The Hobbit is Captivating enough!

Rating: 8/10 (28 December 2012)

Be warned,this review contains many spoilers,although i will try not to get too much into details.
The Hobbit is a prequel to the Lord of the Rings(LOTR),and,as you may have heard,the first movie of a trilogy.(They are making three movies of this one book!)So is this movie in the same league as the LOTR and a fitting adaption of the book?Well,Yes and no.
The dwarfs' city has been demolished and captured by the dragon Smaug. Several years later the wizard Gandalf meets the protagonist the hobbit,Bilbo Baggins and invites him to a journey.Not exactly the adventure type, Bilbo is hesitant.The following night dwarfs arrive one by one at his residence.They make a mess of it and gorge on all the food. Gandalf also returns later and states the purpose of them all being there-To help the thirteen dwarfs under King Thorin to reclaim the lost city beyond the mountains.The next morning the dwarfs are gone and an initially relieved Bilbo finds that he misses the dwarfs' songs and merry making.He decides to join them.
What follows on this unexpected journey is what you might anticipate from a movie of this genre and scale.The group encounter many mythical creatures-Trolls, Orcs,Goblins and stone Golems alike.There is more trouble in the region with a necromancer on the loose.The group also traverse through the city of the elves.
Sounds interesting right?But the pace of the movie can bore you at times,quite unlike LOTR and many a time you feel its a drag.The dialogues are also pretty mediocre.
That apart,the movie does have many high points,especially the animated interaction between Bilbo and Smeagol (Or Gollum,The original owner of the cursed ring).The Hobbit immerses you in Tolkien's world,a world before LOTR happened. I would say watch it for a feel good fantasy experience and some outstanding acting from the cast,especially those playing Gandalf and King Thorin (Bilbo is decent too).The visual effects are amazing,pretty real and even stunning at times.The background score is fine.
Overall verdict:Watch it as a stand alone movie without comparing it to LOTR and you will have a good time.