The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 3D (Subtitled) (12A)

In 2004, when Peter Jackson collected a clutch of Oscars for The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King, he publicly distanced himself from a proposed film version of The Hobbit to avoid direct comparisons between two adventures set in Middle Earth. Eight years later, after numerous production delays and the departure of original director Guillermo Del Toro, Jackson finds himself at the helm of a second trilogy based on the work of JRR Tolkien, reuniting the writer-director with many of the same cast and crew, including cinematographer Andrew Leslie and composer Andrew Shore. In this opening salvo, wise wizard Gandalf The Grey (Sir Ian McKellen) recruits Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) to join a 13-strong company of dwarves who intend to reclaim their lost gold from the dragon Smaug in his mountain lair. Excitedly, Bilbo accompanies dwarf leader Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) and his troops – Bifur (William Kircher), Bofur (James Nesbitt), Bombur (Stephen Hunter), Balin (Ken Stott), Dwalin (Graham McTavish), Fili (Dean O’Gorman), Kili (Aidan Turner), Dori (Mark Hadlow), Nori (Jed Brophy), Ori (Adam Brown), Gloin (Peter Hambleton), Oin (John Callen) and Thror (Jeffrey Thomas) – on a perilous mission. En route, the brave souls encounter allies including Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) and Elrond (Hugo Weaving) as well as the wretched Gollum (Andy Serkis). However, the dwarves must not be distracted from the task at hand because they need to muster their courage to have a chance of defeating the mighty Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch). The middle chapter of the saga, The Hobbit: Desolation Of Smaug, is released on Friday, December 13, 2013, and this new trilogy concludes on Friday, July 18, 2014 with The Hobbit: There And Back Again.