Flawed,but not that bad

Rating: 6/10 (15 December 2012)

I went to see "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" yesterday.It is one of the most anticipated movies of 2012 and when it finally came out,there was a major difference between the user and critic rating,probably the biggest I have seen on the IMDb.This made me even more curious to see what the movie was like.
To be completely honest,the movie didn't disappoint me,but it wasn't exactly what I was expecting.I haven't read Mr.Tolkien's book,so I don't know how well the movie follows it,but in terms of story it was alright,although there are several things that weren't really explained,but hopefully they will be clarified in the later movies.The film,however,has several fatal flaws,that ruin the overall experience:
1.Too many characters.If you remember,the fellowship of the ring consisted of 9 characters :Frodo,Gandalf,Legolas,Gimley,Aragorn,Boromir,Sam and the other two hobbits.Gimley,the dwarf,was there manly to provide comedic relief.If there is one character like that-it's okay.Now imagine a company of 14 people,well,a hobbit,dwarfs and a wizard,if you want to be precise,and eleven of them are Gimley like characters.You just can't take it seriously with someone constantly falling,belching,breaking chairs,due to their excessive weight and so on,and so on.
2.References to modern things,that you will never,ever see in a film like this.I think "Aladdin" started this trend and sure,back then it was fun,but now it's just plain annoying.Plus,I never,in a million years expected to see this in a Peter Jackson movie,or any movie connected to "The Lord of The Rings" franchise" for that matter.
3.A very,very stupid beginning.I promise you,in the first 30 minutes of "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" you will not be able to take the movie seriously,no matter how hard you try.The whole part is just so over-the-top and cheesy,did they get a different director for that segment,because no sane individual,unless he was under the effect of hallucinogenic substances,could approve of something like this.What were they thinking???
Despite all it's flaws,The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" has a charm to it.You know the movie is flawed,but you just can't bring yourself to hate it.To the film's credit,it actually gets pretty good in the final 20 minutes.From the game of riddles scene to the very end,the movie is a non-stop pleasure cruise.