A very, very short review of _The Hobbit_

I was going to write something longer, but at this point I’m really just +1 some specific points….

Quick addition:  If you want to get a sense of how things are different and yet the same (and written by someone who has clearly not only paid a great deal of attention to the story itself but the craft of it), go read In Defense of Fili, Kili and Thorin Oakenshield – an Appreciation Beyond Hot Dwarves.

  1. It is good.  Even the supposed “slow bits” were interesting.
  2. This would have been sooooooo rushed if it wasn’t stretched out across multiple movies.
  3. It is not the book.  It is a prequel to LOTR.  While it’s in many ways similar to the book, it isn’t. 
  4. Not Being The Book is Not A Bad Thing;  the movie is clearly tied into the larger world of Middle-Earth rather than being a standalone adventure.  (Also possible because it’s been lengthened across releases.)
  5. This is also not the Rankin-Bass Hobbit animated feature.
  6. There was only one add-on that felt really klunky – that was the Defiler.
  7. I *loved* how the dwarves were not all carbon copies;  fellow nerds, time to vary up your D&D characters.
       (Again, check out “Beyond Hot Dwarves“.  Really.)