Every journey begins with a small step. But few journeys set out to fill shoes as big as “The Hobbit” — if hobbits even wore shoes.

Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” which opens Friday , is arguably the year’s most hyped and anticipated film. “The Hobbit” follows in the well-trod path of orc prints made by Jackson’s world-slaying “The Lord of the Rings.”