Years after the popular “Lord of The Rings” movie series was filmed, J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit, An Unexpected Journey” was finally released in theaters Dec. 14.
Tolkien’s “The Hobbit,” written as a prequel to “The Lord of the Rings,” is distributed by Warner Bros. and is directed by Peter Jackson, who also directed “The Lord of the Rings.”
The main character, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), is a hobbit — a human-like creature — half the size of a man, with large hairy feet. He lives a comfortable, uneventful life in the peaceful land of The Shire.
One evening, Bilbo is interrupted by a company of 11 dwarves and their leader, Prince Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), along with the wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen).
They all convince Bilbo to help them reclaim their old kingdom of Erebor and their treasure, which was captured by the dragon Smaug. The troop travels eastward while being chased by fearsome orcs and then getting captured by goblins.
It’s in the goblin caves that Bilbo meets the creature Gollum, (voice of Andy Serkis) and comes across a simple gold ring, the ring of power.