Jackson's comeback?

Rating: 8/10 (22 December 2012)

I find it very hard to review this title because I'm a Tolkien fanatic and one of those people who would kill to be in Peter Jackson's Middleearth. So when I heard he was filming the Hobbit I went out of my mind. Days passed, my exam weeks came and went and patiently I have waited for the day to come when I would march into the cinema with my friends to slip into Middleearth again. And on December 21st I did. So here we go:
1) The story. The idea of putting the Hobbit into three movies was a bit questionable, because I hadn't the slightest clue where the movies would end and begin, but I praised the idea knowing a lot had to be told. The interesting thing is that a lot more was said; segments from "Unfinished tales" can be found in the movie and it is a marvelous refreshment when seen. Why? Well because absolutely every page from the book (the Hobbit) is on the screen, literally. Almost every dialog, and every joke is present making it almost impossible to be dazed with it because it is well known if one has read the book. So I found the subsidiary story a lot more interesting and intriguing. Also, the entire movie lacks epic moments. This movie is just not epic. It has great potential to be epic, but when that potential starts to develop two things happen: a) everything is just ruined with CGI (there is a way more CGI than necessary, but more on that later); and b) the epic segments end to quickly.
2) The characters. 14 people on the screen at once. Only a few of them can get our attention - Bilbo, Balin, Gandalf and Thorin. This is not a problem related to the movie but to the book, because the book was written like that, and as I said earlier, Jackson followed it in every single step. Some magnificent roles can be found - especially Balin. The other dwarfs have their moments but when reading the book in total one has a feeling it is a lot more than can be seen in just one movie (the only REAL problem with splitting the book into three films). McKellen had, I had the feeling, a great time playing Gandalf and is enjoying the role. There a lot of other appearances by known and unknown characters so let that be a mystery until you see the movie.
3) The music. I will just say that Howard Shore outdid himself this time. A lot of familiar tunes spotted, but new, epic ones really get the blood flowing.
4) The CGI. Jesus, Mary and Joseph!!! I understand that CGI is all the rage right now, and that it is possible, because of it, to make things one could not have done before. But if we look at CGI form the LOTR it was more realistic and dazzling 10 years ago! How is that possible? Almost the entire second half of the movie feels like an animated picture from Dreamworks (not that I have anything against Dreamworks). Still, some animated pictures were more realistic than this e.g. Rango. So in the attempt to create a fairytale environment Jackson used so much CGI that just doesn't look good. In the year 2012/2013, in a movie that cosed more than New Zeland as an island, I can spot CGI on the screen! That is, for me, an unforgivable mistake and the only reason I gave the movie 8/10.
In conclusion. A very good movie, with great music and some fantastic performances that lacks really epic moments and looks like an animated picture. An interesting new movie, but DO NOT EXPECT LOTR on the screen. Still, I can't wait for the second part to come out.