Product: The Hobbit [VHS] (1977)
Rating: 3.0
Unlike the book, "The Hobbit" has its problems...
Of the millions upon millions of Tolkien fans out there in the world, you can divide the groups that have seen this film version of "The Hobbit" into two categories - those who love it, and those who hate it. To love it, you must be among Tolkien's more open-minded fans. To hate it, you have to be a perfectionist when it comes to all thinks Tolkien. Oddly enough, I could almost fit into both categories where this is concerned.Visually, this animated feature delivers the lighter side of Middle-earth in ways that Bakshi cannot manage. However, the voice-overs leave much to be desired, in my opinion - espesially in comparison to Bakshi's adaptation of "The Lord of the Rings." One thing that bothers me is that, Elrond aside, there are NO British actors. This seems very out of place to me, personally - and don't think it has anything to do with me being British, because I'm pureblood American. Of all the characters in the film I find that only Gollum and Smaug are voiced to my own satisfaction. Point of fact, the sequence between Smaug and Bilbo is absolutely everything that it should be, and the highlight of the movie.Yes, there are moments in this film where the characters break out into song - but it belongs here, and the songs are actually quite catchy versions of those that appear in writing in "The Hobbit." The orcs, in particular, have deep, rumbling voices and even when singing they manage to maintain their fearsome demeanor. The moments of song actually enhance this film rather than detract from it - which is, sadly, not the case in "The Return of the King" (also given us by Rankin-Bass).There are other problems, though. There is no Beorn; the film's depiction of Elves make one wonder just how well the animators STUDIED Tolkien's characters - they look awful; and the film takes the strange liberty of killing off more Dwarves than the book did. But overall, it is a nice attempt, and perhaps as close as we'll ever come to seeing "The Hobbit" on screen (unless New Line decides to milk their cash cow even further - crossing fingers).