Self-Indulgent Rehash of The LOTR Trilogy

Rating: 5/10 (2 January 2013)

I'm reluctant to admit that I hardly enjoyed, or was entertained by, this grossly overly computerized revisit to Middle Earth. The magic of The LOTR trilogy was almost entirely absent, and while the trilogy was certainly imperfect, each film was outrageously entertaining, captivating, and accessible. The Hobbit as a film, unfortunately, is none of these things, and entirely feels like a rehash of the LOTR, as the majority of its dialogues, blocking, and occurrences are reminiscent (or shameless reproductions) of moments from the LOTR trilogy.
The book (a children's story) is a sweet yet solemn coming-of-maturity tale focused on self improvement, bravery/courage, and wisdom. An Unexpected Journey is focused on hectic warfaring, greed, belittling the small guy, and CGI vistas. The sense of purpose, faith, and fellowship from the LOTR trilogy are missing here, even though Jackson attempts to follow an elusive template set with those three films. I realize it is not an "epic" in the sense that Frodo's quest is, but when the only facet of characterization in the entire film is how deft its unexpected hero can be with a sword, I found little else to be interested or invested in.
Some shots are truly stunning, and a few exchanges of dialog were mildly amusing, but all of the extraneous characters and plot lines, the poorly edited and confusing battle sequences, excessive CGI, and characters designed for children in a film decidedly for adults (with weed and 'shroom jokes interspersed) detract from an otherwise winning story. Here's hoping the next one is a better story with an iota of characterization and competent editing!
5/10