The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Wow. WOW.
Okay, to get this out of the way--Not a fan of 48FPS. Luckily, you'll mostly forget about it after the first ten minutes or so.
Growing up with Canadian TV, it reminded me very much of watching Littlest Hobo or Road to Avonlea. It's very much like watching a live show on a screen, if that makes sense....the rain doesn't touch the actors during the scenes! O.o

The movie itself is AMAZING. It's all I'd hoped it would be and more.
It's exactly like coming home again.
Freeman IS Bilbo. I was so worried because I really only see him as Arthur Dent or Watson...but he's the PERFECT Bilbo.

The beginning scenes are epic and amazing.
The first scenes in the Shire are quietly touching.
The troll scene is hilarious, the dwarfs are perfect and endearing (especially Aidan Turner, who has quite a few scenes!), but Andy Serkis as Gollum absolutely steals the show.
This is a much more Smeagol-y Gollum (er, does that make any sense?) than we saw in the LOTR trilogy, and Serkis plays the part brilliantly.
The whole theater was in stitches during the Bilbo/Gollum scene, which, by the way, was the first to be filmed and took about a week of filming!

There are a few surprise guests--I'm not naming names--but you'll be pleased to see them. ;)

Sylvester McCoy as Radagast the Brown is another highlight, and, man, Richard Armitage is a damn great Thorin Oakenshield.

Seriously, go see it....and do your best to get over the initial shock if you decide to see the 48fps version.
It's so, so worth it.

And the way it ends?!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
How am I going to wait a YEAR to see part 2?! (Which opens on my birthday next year!)

Did you see it? What did you think??