Independent Cinema writes: Going into The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (or The Hobbit, as I will refer to it for the purpose of this review) I had very low expectations. When Peter Jackson announced it would be three movies, let alone two movies where I had already felt the source material was being stretched, I cringed. I knew no matter what the reviews were, I’d see this film, because I was curious what Jackson saw that needed to be kept in, and how he would adapt the children’s book that gave birth to the Lord of the Rings novels. Not only that, but I was also curious as to the presentation of the film, being the first big release to be presented in 48 frames per second (the films we all see are generally 24 frames per second). Everything I felt was going to be poor, and everything I felt was going to be great, did exactly as I predicted. The Hobbit is ambitious, beautiful, and welcomes its viewers back into the warm and quaint hobbit holes of Middle Earth, as it tries to be as detailed and entertaining as possible for every sort of audience. A film that truly begs the question, did this need to exist? (Cinema, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) -