By JOSHUA LEONARD (digitalBURG)

With $84.8 million grossed in the opening box office weekend, “The Hobbit” brings us back into the world of Middle-Earth with its captivating story, cinematography and a new visual appeal.

“The Hobbit,” directed by Peter Jackson (“Lord of the Rings” trilogy) takes the helm once again with another trilogy that takes place before the “Lord of The Rings” films. “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” stars Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, with Ian McKellen reprising his role as Gandalf the grey and Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins.

The film starts with an older Bilbo Baggins, a role reprised by Ian Holm, who played Bilbo in the “Lord of the Rings,” writing his story about his adventure with the dwarves. The film transitions to 60 years prior, seeing a young Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf talking.

The film does a great job bringing back the feel of the original trilogy. What makes “The Hobbit” stand out the most is its visually captivating cinematography. Peter Jackson filmed the prequel trilogy in 48 frames per second. This differs greatly from the traditional style of filming with most movies being shot in 24 fps.

Jackson decided to shoot twice as many frames per second as normal because he wanted the audience to see every little detail, which was absolutely successfully done. The amazing visuals can only be fully appreciated when watching “The Hobbit” in a theater capable of projecting the high frame rate, which the theaters in Warrensburg and Sedalia do not have. The AMC in Independence has high-frame capability.

The music in the film, especially “Misty Mountains Cold,” brings chills up your arm as it sets the tone of the film.

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” was the highest box office opening weekend in the month of December in history. The film was a great first piece of the new trilogy. Now we all have to wait until Dec. 13, 2013, for the second in the trilogy titled, “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.” Until then, I think I’m going to go see “An Unexpected Journey” a few more times.