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THE HOBBIT:

The one prequel to rule them all at the box office this weekend is, of course, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Peter Jackson's first in a planned trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien's novel that is set before the events of The Lord of the Rings. The return to Middle-earth is filled with familiar faces from LOTR like Gandalf (Ian McKellen), Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), Elrond (Hugo Weaving), Gollum (Andy Serkis), as well as Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm) in the wraparound story.

The heart of The Hobbit is a young Bilbo Baggins, played by English actor Martin Freeman, who reluctantly abandons the Shire and goes on a dangerous adventure with Gandalf and a bunch of dwarves. Freeman might not yet be a familiar face on these shores, but all of that will change when legions of fans return to Middle-earth this weekend. Whether you choose to watch The Hobbit in 2D, 3D, 48 fps (throw this ghastly technology back in the fires of Mount Doom!), 24 fps, IMAX or some combination of these, Freeman grounds Jackson's fantastical epic.

Freeman has appeared on at least 18 British TV shows, so BBC junkies might be more familiar with him than most Americans. He played Tim Canterbury on all 14 episodes of the original The Office, the complete collection of which is available in a Region 1 DVD set. More recently, he made a greater impression as Dr. John Watson in the critically praised Sherlock, the first two seasons of which are available on DVD, Blu-ray and VOD with a planned third season to begin filming in March of 2013. The show's Sherlock Holmes, Benedict Cumberbatch, costars with Freeman in The Hobbit trilogy in two roles: the voice and motion capture of the Necromancer, and the voice of Smaug the dragon.

If you're a fan of Simon Pegg's brand of humor, the actor/writer seems to also be a Freeman fan. Freeman had a cameo in the zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead as Declan. A few years later in the buddy-cop homage Hot Fuzz, which was also cowritten by and stars Pegg, Freeman appears as the sergeant of the Metropolitan Police Service. Both outrageously funny films directed by Edgar Wright are available on DVD and Blu-ray.

Back in 2005, Freeman had his most notable pre-Hobbit big-screen role as Arthur Dent in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Douglas Adams' oft-adapted story is about an ordinary guy making his way through the universe after he discovers his best friend is an alien and the Earth is about to be destroyed to make way for a hyperspace bypass. The frantic, silly sci-fi comedy costars Mos Def, Sam Rockwell, Zooey Deschanel and John Malkovich, and is available on DVD, Blu-ray and various VOD services.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2

Bella awakens from her transformation from human to vampire, not only keenly aware of her new abilities, but also of changes within the coven as Jacob has imprinted on her child, Renesmee. It also appears that Bella's father, Charlie, has been attempting to contact the Cullens for updates on Bella's illness. They intend to tell him she didn't survive, which requires that they move out of Forks, Washington to protect their identities. Jacob, desperate not to lose Renesmee, tells Charlie that his daughter is in fact alive and well, and transforms into a werewolf before Charlie to demonstrate that Bella has had to change in order to survive (although not into a werewolf).

Several months pass uneventfully, with Carlisle monitoring Renesmee's rapid growth with Bella, Edward, Jacob and the rest of the Cullen family worrying what will become of her with such a rapid growth rate. On an outing in the woods, a bitterIrina sees Renesmee from a distance, as the immortal child (creating ones is strictly forbidden because immortal children remained mentally on their transformation age, thus being uncontrollable). Irina decides to go to the Volturi for reporting a supposed crime.

Later Alice sees the Volturi and Irina coming to kill the Cullens, and leaves with Jasper the next day, unnoticed, having left a note, where she tells to "gather as many witnesses" as they can before the snow covers the ground because that's when the Volturi will come. The Cullens begin to summon witnesses, including, for example, the Denali family. One of the Denali, Eleazar, later encounters that Bella has a special ability: a powerful mental shield, which she can extend to protect others from mental attacks like Jane's or Alec's ones, with practice.

As some of their potential witnesses are attacked and prevented from coming to support the Cullens, Carlisle and Edward finally face the reality that they may have to fight the Volturi despite their efforts to do otherwise. Some witnesses hesitate, but ultimately agree to stand with them in battle.

The Volturi arrive, led by Aro, who is eager to obtain the gifted members of the Cullen coven as part of his guard. Although Aro is persuaded that Renesmee is not an immortal child, he still insists she poses a risk. Alice and Jasper appear to attest to the existence of other children like Renesmee. After showing Aro a vision of the future, Alice realizes that he will not change his decision. Chaos breaks out and a battle ensues. Both sides undergo heavy casualties, with Aro and most of the Volturi dying. However, the battle is revealed to be Alice's vision, which would come to pass if Aro maintained his pursuit of Renesmee. Two more witnesses then arrive: a fully grown vampire-human hybrid and his aunt, proving Renesmee is not a threat. For the sake of self-preservation, Aro orders his guards to retreat but not without giving one final glance to Alice, Bella and Edward.

Back at the Cullen home, Alice gives us a glimpse into the future: Edward and Bella together with Jacob and a fully matured Renesmee. Edward reads Alice's mind and feels happy that Renesmee has Jacob to protect her. Alone in the meadow, Bella finally allows Edward a peek into her thoughts and as the final lines of the novel read, "And then we continued blissfully into this small but perfect piece of our forever."