Product: The Hobbit [VHS] (1977)
Rating: 3.0
Charming but dated
When this originally came out, when I was a kid, I was a huge fan, and I eagerly snapped up the DVD when it was released. While I enjoy "The Lord of the Rings," including the new live action movies, the story of "The Hobbit" has always been nearer and dearer to me.Unfortunately, as sometimes happens, things are better in memory than in reality. Whether it's changing tastes or simply adult eyes, but much of this film is needlessly tame: combat scenes (which are plentiful) mostly consist of repeatedly zooming in on static pictures, instead of showing the heroes and villains swinging their weapons. It's probably partly an economic decision -- it was surely easier to animate this way -- and partly an effort to sanitize the film, but the end result is that this feels like a needlessly G-rated version of what, at worst, is a PG story.Fun to have, and a nice companion piece to the DVDs of the new movies -- and even after all these years, I enjoy Glen Yarbrough's theme song -- but go into it with your eyes open.Recommended for fans who never outgrew their love of the "Greatest Adventure" and confirmed Tolkein fans.