Cast: So many people! That's always been an understood hurdle to The Hobbit as a movie. The Fellowship had fewer people and they were more varied, not a bunch of dwarfs. Ian McKellen is a stable presence as always. Martin Freeman is really comfortable as a hobbit. They do a serviceable job with the dwarfs. By the end, they all have some form of a personality, but that will be an uphill battle for the next two movies.
Plot: They use every page of the book (the part that this covers, that is). That isn't a complaint, but it is true. The stakes are a lot different in this one and audiences have to accept that. Otherwise, they will find themselves pretty underwhelmed. Also, remember how Fellowship sort of ended and didn't feel all that complete in it's own right? Well...
Elephant in the Room: Part 1 of 3? Personally, two sounds like plenty to me as well. I'm taking this one on trust. Peter Jackson isn't making the decision as some studio directive to milk this for what it's worth. He says there's three movie here. I'll believe him until I have reason not to.
To Sum Things Up:
It's nice to be back in Middle-Earth. That alone puts this movie in the upper-echelon of what I've seen this year. Sadly, the overall product lacks the "out of the gate" polish of the first trilogy. Ultimately, this will be judged as a trilogy, not a single movie, so enjoy what you can with this one and stay excited for what's to come.
Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend
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