I've always been a huge LOTR fan. I love the characterizations, the plot intricacy, the attention to detail. I also loved the movies by Peter Jackson. Sure, they had "Hollywood" elements in them, but for the most part they were exceptional. When I heard the Hobbit was coming out, I had mixed feelings. Each LOTR book is quadruple the size of the Hobbit. Yet the Hobbit is as long as the entire trilogy? The Hobbit was a children's bedtime story. Jackson turned the Hobbit into a long epic?
My doubts increased as the reviews started to pour in. People dissed the directing pace and the higher frame rate. LOTR fans disliked how the movie deviated from the text and added extraneous information. I went to see the Hobbit fully prepared that it may not measure up to the excellent first trilogy.
I was very surprised...
...It was MUCH better than most people are giving it credit for. I'll share some of my thoughts under a few general points:
