The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

"Despite benefiting from the world-establishing goodwill generated by the Lord of the Rings movies, this film stands ably on its own, offering up generous piles of large scale fantasy underscored by genuine emotional heft and boundary-pushing visuals."

"Fulfilling just a fraction of Tolkien's There and Back Again subtitle, The Hobbit alternately rewards and abuses auds' appetite for all things Middle-earth."

"An overscale and plodding spectacle."

"Jackson has made it with brio and fun, and Martin Freeman is just right as Bilbo Baggins: he plays it with understatement and charm."

"Solid and acceptable instead of soaring and exceptional."

"A faltering first hour blossoms into a glorious adventure saga."

"Elements in this new film that are as spectacular as much of the Rings trilogy, but there is much that is flat-footed and tedious as well, especially in the early going."

"Plays younger and lighter than Fellowship and its follow-ups, but does right by the faithful and has a strength in Martin Freeman’s Bilbo that may yet see this trilogy measure up to the last one. There is treasure here."

"At its best, it recaptures the Rings movies' breadth, detail, and staggering sense of beauty."