Don't let the nay-sayers spoil your fun - How many chances do you get to be a kid again?

Rating: 8/10 (18 December 2012)

When I read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings as a result of wanting to know more about the story behind the 1977 animated special, I got a very clear picture in my head of what a live-action movie would look like. I've gazed at Alan Lee and John Howe artwork through the years, played Middle-Earth Roll Playing (MERP), and collected graphic novels, still wondering if a descent movie would ever be made (or in the case of the Ralph Bakshi attempt, completed). Finally, December of 2001 arrived and I was able to see the vision that I'd carried in my head for so long given life when I sat spellbound for three whirlwind hours with a smile stretched across my face.
I'm not a Peter Jackson disciple, okay. I thought King Kong sucked eggs. But Jackson and his small group of writers were able to do what no one had ever done before. First of all, they made a movie about a treasured classic that most of the fans appreciated. But more importantly, they were able to talk the studios into letting them handle each book in the Rings trilogy as a separate movie and film them all at once. Obviously, it payed off. Most of the story was kept intact as each film stretched for three-plus hours, not to mention the sprawling uncut versions that would be released on DVD.
Jackson's vision was so successful that he was able to perform yet another feat when it came time to pitch The Hobbit: he turned one book into three movies. I saw the first of the new trilogy and was again awed by the attention to detail and the love of the material. Jackson loves these stories, folks. He went to bat this time to tell the full story without having to edit a thing. So far, I have not been disappointed by the omission of anything. He's got nine hours in which to tell the story of The Hobbit. The book is only a little over 300 pages, for crying out loud.
So, in order to keep from cutting any of the parts we know and love, Jackson had to sample tales and characters from other Tolkien Middle-Earth works to move the story at the right pace. How else are you going to split a novel into thirds, people? Where is a good cut-off point for the end of the next movie-Bilbo sneaking into the Lonely Mountain and seeing the dragon? Sure, fans will love that! Jackson had to take a piece of a book and reshape it into a mini-story that would provide all the elements of a good movie: setting, conflict, plot, characters, and theme.
I will say, however, that some of the battle scenes were almost impossible to differentiate from those of the LOTR. Also, there were just so many "saved in the nick of time" moments I rolled my eyes once.
Needless to say, I don't agree with the uproar about the differences between the novel and the movie so far. All the things I wanted to see were there, and then some. I suspect it will be the same in the next two. I will set quietly for three hours again and again, staring at the screen and feeling once again like I'm twelve and carefree and adventure is around every corner.