A Bloated Hollywood Characterization of a Charming Book

Rating: 5/10 (9 January 2015)

I've read The Hobbit several times, and always found the story charming--an adventure in a fantastical world that takes a likable character and throws him into adversity, which he challenges and succeeds at. I first read it as a child before reading The Lord of the Rings trilogy, allowing the story to unfold in its depth as the author himself became more captivated with his world, and to which he added detail in wonderful ways.
Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy takes that original wonder of the story and throws into the Hollywood shredder. Replete with never-ending battle scenes and unbelievable behavior from a cast of super-hero characters, I found myself scratching my head as to what book Jackson was representing. Surely not the beloved book of my childhood, which balanced light and dark without the dramatic romances, bludgeoning action, or animated ridiculousness of this film. In the end I was actually glad that Jackson removed the trip back to The Shire, despite my enjoying that section of the book, only because I was so fatigued from watching the endless battles. What a shame.