An adaptation of JRR Tolkien's much loved novel and prequel to the Lord of the Rings.

Rating: 8/10 (26 December 2012)

I am a big fan of JRR Tolkien's work, both of the books and of the previous Lord of the Rings movies. Thus, I went to see this film with high expectations. Overall, I was pleased with the film. The colors were not as distracting as some have said (perhaps because I didn't see it in 3D), and I thought the majority of the cinematography was well done. I was pleased when I heard of the decision to make three movies out of the Hobbit--there's certainly enough material for it--but I was disappointed with the material they decided to put in this film. It's a lengthy piece, but far too much of the time is devoted to (beautifully choreographed) fighting. I think they could have shaved off at least 15-20 minutes of unnecessary violence. The CGI effects for the villainous creatures were great, but there didn't have to be that many of them. More time could have been spent developing characters or enjoying Tolkien's beautiful dialogue. That being said, however, I quite enjoyed the film. The first shot of Gollum sitting on the rock was everything I've ever imagined it to be. Gollum continued to be an enjoyable, interesting, and well-done character.
A little less violence, more character development, and more dialogue would have gotten it a 10/10. As it is, great job.