Bitterly Disappointed

Rating: 5/10 (19 January 2013)

As a massive fan of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the works of Tolkein, I had high expectations for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. However, I was not prepared for what I saw.
I know Peter Jackson changed some things in the original 3 Lord of the Rings films compared with the book, but this makes it seem as if the book didn't exist (The Hobbit, that is). To put it briefly, this film ruins the original plot, adds entire new scenes NEVER even mentioned in the book, introduces characters at the wrong time, looks unrealistic at times, has annoying scenes, unlikeable characters and is at many point rather cheesy. I cannot believe what Jackson has done.
Sure, it's amusing at times, and has the usual stunning scenes of Middle Earth (aka New Zealand). Plus, for die-hard fans, we saw a lot more of Rivendell than in the LotR trilogy, and most of the acting was brilliant, certainly on level with LotR. However, that is sadly where it ends.
I recently read The Hobbit, as I was encouraged by some of my friends to do so before seeing the film. I'm glad I did, as the events in this are completely mixed up. Granted, some scenes were just like the events in the book, but new scenes that were never mentioned in the book are added; in many places the order is changed, and at one point in Rivendell, an entire new scene is added, with none other than Galadriel and Saruman in it! This scene was really annoying for me in fact, as it turned the film into a full blown prequel to Lord of the Rings. Keep in mind, when Tolkein first wrote the book, he never had much intention of writing a sequel, and so never added anything that would set up the next story. This does, and it really, really annoys me. It felt unnecessary and pointless - their is no mention of 'dakrness stirring' in the book. What I must just say now (before I annoy too many people) is that a lot of the extra content was made up from the appendices of The Lord of the Rings book. While much of it developed The Hobbit, it turns the whole story into something else...
The only thing I genuinely liked were a few of the characters. Ian McKellen did his usual and very good job of playing Gandalf - you really can't go wrong with him. Martin Freeman (even though he was blunt at times) played Bilbo very well, and his style of acting suits the Bilbo in the book (if you get what I mean) very well. Hugo Weaving played Elrond very well once again, and is probably portrayed the most accurately from the book (he doesn't say much in the book, and doesn't play a major role in the film either). The Dwarfs all felt plausible when compared to the book, however Thorin annoyed me. He was by far the most unlikeable character in the film - he's made to look as if he has 'been though so much', 'lost everything', 'oh no! we must all have sympathy for him'. Do you know what? It get so boring after a while. His expressions felt fake, he showed little emotion and despite being the leader of the Dwarfs, he shows just about no change. Then there is the matter of the large number of characters added in, which I simply need not go into.
What really disappointed me was that I never felt anything in the film. In LotR, I felt my heart beat go up and got goosebumps in many scenes. In this I felt none. There's just nothing to it. Sure, comparing anything to the amzingness of LotR is a bit unfair, but this is in the same line as it - and it never moved me. Never. This really ruined the experience of the film.
Well, I think I'll conclude my review now. In short, this film takes the book and turns it into a typical, Hollywood-ised flick with annoying characters and a story that does not match the book. And after watching it, I felt ripped off. This is Peter Jackson directing it, not Micahel Bay. But it certainly did not feel like a Peter Jackson film. If you are a fan of Lord of the Rings, then yes, you should see it, just for the hell of it. But don't expect anything from it. I would be happy if it was on a similar level to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but it wasn't. And I really, really wanted to love this film. What worries me is that Jackson is filming all 3 films back to back. If they're all like this, then I will not know what to say. Peter Jackson, you have disappointed me and ruined a classic book.
5/10