Not as good as it could have been

Rating: 7/10 (25 December 2012)

Peter Jackson created something so reminiscent of LOTR that is looks like he is lacking new ideas. Many shots, scenes and even lines were almost copy-pasted. Hobbit is my favorite fairytale, and I expected the film to retain all the magic of the book. Unfortunately, this was not the case. It was just another blockbuster for Christmas, not more. Partially it has to do with Peter Jackson himself - his directing style was appropriate for LOTR, but not for Hobbit. He made it too realistic for children's book. What I imagined while reading the book was a mysterious land of Middle Earth, with a lot of fog and dark shadows. What I got in the film was sunlit tundra. Another thing which ruined the magic for me was the use of digital cameras for filming. Images they are able to acquire simply lack the gorgeous look of celluloid, which we all are used to associate with movies. Jackson has explained that digital cameras allowed him to shoot 3d, and were cheaper and easier. But what matters for me is the image quality and impression I get from the movie, not how hard or easy it was for filmmakers to create it. I also don't need this gimmick 3D. Overall, if you just wanna watch another blockbuster on your holidays - it will not disappoint you. If you have read the book and are a Tolkien fan - it will.