More of the Same?

Rating: 8/10 (29 December 2012)

I'll be honest; though I greatly enjoyed the Lord of the Rings movies upon their release, they never really enveloped me in quite the same way that the original Star Wars or, say, Back to the Future trilogies did. When the announcement came that The Hobbit would also be receiving the Jackson treatment, I was excited for one specific reason: I absolutely loved the book. It's a relatively brief experience, one in which I presumed the now well-known director would be able to spin into one helluva knock-out return to Middle-earth. Imagine my shock when I learned that the book would not be made into a single film. In fact, it wouldn't even be split into two; instead, three was the magic number. Because of this, my excitement about The Hobbit quickly waned, as it seemed that I was in for an unnecessarily prolonged cash-grab that had the potential to (very) quickly outstay its welcome.
Thankfully, The Hobbit isn't nearly as tedious as it could have been. From time to time, the feeling that things are being stretched a little thin is tangible, but, for the most part, it's a stirring, gripping adventure. The movie also does a nice job of connecting itself to its predecessors (or should I say forebearers?), and the introduction of the principal players is both whimsical and wrought with a sense of impending danger—something that adds needed weight to stakes that we, as an audience, know will ultimately be resolved (this, I think, is the primary curse of prequel feature films).
Any other criticisms that I have come in the form of many of the movie's more intense moments and how they're worked out. My memory is hazy regarding the film's source material, but many pages were clearly taken out of the LotR playbook when it seems "all hope is lost," and though this sort of reminiscence will certainly bring a smile to the faces of fans, it would have been nice to see the movie do something a little more aggressive to try and separate itself from the original series.
It's clear, however, that Jackson still loves Middle-earth and its inhabitants, and it's a virtual certainty that the remaining films will be welcome excursions. Here's hoping that part two of this particular adventure will be both tightly wrought and surprising in equal measure.