installments? I peer into Tolkien's Misty Mountains and embrace the journey.

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• 75

  out of 100

  ReelViewsJames Berardinelli

  It isn't as delirious a journey as we experienced a decade ago, but it's still filled with wonder, monsters, and thrills.

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• 70

  out of 100

  Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern

  An overlong adventure enlivened by wonders.

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• 63

  out of 100

  USA TodayClaudia Puig

  While the production design is impeccable and the journey intermittently involving, The Hobbit is overlong and lacks the enchantment of the Lord of the Rings films.

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• 60

  out of 100

  VarietyPeter Debruge

  Jackson and his team seem compelled to flesh out the world of their earlier trilogy in scenes that would be better left to extended-edition DVDs (or omitted entirely), all but failing to set up a compelling reason for fans to return for the second installment.

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• 60

  out of 100

  The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthy

  A purist's delight, something the millions of die-hard fans of his Lord of the Rings trilogy will gorge upon. In pure movie terms, however, it's also a bit of a slog, with an inordinate amount of exposition and lack of strong forward movement...There are elements in this new film that are as spectacular as much of the Rings trilogy was, but there is much that is flat-footed and tedious as well, especially in the early going.

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• 50

  out of 100

  TimeRichard Corliss

  The movie lacks majesty. Grand in parts, the movie is too often grandiose or grandiloquent; and the running time is indefensible.

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• 50

  out of 100

  Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan

  The result is a film that is solid and acceptable instead of soaring and exceptional, one unnecessarily hampered in its quest to reach the magical heights of the trilogy.

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• 50

  out of 100

  Village Voice

  At any speed, the movie only springs to full life late in the day, during the first meeting of Bilbo and the tragic creature who will come to be known as Gollum (once again played by the sublime Andy Serkis).

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• 50

  out of 100

  The New York TimesA.O. Scott

  Tolkien's inventive, episodic tale of a modest homebody on a dangerous journey has been turned into an overscale and plodding spectacle.

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