An exciting film that struggles to come out of the shadow of the Lord of the Rings

Rating: 8/10 (19 December 2012)

I went into the cinema with a vague sense of weariness. I have heard many reports that this film is mediocre, too long and badly shot. In all three cases, the warnings were wrong. The Hobbit is a great cinematic experience and a cracking family adventure that is true to the original style of J.R. Tolkin's book.
The most vocal of the complaints about this film, has been the decision to film it at 48 frames per second. At no point did I feel the filming technique was detrimental to the film. Unlike some, I never felt the film looked like a 'made for T.V' movie. Nor did the film ever feel too long, or bloated. The 168 minutes of this film passed in the blink of an eye, though some of the scenes did make me feel like I was watching the Directors Cut.
The film also never felt mediocre, the vast majority of the film is terrifically exciting and fun. Peter Jackson has excelled in adding a few embellishments to the original story. The scenes with Gandelf, Saruman, Elrond and Galadriel were excellent, and have set up the possibility of an intriguing side story that chronicles the rise of Sauron. The inclusion of Ganadalf's cousin Radagast (ignored in the LOTR's trilogy) was also a worthy inclusion to the film.
There is however, some disappointing aspects to this film. Perhaps most disappointing is the soundtrack. The score uses rehashed music from LOTR, and in the few cases that it doesn't, the music is instantly forgettable. There is also a lack of the stunning set designs that were so breathtaking in the previous trilogy. Scenes where the Fellowship of the Ring see the 'Great Halls' in the Mines of Moria, or the mammoth stone watchmen after they leave the Galadriel's realm, are sadly lacking in the hobbit. There are still some lovely panoramic views of the enchanting landscape however.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment in this film is the scene with the goblins in the Misty Mountains. I feel that the whole encounter has been badly misjudged. Worst of all is the head goblin, his character belongs in a Harry Potter movie, not within the world of Tolkin. Although the Hobbit, as a novel, was far lighter than LOTR, I remember the encounter in the Misty Mountains as being eerie and exciting. In the film, the whole scene (apart from Bilbo's encounter with Golum) is just daft.
The biggest problem the Hobbit has, is that it has been filmed after the masterpiece of LOTR. Had LOTR not yet been done, this film, I'm certain, would have received wholly positive reviews as a family classic. The problem is, The Hobbit cannot escape the expectation placed on it from the previous trilogy, which are considered by many to be three of the best films ever made. The Hobbit is not a classic, but it is almost three hours of terrific fun.