It was okay.

Rating: Null/10 (6 July 2013)

I'm not really sure what to say about this film other then it feels just as over the top as Jackson's take on Tolkien's trilogy a decade previous. There's tons of CGI in this thing, and I think the film suffers because of that. Whether it's the incredible vast CGI cave sets, the vistas augmented by man made CGI works, or some of the roller coaster like action sequences with more CGI, I'm not sure, but I felt a little more detached from this film than when I watched "Fellowship of the Ring".
And I do blame the CGI in the movie. The budget's been cut, ergo we don't see actors or stuntmen dressed up as the bad guys, but CGI bad guys, and my god, I am sick and goddamn tired of allegedly photorealistic CGI. No offense to Peter Jackson, because he's doing his best to bring these marvelous tales to life, but someone brought up the idea of CGI, and there is loads and loads of CGI in this thing.
CGI bad guys, CGI animals, CGI good guys, CGI vistas, cgi this, cgi that. Were it not for the documentary I would have sworn that the make up on the actors was CGI. Is that a testament to how convincing and good CGI is? Uh, no, because it is overwhelming in this film. A good use of special effects is something that doesn't necessarily look natural, but helps convey the story. Hey, all those Godzilla films in the 50s, 60s and 70s (and even today) look fake as anything, but kids tend to let Godzilla slide some because he's usually smashing stuff which, for kids (and kids at heart) is really cool. But imagine if you will, if Godzilla smashed CGI tanks, plowed through CGI buildings, then went for a swim in CGI water as he was yelled at by CGI actors. It would grate on you, guaranteed.
I'm not really sure what I was expecting from "The Hobbit", but, based on King Kong and Jackson's previous foray into Middle Earth, I'm wondering if perhaps I, and other audience members, should not have been a bit more steeled for what was to come. I think most people expected a lighter film than the heavy stuff that was the serious and angsty tone of The Lord of the Rings, and we sort of get that (after a fashion). But coupled with a ever so slightly lighter tone (and it isn't all that light given the Thorin character who carries himself as if the weight of the world were on his shoulders) we have some very dynamic action that only Pete Jacksoun could conjure, along with some drama to aggrandize the Thorin character's legend, and a dash of mental health (no surprise).
All in all I can't say I didn't enjoy it, but I'm very glad I didn't waste $12 American to go see this thing in the theatre, and be forced to wear 3D glasses on top of that. I would have been really angry for a one time show for that kind of money, and my review would have been very different in tone.
How could this have been improved upon? Make the dwarfs dwarfs. Allegedly in the book Hobbits were small in height and stature than dwarfs, but they appear almost the same in physical dimensions. The dwarfs also seem a bit young. So much that I'm nearly tempted to say that I almost prefer the dwarfs in the Rankin Bass cartoon from the 70s than this production. The dwarfs, to be blunt, don't seem like dwarfs. They seem like young human men from some strange fantasy town rollicking in the New Zealand wilderness.
After we take care of the dwarfs, it's time to address the CGI. Do we really need all the CGI in this thing? Do we really need CGI goblins in stead of actors and stuntmen? Does their underground complex need to be as visually colossal as portrayed? I would have been happy with a sound-stage dressed up for the location and filled with several dozen actors. But that's just me. The one CGI I did approve of was the mountain pass sequence. I was wondering if Pete Jackson and his screenwriters were going to remain true to the actual description from the book, and sure enough we witness the true cause of the "thunder" during the storm. That, even though I really didn't approve of the CGI in and of itself, was a welcome sequence.
Lastly, hire some older actors. Thorin is supposed to be of some years, but we get some guy who looks to be in his late 20s. Oh boy. Get rid of the archer, let him be a slinger, inject some personalities into the other dwarfs.
Look, all in all I though it was on okay movie. It entertained, and we finally get to see a "live action" version of "The Hobbit". But, for all that, it would have been nice to have a production that relied less on SFX.
Give it a shot.