In a hole in the ground lives Bilbo Baggins: a hobbit, that is, a small, peaceful little man who lives comfortably in a beautiful land called the Shire in the world of Middle-Earth. All this (except his stature, I guess) changes when the wizard Gandalf appears and volunteers Bilbo to accompany a group of dwarves on a quest to reclaim their ancient home, the Lonely Mountain, from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Although he is initially very reluctant, Bilbo learns to grow into the role of the adventurer, gaining the respect of his brave companions. In the meantime, a dark being with power over death awakens in the heart of Middle-Earth.
Chances are you've read the book by Tolkien. Maybe you've also read The Lord of the Rings, or seen the movie. Here's the first thing to accept, for better or for worse: this movie is nowhere near as close to its book as The Lord of the Rings. The fact that this, too, is a trilogy probably clued you in, but this should clear up any lingering doubts.
It's not entirely like the LotR movies, either, but neither is Tolkien's The Hobbit. Written for children, there's a lot more whimsy involved in Bilbo's tale than in Frodo's. In the book, trolls and spiders talk and joke while they're trying to eat the main characters, swapping some gravitas for humor in order to keep Bilbo's character light. He's not a serious character, but that doesn't mean he isn't significant. Unfortunately, one fair weakness of the film is its portrayal of Bilbo. He begins firing off snappy one-liners far too early, without the right kind of development to show how he became used to the adventures of the road. If the film is going to deviate from the book, it should have some sense of depth to those who haven't read the book; otherwise it's using the book's elements in the wrong order.
Other deviations were more fun. Radagast, in particular, is definitely jumbled together from what fans would like to see rather than from Tolkien's notes, but that doesn't stop him from fairly bursting with the raucous balance between silliness and magic that this film works to achieve. And Azog's storyline is blatantly non-canon, but he works very well as a foe for the stubborn Thorin Oakenshield.
In every aspect other than plot and character, the film succeeds overwhelmingly. The visual aspect is totally breathtaking, as if LotR were painted with brighter colors so that it could shine from every crevice. My only complaint about that aspect is that some shots were a bit dizzying, even for someone who isn't normally averse to helicopter shots or shaky camera. But the musical score is fantastic, even better than its predecessors. For days afterward I found myself humming the dwarves' theme song in empty public restrooms (which have quite good acoustics).
Even if you're a loyal fan of the books or the movie trilogy, I recommend this film. After all, if you can look past the fact that Jackson now has a different approach to adaptation, he still comes up with gold. It's fun, which is the only real reason to go to the theater, anyway.
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