The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey IMAX 3D ***

In this first film of the prequel to "Lord of the Rings" a younger Bilbo Baggins is challenged by Gandalf to join him and a band of Dwarves, including their king, on a quest to reclaim their homeland from a fearsome dragon. Eventually they set off, and meet with many perils and adventures along the way.

What I liked: the time spent in realizing and exploring each world and its inhabitants, when it didn't turn into pointless stuffing to fill up nearly 3 hours. Some sequences, like the battling rock monsters, a riddle over the line with Gollum, and a bridge too far with the trolls, seemed just overblown asides in Peter Jackson's mission to make another trilogy out of a slight and delightful original book.

Costumes, set decoration, special effects, and music were all superb. I was happy to see a new generation of IMAX 3D glasses that are more substantial and that hopefully will stand up to cleaning, instead of buckling and spotting the lenses. If you're a fan of the LOTR series, then by all means go see it, but of course you've already seen it, haven't you?