The Hobbit- An Unexpected Journey: Official Movie Guide

Title: The Hobbit- An Unexpected Journey: Official Movie Guide

Author: Brian Sibley

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (2012)

Genre(s): Nonfiction

Length: 167 pages

Synopsis:  From costumes to conflicts, this book contains a quick glimpse behind the scenes of the enormously popular new film The Hobbit- An Unexpected Journey.  The book provides brief interviews with cast members and film-makers as well as extensive photography, concept art, and insights into how the film was made.

My Rating: 4 Stars

My Opinion: 

Let me begin with an admission.  I am a nerd.  I love The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and just about any other fantasy I can get my hands on.  I love the books and, yes, I love the films.  The trick, in my opinion, is to acknowledge one as the inspiration for the other without expecting them to fit exactly the same mold.  I am not, however, about to spend my time in this review discussing either the inspiring novel or the resulting film, but as usual I'll keep away from any potential spoilers for either.  This book is a slick little publication designed to do exactly what it does: build and prolong the hype surrounding this long-awaited box office juggernaut.  Whether readers are fans of Tolkien's work, or director Peter Jackson, or just the glamor of movie magic, this is a fun escape.  There's really very little text in this lushly illustrated book; stills from the film share the pages with promotional photography, original concept art, and behind-the-scenes candid shots.  This is not an exhaustive, all-inclusive documentary.  Sibley's got an all but guaranteed worldwide audience of millions, so he could (and apparently did) pick and choose whatever topics of discussion he liked for this book without being too concerned about what he's included or what he's left out.  For those longing for more technical details, this is not the book for you.  On the other hand, for anyone caught up in the current hype and hoping for a little extra before the lengthy DVD bonus features come out, this is the perfect afternoon read.  Here's my advice.  Go see the film, then, if you're so inclined, take a look at this book.  And then, if you're anything like me, you just may want to go see the film again afterward.