Product: The Hobbit [VHS] (1977)
Rating: 4.0
A childhood favourite and still a favourite today
While this film does not really compare to the book, I feel the need to give it four stars for a few reasons.1. NostalgiaI saw this movie for the first time when I was five or six, and it still hold the same charm as it did then. It's more campy now, but I still love watching this. I also have to credit this to my discovery of the world of Middle Earth. Due to relatives that enjoyed the works of Tolkien and because of the movies that came out a few years ago, I would have crossed paths with these creations later, but this movie still holds my discovery of what is now one of my favourite authors.2. The animation.Some have criticized the quality of the animation, but the style and character design go fabulously well with the nature of the book and is reminiscent of the art of Arthur Rackham.3. The Goblins and GollumWhen I saw this as a kid, the goblins were facinating and truly seems like horrible foes to Mr. Bilbo Baggins and the Dwarves. Gollum had a similar effect. I suppose it is because of the way these characters were presented in this film that I was somewhat disappointed when I saw the more recent films. The Silmarillion describes the creation of the orcs, and so this is better understood when that is read, but in the case of Gollum, trying to envision that one in the novel of the Hobbit just does not fit.This movie could be better, yes. There are some parts left out and it is very fast paced and does not nearly go into detail that which the book holds.