Should be called 'Lord of the Dwarfs'...so disappointing!

Rating: 5/10 (16 December 2012)

As a huge Tolkien fan, I had nerves about Lord of the Rings being brought to the big screen. But Peter Jackson and co pulled it off.
With the Hobbit, sorry to say that I think Martin Freeman was hopelessly miscast, and he conveyed no real emotion for three hours. But this is not the biggest problem with the film.
I never expected it to be as good as Lord of the Rings, because although I think The Hobbit is a great book, it is just not in the same vein.
Both the Lord of the Rings films and booked conjured a gripping, thrilling tale. Brilliantly defined characters and a world you could believe in.
The Hobbit - the book,has all that, and more.
The Hobbit - the film, has none of this. It's all about the Dwarfs, and nothing much about Bilbo himself. Was Peter Jackson giving Martin Freeman less screen time because he knew he just wasn't up for this iconic role?
Take the two most important scenes - the ones with the Trolls is so brilliantly talked through by Ian Holm in LOTR - you felt the fear of the situation, given the gravitas IH gives to the role. Martin Freeman just doesn't look like he could carry this off - and it's not because I don't like him - he was great in The Office, but simply failed on the big screen.
The most critical scene - The Pity of Bilbo - didn't work, and I so wanted it too. It failed, and so, for me, the film failed.
No sense of fear, wonder, bewilderment from Martin Freeman.
Pete Jackson has been criticised in some circles for making three films out of a relatively short book.
You must do it for the love of film making and story telling - this film reeks of profiteering.
The only saving grace is Andy Serkis as Gollum.
An abject failure of a film. Peter Jackson needs to go back to the drawing board.
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My wife's review - and she loves the Hobbit more than I do.
She also feels it should be called Lord of the Dwarfs - why is he trying to make it in the mould of the Lord of the Rings.
Casting was poor - Martin Freeman conveys no real emotion - in the whole of the three hours.
Also the Troll scene and the cave scene with Gollum should have been great but were made into a children's school-play. Very upset with all the changes. It feels like a cheap blockbuster instead of her favourite book.
The dwarfs don't feel like dwarfs either.
The music was not right, and there was too much scenery and running around aimlessly.
Main thing was MF as Bilbo - he could not act at all and was completely out of his depth. The only expression in his face is trying to make his eyes look bigger.
Did not feel we were really on an adventure with him.
Body language exposed his lack of understanding of the role.
Peter Jackson hasn't put any real thought into it.
Undecided about seeing the final two films.
The screenplay is just awful, and tried to force me to laugh, and the dialogue is third rate. Was this really the same writing team?
If you do things for money, you destroy the spirit of the venture.
A very unhappy Tolkien fan.